1977–1980 · From Outkids to Trash
Frigidaire Tango began in 1977, when Carlo Casale and Stefano Dal Col started working together under the spell of British punk and formed the Outkids. The band became Trash and, once Marco Breda joined on keyboards, its sound widened: progressive rock, krautrock and glam met punk energy, and the group settled into Italy's new wave scene.
1981–1983 · The Cock and Russian Dolls
In 1981, now called Frigidaire Tango, they recorded their first LP, The Cock, for Young Records. Two years later, with Franco Turesso as a second keyboardist, they produced the mini-LP Russian Dolls themselves. Two promotional videos were made, they toured Italy with The Sound, and Radio Rai played the single "Recall".
1984–1986 · RAI, Barcelona and the end
RAI 1 filmed the band for L'ultimo concerto, a documentary by Piergiorgio Gay about the tension between playing music and earning a living. Their songs appeared on the Rockgarage and Body Section compilations, they played the Barcelona biennale, and they contributed "The Romantic Lifeguard" to the P.E.A.C.E. benefit compilation for Amnesty International. In the summer of 1986 the band split: the members found it hard to reconcile music with their careers, and they no longer agreed on where the group was heading.
1988–2008 · The Vindicators, the Freezer Box and the return
Most of the line-up regrouped as the Vindicators (1988–91), a beat, rock'n'roll and R&B project that recorded two LPs. The band's own story came back in 2006–07 with The Freezer Box (Alma Records): three discs and a 50-page book, with The Cock plus two outtakes, Music for Us, the second album recorded in 1983–85 and never released until then, and a previously unreleased concert from Barcelona with six extra live tracks. The old songs brought the band back together, and in 2008 they returned to the studio.
2009–2013 · L'illusione del volo and the tribute
L'illusione del volo came out in October 2009 on La Tempesta Dischi. The band produced it and Giorgio Canali mixed it, with guests such as Federico Fiumani, Fabio Trentini, Aldo Tagliapietra, Diego Galeri and Miss Xox. Videos followed for "Soffia" (directed by Stefano Poletti) and "Natural mente" (Jacopo Rondinelli and Peppo Bianchessi). In September 2010 the French magazine Tsugi named The Cock among the 100 essential lesser-known rock LPs, and in 2013 Go Down Records released a tribute with covers by Giorgio Canali, Sick Tamburo, Ilenia Volpe, Federico Fiumani and others.
2014–2026 · Rediscovery and Modern Vintage Wave
The band's place in the Italian eighties was recognised again. Livia Satriano's book Gli altri Ottanta (Agenzia X, 2014) covers the post-punk scene they belong to, and in 2023 Rumore 100 listed Russian Dolls among the 100 essential Italian new wave and post-punk records. In 2026 came new music: the singles "Fears" (January) and "Non sei raggiungibile" (March), then Modern Vintage Wave on Psicolabel, ten songs picked from about thirty unreleased recordings made between 2008 and 2025.
