Serena-Maneesh (previously spelled Serena Maneesh, sometimes shortened to S-M) is a Norwegian

alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (Kamen Rider), Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * Alternative comics, or independent comics are an altern ...

rock band formed in

Egersund Egersund is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town in Eigersund municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The town is located along the southwestern coast of Norway, about south of the city of Stavanger (city), Stavanger. The town is situat ...

in 1999. The band is led by founder and multi-instrumentalist

Emil Nikolaisen Emil Nikolaisen (born 4 February 1977 in Moi, Norway) is a Norwegian musician, record producer and recording engineer. He's best known as the frontman and songwriter of alternative rock band Serena-Maneesh and former drummer of punk rock band Sil ...

and has had several different musicians contribute to studio recordings and live performances. Serena-Maneesh released two studio albums before going on hiatus in 2010.

History

The team of musicians who each contribute to the band's sound is organized around frontman and songwriter

. Important sources of musical inspiration have been

The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1964. Its classic lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Lou Reed, Welsh multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and percussionis ...

The Stooges The Stooges or Iggy and the Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, were an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave Alexande ...

, AC/DC,

Amon Düül Amon Düül was a West German political art commune formed out of the student movement of the 1960s that became well known for its free-form musical improvisations. This spawned two rock groups: Amon Düül (sometimes referred to as Amon Düü ...

, Gainsbourg/ Vannier, many greats of bossanova and anything beyond.4AD - Serena-Maneesh
In late 2005, the band toured

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

in support of

The Dandy Warhols The Dandy Warhols are an American psychedelic rock, psychedelic/ band, formed in Portland, Oregon, Portland, Oregon, in 1994 by singer-guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor and guitarist Peter Holmström. They were later joined by keyboardist Zia Mc ...

. In early 2006, Serena-Maneesh opened for British band

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentUK tour. The band supported

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...

on the Australia/Japan leg of their 2007 world tour. Serena-Maneesh's self-titled debut album was released on the Norwegian record-label HoneyMilk in the autumn of 2005. In December of that same year, the Norwegian vinyl label Hype City released an LP print featuring two exclusive tracks. In March 2006, the band announced its transfer to the

Playlouder ''Playlouder'' was an online music magazine based in London. It provided news, reviews, gig-listings, features, and other music-related content. The publisher later moved into providing music access, and claimed to be the world's first music ser ...

branch of the

Beggars Group Beggars Group is a British record company, founded by Martin Mills, that owns or holds stakes in various record labels, including 4AD, Rough Trade Records, Matador Records, XL Recordings, and Young (record label), Young. History The company had i ...

established in Europe, North America and Oceania. In June 2006, the band released an international edition of their self-titled album through Playlouder. Serena Maneesh performing live in 2010

The band's sophomore album, '' Serena Maneesh 2: Abyss in B Minor'', was released in March 2010 on the British independent label

4AD 4AD is a British record label owned by Beggars Group. It was founded in London under the name Axis Records by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1980 as an imprint of Beggars Banquet Records. The name was changed to 4AD after the release of th ...

. Following tours of Europe and North America in support of the album, the band went on hiatus later that year. In 2013, frontman and songwriter Nikolaisen stated that he had started working on a new album, but it has remained unreleased.

Band members

Final lineup

– vocals, guitar *Øystein Sandsdalen – guitar *

Hilma Nikolaisen Hilma Nikolaisen (born 1 July 1982) is a Norwegian musician, best known for her work as a solo artist and as a member of the alternative rock band Serena-Maneesh. She is the sister of Emil, Ivar and Elvira Nikolaisen.Hagen, Maren Kvamme.Hilma ...

– bass *Ådne Meisfjord – electronics *Tommy Akerholdt – drums

Former members and live personnel

Elvira Nikolaisen Elvira Nikolaisen (born 16 July 1980 in Moi) is a Norwegian singer-songwriter signed for Sony BMG. She released her debut single ''Love I Can't Defend'' in December 2005, it reached the number 3 spot on the Norwegian singles list. She followed up ...

– vocals * Lina Holmstrøm – vocals, bass, organ * Sondre T. Midttun – guitar * Ann Sung-an Lee – organ, percussion, vocals * Marco Storm – drums * Håvard Krogedal – bass, organ * Eivind Schou – violin * Einar Lukerstuen – drums * Anders Møller – drums

Discography

Studio albums

*''

Serena Maneesh Serena-Maneesh (previously spelled Serena Maneesh, sometimes shortened to S-M) is a Norwegian alternative rock, alternative rock band formed in Egersund in 1999. The band is led by founder and multi-instrumentalist Emil Nikolaisen and has had se ...

'' (2005) *'' Serena Maneesh 2: Abyss in B Minor'' (2010)

EPs

*''

Fixxations Fixxations is the debut EP by Norwegian band Serena Maneesh, released in 2002 on CD by HoneyMilk Records and on 12" vinyl by Hype City Recordings. Track listing # Drive Me Home the Lonely Nights – 3:16 # Blues Like Beehive – 3:23 # Ballad ...

'' (2002) *'' Zurück: Retrospectives 1999-2003'' (2005)

Notes

References

External links

* *
Official websiteOfficial Facebook
{{Authority control Norwegian shoegaze musical groups Norwegian alternative rock groups Norwegian indie rock groups 4AD artists Musical groups established in 1999 1999 establishments in Norway Musical groups from Oslo Low Transit Industries artists