Katzenjammer are an English-language Norwegian band from Oslo, formed in 2005. The band consists of Anne Marit Bergheim, Marianne Sveen, Solveig Heilo and Turid Jørgensen.
The members of Katzenjammer met in 2004 while studying at a private music school in Oslo. The band was formed in 2007 while listening to Anne Marit Bergheim perform the song "Wading in Deeper" on the piano. They were brought together by a common feeling of being "the outcasts at the school." Katzenjammer felt that their music school didn't encourage originality, but "only wanted to teach what had been done."
The band is named after the Katzenjammer Kids, the oldest comic strip continually in syndication. They chose this comic strip because they noticed that they resembled the characters in it. Literally, the term Katzenjammer is a German loanword and literally means "lament of a cat", and is used in Norway to describe low-grade music and instrumentation (which in Germany would be called Katzenmusik - "music by cats"4).
In 2008, Katzenjammer were chosen as one of the finalists in NRK's yearly Urørt competition for unsigned artists. They finished in third place with the song "A Bar in Amsterdam". That year they also performed at the Scandinavian music convention by:Larm in Oslo, gaining them national exposure.
Katzenjammer's debut album Le Pop was released in September 2008. The album was a mixture of different musical styles including pop, cabaret, country, and bluegrass.[7] Its songs were composed by the band's friend Mats Rybø, while the music was arranged by Katzenjammer on their fifteen shared instruments.
Le Pop was well received by music critics, and was described as "engrossing and appealing". It reached number nine on the Norwegian albums chart and number seventy-one in the Netherlands. In 2008, Le Pop was nominated for a Spellemannprisen award for Best Debut Album of the Year.
A Kiss Before You Go, Katzenjammer's second album, was released in September 2011. The album's lyrics and visual direction were inspired by the French film The City of Lost Children, a maritime fantasy adventure.
A Kiss Before You Go debuted at number seven on the German albums chart, and was certified gold. In Norway, the album reached number six. The album received positive reviews from critics, who found it to be "utterly delightful" and "close to brilliance." The lead single, "I Will Dance (When I Walk Away)", was a minor hit in Germany, peaking at number thirty-two on the singles chart.
In May 2012, Katzenjammer released A Kiss Before You Go: Live in Hamburg, their first live album. Recorded at Große Freiheit 36 during the Hamburg, Germany dates of their 2011 tour, it was released in both CD and DVD formats.
The new album ROCKLAND out 2nd March 2015
