DeLillos emerged in 1984 as a Norwegian pop/rock outfit based in Oslo, with an original lineup that featured Lars Lillo-Stenberg on vocals, guitar, organ, piano and synthesizer, alongside Lars Fredrik Beckstrøm on bass and vocals, and founding drummer Rune Lindstrøm. Their first recordings appeared on the lengthy Kjerringvikdemoen demo from 1985, material that later surfaced officially in 2005 as bonus tracks on expanded editions of the band’s initial two LPs. After Lindstrøm exited, Øystein Jevanord briefly handled drums in 1986 before Øystein Paasche took over the role in 1988; Paasche has remained ever since, while Lars Lundevall came aboard first as a touring guitarist in 1991 and then as a permanent member the next year. The group’s proper debut arrived with Suser Avgårde in 1986, an immediate commercial breakthrough that launched a string of successful albums spanning several decades. The follow-up, Før Var Det Morsomt Med Sne (1987), delivered their initial major hit, the Top 10 single “S’il Vous Plait.” Their third effort, Hjernen Er Alene (1989), climbed to a career-best Top Five placement on the Norwegian albums chart at the time and helped cement the band’s stature alongside DumDum Boys, Raga Rockers and Jokke & Valentinerne as one of the decade’s leading Norwegian rock acts. Throughout the 1990s the quartet issued Svett Smil (1990), Varme Mennesker (1991), Neste Sommer (1993), Sent Og Tidlig (1995), Stakkars (1997) and Kast Alle Papirene (1999), with half of those titles also reaching the Top Five. Activity slowed after 2000, yet they still placed three more albums—Midt I Begynnelsen (2002), Festen Er Ikke Over...Det Er Kake Igjen! (2005) and Huskeglemme (2009)—inside the Top Five, while scoring Top 20 singles with “Ikke Gå” (2004), “Tøff I Pyjamas” (2008) and “Flink” (2009). Rune Lindstrøm returned briefly for a 20th-anniversary concert in November 2005.
