The Plastic People of the Universe

The Plastic People of the Universe are a czech underground rock band, experimental, avant-garde and strongly influenced by The Velvet Underground and Frank Zappa. The band was formed in 1968 but had its license to perform revoked by communist authorities in 1970; the band was arrested on put on trial in 1976. Protests of these arrests led to the formation of the dissident group Charter 77 that eventually formed the backbone of the Velvet Revolution in 1989. Ironically, however, the band itself splintered around that time, with founding member bassist Milan Hlavsa starting a splinter group, Půlnoc, that toured the West.