The Poodles

Formed in Sweden in 2005 around singer Jakob Samuel, guitarist Pontus Norgren, bassist Pontus Egberg and drummer Christian Lundqvist, The Poodles play melodic hard rock sung in English, featuring carefully crafted choruses, crisp guitars and a songwriting style that draws on both glam metal and 1980s arena rock. The band’s rise came with the song “Night of Passion,” presented at Melodifestivalen 2006, which quickly established them on the Swedish rock scene. They followed with the albums Metal Will Stand Tall (2006), Sweet Trade (2007), Clash of the Elements (2009), Performocracy (2011), Tour De Force (2013), Devil in the Details (2015) and Prisma (2018). The group’s history also includes several lineup changes, notably Pontus Norgren’s departure in 2008, when he was replaced by Henrik Bergqvist, while Jakob Samuel remained the band’s central figure. Partly composed of musicians who had played in Talisman and Lion’s Share, The Poodles moved between television, festival stages and the European hard rock circuit, with appearances at Sweden Rock Festival and a return to Melodifestivalen in 2008 alongside E-Type with “Line of Fire.” The Poodles ceased activities in 2018.