1979–1985: Formation and early years DumDum Boys was formed in
Trondheim in the late 1970s as a punk rock act under the name Wannskrækk by guitarist
Kjartan Kristiansen and bassist Per Christian "Persi" Iveland, with vocalist Per Øivind "Prepple" Houmb joining in 1979 and drummer Sola Jonsen in 1982. The band was inspired by other Norwegian acts such as
Lasse Myrvold and
The Aller Værste!, who pioneered punk rock with Norwegian lyrics. The band played gigs extensively in Trondheim and soon gained a cult following. Wannskrækk released two singles,
Faen Kuler Treffer Aldri Riktig (1981) and " ...12"... " (1982), before they in 1985 adopted a more mainstream, rock sound and took the name DumDum Boys after the song by
Iggy Pop from his album
The Idiot. The band's debut studio album,
Blodig Alvor, was released in 1988 and peaked at the
Norwegian charts at number 14. The band's sophomore album,
Splitter Pine, was released in 1989 and peaked at number three on the charts. The album earned DumDum Boys a second Spellemann award and was also
certified gold.
1990–1994: Pstereo, Transit and Ludium In 1990, keyboardist Atle Karlsen officially joined the band, having previously contributed to
Splitter Pine, and composed the soundtrack for the movie
Døden på Oslo S together with Kristiansen. The band's third album,
Pstereo, was released that same year, with the band being awarded the Spellemann award in the Rock category for a third consecutive year. Later that year, DumDum Boys released their fourth studio album,
Transit. The album proved to be both a critical and commercial success, with the band also being awarded the
Spellemann of the Year award. DumDum Boys returned to touring in the autumn of 2007. The next two years, the band toured and recorded their follow-up album to
Gravitasjon. In November 2009, the album
Tidsmaskin was released. The band subsequently toured in support of the album the following year, while Kristiansen and Dørum received the Spellemann award in the category This Year's Song for the title track's lyrics.
2011–2016: Ti Liv and touring In 2011, Prepple, Kristiansen, Iveland and Jonsen reunited as Wannskrækk for two shows in the summer. In August of that year, DumDum Boys performed "Tyven tyven" at the national memorial ceremony for the victims of the
22 July attacks. The band's tenth studio album,
Ti Liv, was released in May 2012. DumDum Boys toured Norway the following years and released the single "Tid & Sted / Har Det På Tunga" in 2015.
2017–present: Armer og Bein and Løsøre In 2017, the band entered the studio to record a new album and later released the single "Torden i det fjern" in November. The album
Armer og Bein was released in October 2018. The following year, DumDum Boys released the compilation album
Løsøre. In 2020, DumDum Boys were forced to cancel their planned tour due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. The band resumed touring following the lifting of the national restrictions in Norway. == Band members ==