Wig Wam - Non Stop Rock ‘n’ Roll

Those of you with elephantine memories may well remember Norway’s Wig Wam from their triumphant Eurovision Song Contest entry from 2005, the fabulous Bon Jovi pastiche In My Dreams; but it matters not one whit if you don’t – the words Eurovision, Bon and Jovi tell you everything you need to know.

Actually they don’t. Well, not entirely. Walls Come Down, the album’s second track, actually brings to mind the superbly classy, heavy melodic rock of Swedes Europe, especially the fine, full-throated vocals of singer Glam, whilst the title track does a good job of replicating the gods of this kinda mullarkey, the ever huge Whitesnake; and in Chasing Rainbows the band attempts, largely successfully, to join the musical dots between Queen, Aerosmith, Judas Priest and Tesla in under four minutes flat – no mean feat.

It’s not all barefaced tributing, of course, though the name of the game with WW is undoubtedly eighties nostalgia; You need to be supremely talented to even get in the same post code as Edward Van Halen (and there are a lot of nods to the man from guitarist Teeny throughout the album), and the band give just enough vent to these talents over and beyond mere apeage to warrant repeated listens – not just to spot the influence, but to enjoy the show as a whole. Enjoy this for what it is and you’ll have an absolute ball.

Review by Scott Adams, BMA Magazine 19.01.2010
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