Wig Wam

Wig Wam is a Norwegian glam metal band formed in Halden 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.

This article is about the Norwegian rock band. For British duo, see WigWam (duo). For Finnish progressive rock band, see Wigwam (Finnish band). For other uses, see Wigwam (disambiguation).
Wig Wam
Wig Wam performing in 2010
Wig Wam performing in 2010
Background information
OriginHalden, Norway
Genres
Years active2001–2014, 2019–present
LabelsFrontiers Records
Members
  • Glam (Åge Sten Nilsen)
  • Teeny (Trond Holter)
  • Flash (Bernt Jansen)
  • Sporty (Øystein Andersen)
Websitewigwamofficial.com

Wig Wam had their international breakthrough in 2005 when they represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest held in Kyiv 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 chose their song "Do Ya Wanna Taste It" as the opening theme for the HBO Max television series Peacemaker and featured "In My Dreams" on the soundtrack.[1] Wig Wam has released six studio albums as of 2023. The band's slogan is: "Rock is the new schläger".

History

Wig Wam was formed in Halden 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, Kiss, Led Zeppelin, The Who and Mötley Crüe.[2][3][4] 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.[5] 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.[6]

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 with the song "In My Dreams", becoming the first metal band to perform at the contest, and placed ninth.[7] 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.[8] Following Eurovision, Wig Wam toured extensively in Europe. Later in 2005, Wig Wam recorded a cover of "I Was Made For Lovin' You" in collaboration with Bruce Kulick for the Kiss tribute album Gods of Thunder: A Norwegian Tribute to Kiss.

Wig Wam released their second studio album Wig Wamania in 2006. Their show at Shibuya O-East 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 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.[9] Wig Wam reunited in 2019 and released their fifth studio album Never Say Die in 2021.[10]

In January 2022, HBO Max 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.[11][12] 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.[13] In 2023, the band released their sixth studio album Out of the Dark. Wig Wam toured the United States for the first time later that year and fullfilled a long-held dream of performing at the Whisky a Go Go.[14][15]

Wig Wam performing in 2007

Style and influences

Wig Wam's musical style is a combination of classic rock, hard rock and glam metal, with their music being described by Billboard as "glitter-soaked, tongue-firmly-in-cheek hard rock."[16] The band's music and imagery are influenced by Kiss, Sweet, T. Rex, Slade, Queen, Aerosmith, Elvis Presley and the Beatles, among others.[17][18] 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".[19][20]

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
Main article: Wig Wam discography

Studio albums

References
  1. Fogarty, Paul (4 February 2022). "Peacemaker soundtrack: Every song in HBO Max series explored". HITC. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  2. The Bailey Brothers (8 August 2007). "a Bailey Brothers interview with Glam from Wig Wam". RockUnited.Com. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  3. Romero, Alex M. (2012). "WIG WAM (Eng.)". Queens of Steel. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  4. Diggins, Mark (4 January 2023). "NEW YEAR INTERVIEW: Wig Wam - Åge Sten Nilsen and Bernt Jansen". The Rockpit. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  5. Erskine, Craig (21 September 2023). "Wig Wam - Wisconsin Music". Wisconsin Music. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  6. Erskine, Craig (21 September 2023). "Wig Wam - Wisconsin Music". Wisconsin Music. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  7. Mills, Matt (5 May 2023). "Hard rock hallelujah! How metal found an unlikely home at Eurovision". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  8. Røkeberg, Morten W. (22 March 2005). "Wig Wam topper VG-lista". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  9. Pettersen, Jonas (14 March 2014). "Wig Wam oppløses". dagbladet.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  10. Gallagher, Robyn (22 November 2019). "Norway: Glam rockers Wig Wam reunite, sparking fan hopes for Melodi Grand Prix". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  11. Shirey, Paul (13 January 2022). "Peacemaker Opening Dance Sequence Explained By James Gunn". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 13 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  12. Collington, Faefyx (13 January 2022). "Peacemaker Soundtrack Guide: Every Song In James Gunn's DC Show". ScreenRant. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  13. Kaufman, Gil (26 January 2022). "Wig Wam Were Washed Out Until Insane 'Peacemaker' Credits Danced Them Back to Life". Billboard. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  14. Erskine, Craig (21 September 2023). "Wig Wam - Wisconsin Music". Wisconsin Music. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  15. Aschim, Thorvald (22 February 2022). "Wig Wam topper salgsliste i USA". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  16. Kaufman, Gil (26 January 2022). "Wig Wam Were Washed Out Until Insane 'Peacemaker' Credits Danced Them Back to Life". Billboard. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  17. The Bailey Brothers (8 August 2007). "a Bailey Brothers interview with Glam from Wig Wam". RockUnited.Com. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  18. Romero, Alex M. (2012). "WIG WAM (Eng.)". Queens of Steel. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  19. Berge, Andreas (4 June 2005). "Wig Wam - Sukkersøtt". Sarpsborg Arbeiderblad (in Norwegian). Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  20. Diggins, Mark (4 January 2023). "NEW YEAR INTERVIEW: Wig Wam - Åge Sten Nilsen and Bernt Jansen". The Rockpit. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
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