“They seem to have perfected melding Allman Brothers-like harmonies, the hum-along quality of a really good Tom Petty, and the guitar outbursts of a J. Mascis moment.†— Evan George, LA Alternative
Unbeknownst to many, for the last several years, Bigbang have been earning a reputation as one of the most surprising and influential bands to hail from Scandinavia. Coming off the heals of Radio Radio TV Sleep (Warner Music, Norway), the best selling live album in Norway’s history, Bigbang returned to the scene again in 2005 with Poetic Terrorism, which quickly shot to Norway’s # 1 album slot.
Venturing beyond borders, Bigbang began in 2006 to play local gigs and showcases in the U.S. Encouraged by radio support from Steve Jones of Jonesy's Jukebox on Indie103.1 and rave reviews from local media, the boys returned home, only to later play at the Spot ’06 music festival in Denmark, where they caught the ear of music critic and Rolling Stone senior editor David Fricke. Of the band, he wrote:
“Led by singer-guitarist Oystein Greni, Bigbang lit the power-pop chime and songwriting of Big Star and late-Eighties R.E.M with the power blues dynamics of Stevie Ray Vaughan's Double Trouble.â€
Finally, at the end of another brief visit to Los Angeles this last September, as the band prepared to record new material for a forthcoming album, Bigbang was invited to join The Raconteurs for nine dates throughout the U.K., from October 14th to Oct 25th! This worked out perfectly, as Poetic Terrorism was released in the U.K. on October 9th, courtesy of our friends at Shellshock Records.
The response to the U.K tour was all around positive. The Sun (U.K) called the band “Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young with Balls.â€
Soon after the band finished recording their forthcoming album, Too Much Yang, to be released in Norway on March 19, 2007. A couple of the songs, including “Hurricane Boyâ€, were actually recorded at the world famous Capitol Studios in Hollywood.
photos courtesy of Joshua Weinfeld