Backstreet Girls

Formed in Oslo in 1984, Backstreet Girls occupy a vein where boogie rock meets hard rock and the energy of punk, delivering straightforward songs, thick riffs and a pronounced taste for rock ’n’ roll on stage. The band coalesced around guitarist Petter Baarli, bassist Pål Kristensen and singer Tom Kristensen, and achieved its first recorded footing with Mental Shakedown in 1986, followed by Boogie Till You Puke (1988), Party on Elm Street (1989) and Coming Down Hard (1990). The band’s story also includes several changes of vocalist: Bjørn Müller, who joined in 1986, left a lasting mark on the repertoire; the mic later passed to, among others, Olle Hillborg and Pat Diamond before Müller returned in 1995. Over the decades Backstreet Girls have continued to evolve without abandoning their sonic base—rough rock, short choruses and a boogie tempo—as shown by Hellway to High (1999), Death Before Compromise.... (2014), Normal Is Dangerous (2019) and In Lust We Trust (2023). After Bjørn Müller’s death in 2024, Backstreet Girls announced in 2026 the arrival of Roar Leren as vocalist, alongside Petter Baarli, Gaute Vaag and Jonas Kjærnsrød.