Finally, Rock In is back after a turbulent year in 2025. This weekend saw the grand opening, and there was a full-on party in Rock In’s new venue at Kristian IVs gate 12. The old crew is back where they belong, and there was even a concert with The Carburetors. Let’s take a closer look at what the new Rock In has to offer.
First, we need to go back to the end of February 2025. That was when the Rock In ownership conflict began. The whole thing ended in court, before a settlement was reached in which the then-owner, Erman Atabay, was forced to be bought out. The new owners, who were not metal fans, saw their chance to take over the 25-year-old rock bar, which up until then had been successfully run. With dollar signs in their eyes, they thought they could simply carry on the concept as if nothing had happened. The first staff meeting with the new owners did not go down well, and the employees decided to quit. This is where the story of unity and support within Norway’s strong music scene begins. Because not only did the staff walk out, but most of the customers also decided to stay away. Things went exactly as they had to go, and when the new owners eventually failed to get their liquor licence renewed, they finally went bankrupt in October.
With that, new possibilities opened up. But it was not that simple. In order to get the name and everything that came with it, the bankruptcy estate had to be bought. By that point, the owners of fake Rock In had sold off as much as they possibly could, and there was little of value left in the estate, apart from the name, the sign and the social media platforms — despite a rather hefty price tag.
Back to that sense of unity and belonging, because this is where regular guest Egil Wulfsberg Haugen steps in. Together with Rock In boss Erman, the bankruptcy estate was bought, and when Elsker also went bankrupt, there was suddenly a vacant venue ready to be taken over. When bar manager Kristian Larsen also said yes to continuing, it felt like everything was finally back the way it should be.
You could almost call the whole thing a blessing in disguise. Because the new venue is bigger, better and more impressive than any rock bar venue Oslo has had before.
We are talking about three different rooms, plus a basement. The first room is on the ground floor, with windows facing Kristian IVs gate, plenty of seating and a nice bar. This will be the room that stays open on weekdays as well, and when the city is a bit quieter. On the second floor, there is a large open room with its own bar, more like a hall. This is the room that can be used for various events and other fun. Among other things, this is where Rock In will be showing World Cup matches throughout the summer. Another advantage is that they can play different types of music on the different floors, so while hard rock is playing downstairs, extreme metal can be blasting upstairs. In addition, there is a separate room with a stage. This will be the concert hall, with room for more than 150 people. The exact capacity will be updated later. The big advantage compared to before is that the concert hall is separate, which means they can host concerts while still keeping the bar open for those who are not attending the gig. This weekend, The Carburetors had the honour of opening the stage, much to the delight of everyone who was there.
There is also a lower floor, which currently has toilets, as well as some seating and AC/DC and Spider-Man pinball machines.
At the moment, large parts of the walls are decorated with art by Toto Lara, who has long been Rock In’s regular house artist. More art will be added to the walls over time, including much of what used to hang in Rock In at Grønland. When I ask about the old picture of various metal legends, which has been part of Rock In since the Øvre Slottsgate days, I am reassured that it is also part of the move and will be put up eventually.
Something that has made the move and is already in place is the old light sign, which used to hang above the entrance. It now hangs above the DJ booth, where Rock In’s regular house DJ, Kjetil Gulbrandsen, has installed himself for the weekend to serve up good old metal classics in a steady stream.
There are also some funny little solutions left behind by the previous owner. I have to laugh at the men’s toilets on the ground floor, where there are two urinals and a normal sit-down toilet in the same room. I can just picture someone sitting down for a peaceful dump, while two blokes stand right next to him taking a piss. The disco ball in the ballroom has also been preserved and still hangs from the ceiling, so it can continue spreading joy for years to come.
All in all, this is a cracking start for the new Rock In, which now enters its fourth location and fifth chapter. I have no doubt that this will be Norway’s number one metal dive going forward. The new Rock In has everything you could want from a metal pub, and then some.
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