Norwegian quartet WE was formed in 1993 by Krisvaag, Don Dons, Goshie and Thomas Felberg. Hailing from Oslo, Norway, the band soon started a reputation for being a phenomenal liveact. Playing shitloads of clubgigs in and around Oslo the first years soon made them sign to norwegian label Voices of Wonder in 1996. The release of their debut album Violently Coloured Sneakers the same year received great reactions from the press, both in Norway and Europe. The release took them abroad for the first time, including dates in Scandinavia and Europe. In order to maintain the steam the band obviously made, the band went back in the studio spring 97 and recorded the classic Wooferwheels. It was released in september 97 in Scandinavia, and in Europe january 98. Wooferwheels took them on their first headlining tours in Europe, two times in half a year, playing every dorf and city possible in the central european countries. This made them an extremely tight quartet, and WE received great livereviews wherever they came. While on their second european tour, the band went to see US legends Masters of Reality on an off day, and destiny brought them together with mainman master, Chris Goss (Kyuss, QOTSA etc). Inbetween indulgent herbexplorations and rock philosophy smalltalk, the band gave Goss their latest effort, Wooferwheels.
When returning back, WE started preproduction for their 3rd album, the undergroundclassic and smalltime breakthrough Livin`the Lore. This time around WE was invited to festivals both home and abroad. The band was about to start planning their upcoming europan tour when an invitation to tour throughout Europe as special guests for Masters of Reality was a fact. The result was 28 shows in 30 days, astonoshing accolades both for Livin`the Lore and rave liverewievs. On this tour WE also debuted in the UK, wich saw journalists from the likes of Kerrang!, Metal Hammer and Terrorizer banging in the audience. This resulted in great live and albumreviews the following weeks.
This also was the turning point for WE. Several labels showed interest. This fitted WE perfectly as they were eager to quit their old label. In stead of signing to a spesific label the band deicided to release onoff projects on various labels. This resulted in various releases on various labels, expanding the interest in WE and making the band independent after being tied up to their former label. New tours, new releases was what WE did in the remains of 99 and through 2000. This resulted in highprofile festival appearances such as Roskilde, Hultsfred, Arvika, Quart, Eurosonic and other european festivals.
The growing hype on WE made the band starting to talk with upcoming and aggressive norwegian label Black Balloon Records. WE had already started preproduction for their most successful release to date, Dinosauric Futurobic. It took the band a year to make Dinosauric Futurobic, just paused by some selected liveshows. Dinosauric Futurobic was released in March 2002 in Norway, and at variuos dates in the rest of Europe. WE started with a releaseparty at legendary club SoWhat! in Oslo with a que stretching hundreds of meters outside when the band went onstage. The touring schedule increased month by month, doing mostly headliner shows but also supporting Queens of the Stone Age on their Songs for the Deaf tour in Scandinavia november 2002. In January 2003 WE embarked on their Dinosauric Futurobic Tour, doing 29 shows in 30 days, with shows all over Europe, and labelmates El Caco as special guest. The tour ended in Norway, selloutshows and nomination at the Alarm Awards for best album of the year, playing the Alarm Awards show and a full concerts later the same evening. WE also visited SXSW, Texas USA in march 03, blowing the audience completely onstage so to speak.
WE went directly to the studio to make an followup minialbum to Dinosauric Futurobic, wisely entitled Lightyears Ahead. Lightyears Ahead was received with great press and audience feedback, and WE did some 10 shows in Norway, and will emabark on an european tour to support this minialbum in march 04.
The autumn of 2003 saw WE heading into their own Hangaroundsounds studio, with Don Dons as engineer. WE started preproducing their 6th album, and on the other side of the globe, in Palm Springs, L.A, sat Chris Goss, receiving tape after tape with rough recordings of various stuff the band ment could be optional songs for Smugglers. Chris Goss came to Oslo for the whole of december 2003, playing, contributing, and producing. It took five years for WE and Goss to finally meet for recording and playing music together. Chris Goss went home for christmas, while the band started with various percussion, overdubs and guestmusician sessions. Friends of WE from Euroboys, Turbonegro and Gluecifer amongst others came in and did their best. February was spent in Sweden at Music A Matic studios with Johan Forsman (TSOOL, Union Carbide Productions etc) behind the desk, twiddling knobs and mixing the album. Mastering was done at Cutting Room, and when the album was ready, WE started a hectic festivalseason in Norway, building up for the norwegian release of Smugglers. WE got rave livereviews in all national papers for the festival appearances while the first radiosingle from Smugglers; Catch Electrique was listed on heavy rotation in national radio. WE shot a video for Catch Electrique, which features norwegian shooting star actress Ane Dahl Torp in the leading role. Smugglers was launced september 13th in Norway and received massive mediabacking and hysterical topscore reviews in a unified norwegian press.This resulted in an historic number one entry at the official VG Top 40 Album list.
WE toured the Smugglers album on 3 continents and did over 150 shows, mainly in Europe and Scandinavia ending in december 2006 with a 14 date tour in Germany with Motorhead. WE took some weeks off and returned to the studio January 1st 2007, starting the recording of Tension & Release. Having added Tariq, the keyboard wizard straight after the release of Smugglers. Tension & Release is WEs first album where all five memebers wrote, arranged and recorded alltoghether. Tension & Release therefore proves WE as a band dont accept any kind of standstill, and both international and norwegian press has hailed the album as their best to date. Tension & Release is produced by WE and is released in central europe and scandinavia in january 2008 through Nun Music and Rodeostar Records. Tension & Release comes as a dbl. digipack jewelcase with bonus DVD. ordinary cd. dbl gatefold LP version and a triple limited BOX set in Norway only. 2008 and 2009 and set of for touring, and territories as Asia and USA are in the pipeline for a release later in 2008.