Biography
Violet Scene emerged in 1995 when five musicians assembled in Oslo, Norway, drawing their primary spark from the preceding decade’s guitar-driven sounds. The Cure’s layered, luminous textures, the Smiths’ bright, chiming riffs, and the House of Love’s dark, atmospheric British rock shaped the quintet’s approach. Brothers Kjetil Bergseth on vocals, guitars, and keyboards and Jo Espen Bergseth on electric bass anchored the lineup alongside Ralf Gundersen Lofstad on guitars and vocals, Asbjorn Risoy on guitars, and Arvid Nordstrand on drums. In 1996 the group tracked its first full-length release, Pieces, and issued the album on an independent imprint. Critical praise followed, earning the band support slots with the Bluetones, yet internal friction between Lofstad and Risoy prompted the latter’s departure the same year the record appeared. Limited marketing did not prevent strong sales. The remaining four-piece configuration persisted until 1998, when Thor Mosaker, a prior collaborator of both Bergseth brothers in Chrystine, added keyboards. The following year Violet Scene issued an EP containing live versions of “Flaming Sun,” “Restore My Soul,” and “Self Defense” plus a studio remix of “Flaming Sun,” then toured as headliners across Norway. The band dissolved in 2000. Shortly afterward Lofstad, Jo Espen Bergseth, and Nordstrand reconvened in Still Doing Sky alongside Fredrik Rodsaether.
Albums
