Wig Wam is a Norwegian

glam metal Glam metal (also known as hair metal or pop metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal music, heavy metal that features pop music, pop-influenced Hook (music), hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat arena rock, rock anthems, and slow Sentimental ballad#Powe ...

band formed in

Halden Halden (), between 1665 and 1928 known as Fredrikshald, is both a List of cities in Norway, town and a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Østfold Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The municipality borders Sarpsborg to the northwest, R ...

in 2001. Wig Wam's lineup—consisting of vocalist Glam (Åge Sten Nilsen), guitarist Teeny (Trond Holter), bassist Flash (Bernt Jansen) and drummer Sporty (Øystein Andersen)—has remained unchanged since the band's formation. The band's style mixes glam metal and hard rock with humorous lyrics and imagery. Wig Wam had their international breakthrough in 2005 when they in the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...

held in

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

and placed ninth with the song " In My Dreams"''.'' Wig Wam split up in 2014, but reunited in 2019. The band enjoyed a resurgence in 2022 when

James Gunn James Francis Gunn Jr. (born August 5, 1966) is an American filmmaker. He began his career as a screenwriter in the mid-1990s, starting at Troma Entertainment with ''Tromeo and Juliet'' (1996). He then began working as a director, starting wi ...

chose their song "Do Ya Wanna Taste It" as the opening theme for the

HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...

television series '' Peacemaker'' and featured "In My Dreams" on the soundtrack. Wig Wam has released six studio albums as of 2023. The band's slogan is: "

Rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

is the new schlager".

History

Wig Wam was formed in

in 2001 as a session band for a club and originally played covers of songs by bands from the 1970s and 1980s, including

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1973. Credited with restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene, Van Halen was known for their energetic live performances and the virtuosity of their guit ...

Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...

The Who The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...

and

Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Hollywood, California, in 1981 by bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, with guitarist Mick Mars and lead vocalist Vince Neil joining right after. The band has sol ...

. After a successful show at a 1980s-themed party, the band was booked for several more shows and started touring extensively throughout the south of Norway, quickly becoming one of the country's most popular live bands. Wig Wam's fan base would later be known as Wig Wamaniacs. After establishing themselves as a live band, the band started writing original songs and released their debut album '' 667.. The Neighbour of the Beast'' in 2004. The band competed in the Norwegian Eurovision final in 2004 and placed third with the song "Crazy Things". A year later they represented Norway in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2005 The Eurovision Song Contest 2005 was the 50th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Kyiv, Ukraine, following the country's victory at the with the song "Wild Dances" by Ruslana. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union ( ...

with the song " In My Dreams", becoming the first metal band to perform at the contest, and placed ninth. The song would go on to become a successful hit in Norway, peaking for three weeks at the top of the national single chart, an achievement neither of Norway's two previous Eurovision winners had managed, and also enjoyed commercial success in

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

. Following Eurovision, Wig Wam toured extensively in Europe. Later in 2005, Wig Wam recorded a cover of "

I Was Made For Lovin' You "I Was Made for Lovin' You" is a song by American Rock music, rock band Kiss (band), Kiss, released in 1979 as the lead single off their seventh studio album ''Dynasty (Kiss album), Dynasty''. The song became a smash hit on the pop singles ch ...

" in collaboration with

Bruce Kulick Bruce Howard Kulick (; born December 12, 1953) is an American guitarist best known as a former guitarist of the band Kiss (band), Kiss (19841996). He was also a member of Union (band), Union with John Corabi from 19972002, Blackjack (American ba ...

for the Kiss tribute album '' Gods of Thunder: A Norwegian Tribute to Kiss''. Wig Wam released their second studio album ''

Wig Wamania ''Wig Wamania'' is the second studio album by Norwegian glam metal band Wig Wam. The album was released on 13 March, 2006, and produced by the band's guitarist Trond Holter. The album's first single "Gonna Get You Someday" was released on 7 Febr ...

'' in 2006 and embarked on a tour in support of the album. The band's show at

Shibuya O-East is a music venue in Dogenzaka Chome, Shibuya, Tokyo, where every week, mostly Japanese bands and musicians perform. The venue was renamed Spotify O-East in December 2021, after a deal with the music-streaming service. It had previously been named ...

in February 2007 was recorded and filmed for the release of the live album '' Live in Tokyo'' and video album ''Made in Japan'' later that year. The band released their third studio album ''

Non Stop Rock'n Roll ''Non Stop Rock'n Roll'' is the third studio album by the Norwegian glam metal band Wig Wam. It was released on 21 January, 2010, making it the first Wig Wam album to be released worldwide on the same day. The album was produced by the band's gu ...

'' in 2010 and opened for KISS at Valhall in Oslo in june that same year. Wig Wam's fourth studio album ''Wall Street'' was released in 2012. In 2014, the band announced that the members would part ways after thirteen years together. Wig Wam reunited in 2019 and released their fifth studio album '' Never Say Die'' in 2021. Restrictions due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

made it difficult to promote the album with limited media appearances and live performances. In January 2022,

released the television series '' Peacemaker'' which featured the band's song "Do Ya Wanna Taste It" as the opening theme and also included "In My Dreams" on the soundtrack. While Wig Wam had been dropped by their booking agency shortly before the show's release, it proved popular enough to spearhead a career resurgence for the band. The band appeared on festivals in Norway and Europe once the COVID restrictions had been lifted later in 2022. A summer tour of the United States was planned, but delayed to 2023 after difficulties with acquiring work visas. In 2023, the band released their sixth studio album ''

Out of the Dark Out of the Dark may refer to: Films * ''Out of the Dark'' (1989 film), a comedy/horror film starring Karen Witter * ''Out of the Dark'' (1995 film), a comedy/horror film by Jeffery Lau and starring Stephen Chow * '' Out in the Dark'', a 2012 Isra ...

''. Wig Wam toured the United States for the first time later that year and fulfilled a long-held dream of performing at the

Whisky a Go Go The Whisky a Go Go (informally nicknamed The Whisky) is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente Boulev ...

Style and influences

Wig Wam's musical style is a combination of

classic rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

and

, with their music being described by ''Billboard'' as "glitter-soaked, tongue-firmly-in-cheek hard rock." The band's music and imagery are influenced by

Sweet Sweetness is a basic taste most commonly perceived when eating foods rich in sugars. Sweet tastes are generally regarded as pleasurable. In addition to sugars like sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, ketones, ...

, T. Rex,

Slade Slade are a rock band formed in Wolverhampton, England in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The '' British Hit Singl ...

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of lead vocalist Steven Tyler, bassist Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarists Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry and B ...

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

and

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

, among others. The members use stage names, as well as glam-inspired stage makeup and outfits. The band's name is taken from the Sweet song " Wig-Wam Bam".

Band members

* ''Glam'' (Åge Sten Nilsen) — vocals * ''Teeny'' (Trond Holter) — guitar * ''Flash'' (Bernt Jansen) — bass guitar * ''Sporty'' (Øystein Andersen) — drums *Lasse Finbråten — keyboards (live)

Discography

Studio albums *'' 667.. The Neighbour of the Beast'' (2004) (reissued in 2005 as ''

Hard to Be a Rock'n Roller ''Hard to Be a Rock'n Roller'' is the reissue of Norwegian rock band Wig Wam's debut album '' 667.. The Neighbour of the Beast''. It was released in Scandinavia on 10 January 2005, and featured a re-arranged tracklist and the addition of an inst ...

'') *''

'' (2006) *''

'' (2010) *''

Wall Street Wall Street is a street in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs eight city blocks between Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway in the west and South Street (Manhattan), South Str ...

'' (2012) *'' Never Say Die'' (2021) *''

'' (2023)

References

External links

Official website
* * {{Authority control 2001 establishments in Norway Melodi Grand Prix winners Musical groups established in 2001 Musical groups disestablished in 2014 Musical groups reestablished in 2019 Musical groups from Halden Norwegian glam metal musical groups Norwegian hard rock musical groups Frontier Records artists Eurovision Song Contest entrants