Soundtracking a micronation: Neurobash’s engagement with Ladonia

Ladonia, conceived and helmed by artist Lars Vilks since its inception in 1996, operates as a physical and online micronation that is particularly concerned with freedom of artistic expression. While much of the creative activity undertaken in – and in association with – Ladonia has involved sculptural work, the micronation also appointed the electronic music ensemble Neurobash as its official band in 2006-2008. This article explores the ensemble’s motivation for engaging with Vilks and his Ladonia project, the musical work created by them in association with the micronation and their subsequent distancing from Vilks’s activities. In approaching these topics, the article produces a characterisation of one of the few sustained associations between a creative ensemble and a micronation and the opportunities and issues involved in this.