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. 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 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. 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 and embarked on a tour in support of the album. The band's 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. Wig Wam reunited in 2019 and released their fifth studio album
Never Say Die in 2021. Restrictions due to the
COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult to promote the album with limited media appearances and live performances. 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. 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. 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. == Style and influences ==