Hovedøen Social Club med Hanne Krogh, Eldar Vågan & Trond-Viggo Torgersen

During Oslo World, Hovedøen Social Club invites you all to a release party for their new album at Cosmopolite together with Norwegian legends such as Hanne Krogh, Trond-Viggo Torgersen and Eldar Vågan!  

The combination of Cuban music and old hits from Norwegian radio might have seemed like an absurd notion when Hovedøen Social Club made their debut almost twenty years ago – but then again, few would have thought that gin and tonic went together until someone tried. And Hovedøen Social Club didn’t just try. With a deep knowledge of Cuban music tradition, and a love for these old songs that extended far beyond the postmodern “ironic cover”-trope, their fusion quickly became lodged in the subconsciousness of the Norwegian listener. Of course this suave, refreshing combination exists. Their big breakthrough came with ”¡Que viva Noruega!” in 2008, the record received heavy radio play that summer. Several successful records, and collaborations with institutions such as KORK, Det Norske Blåseensemble, Marinemusikken and Arktisk Filharmoni have followed. Their concert recording “Klassikere a la Cuba”, done in collaboration with KORK, has made its way back to Latin America where it is played regularly on Cuban television, and in 2025, a recording they did with the Cuban Opera Orchestra received the CubaDisco music award. 

The band leader, Sverre Indris Joner, has dedicated his life to Latin American music - he received his education in Havana and Oslo, has composed and arranged music for world class orchestras and brought different parts of this music to Norwegian music listeners through Tango for 3 and Hovedøen. His role both as a teacher and mediator of this music, which hasn’t always been easy to experience on stage here in Norway, is priceless. And the way his bands have done it, with a solid dose of humor and willingness to play with our collective musical memory, has made an imprint that will last. Hovedøen Social Club brings together the finest practitioners of Cuban music working in Norway, topped off by the unique vocal stylings of Sergio Gonzalez. Through them, other great bands such as Irakere and Cubanismo have reached a wider local audience. They have expanded the Norwegian music scene. Those are huge words, we know, but luckily, with Hovedøen Social Club, the laughter and smiles are never far away, keeping the music grounded and the nights warm and long - even in the cold Norwegian autumn. 

Three huge Norwegian artists will be joining them on stage this evening. Hanne Krogh is a beloved recording artist, especially known for the duo Bobbysocks with Elisabeth Andreassen, which won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1985. Eldar Vågan is one of Norway’s most iconic guitar heroes and the mastermind behind the singular high concept rockabilly outfit Vazelina Bilopphøggers. And for decades, Trond Viggo Torgersen has straddled the line between kindhearted singer of children’s songs and sardonic comedian. The three of them are responsible for countless indelible moments in Norwegian culture. And in Hovedøen Social Club, they’ve got an ideal playmate.