In early March 2025, it was confirmed that Rock In owner Erman Atabay had stepped down, and the pub had been taken over by new owners following a legal dispute. In protest, all of Rock In’s employees resigned. Many regulars also felt it was no longer a place they wanted to support.
Since then, many details have come to light, and in both the media and on Facebook, Rock In has appeared to be a sinking ship. We’re taking a closer look at everything that’s happened over the past month—and why so many people are angry.
Although Erman Atabay bought Rock In in 2019, the new owners managed to bring him to court and sue him in Oslo District Court. The case ended in a settlement. According to the new owners, Erman had the option to buy them out—but raising millions of kroner isn’t easy. The new owners succeeded in doing so and paid Erman 1.5 million NOK.
Rock In’s legal representative, lawyer Bjørn Berge, told Avisa Oslo that there had been a dispute over the ownership of Noor Invest AS—the company that operates Rock In. Erman claimed to own 100%, as reflected in the Brønnøysund Register. Gargari and Hashemi, on the other hand, claimed they each owned half. Berge added that Mohsen played a key role in establishing the original agreements related to Rock In.
Let’s take a look at Rock In’s new owners. Maryam Hashemi was the first to speak out publicly via a Facebook post, stating that Rock In would continue as before. According to VårtOslo, a meeting at Rock In was attended by Maryam Hashemi, her ex-husband Mohsen Khanmoradi Gargari—who did most of the talking—and a man who only introduced himself as Piko. Gargari claimed to VårtOslo that he was there only as a driver, despite clearly leading the conversation.
Maryam Hashemi is registered at an address on Fagerstrandveien in Stabekk. At the same address, we find the company Norsk Bar og Restaurant Partner AS. One of the listed shareholders is Mohsen Khanmoradi Gargari—the same person who attended the Rock In meeting, though he claimed not to be an owner. The other shareholder is Qamar Iqbal, who owns a taxi company, according to Proff.
It’s also worth noting that Mohsen Khanmoradi Gargari and Maryam Hashemi were reportedly once married. According to 180.no, Mohsen is also registered at the Fagerstrandveien address. His company, Mohsen K. Gargari, is based in Havnegaten, Holmestrand, and operates in property rental.
Gargari is also the chairman of the board at Oslo og Akershus Barkonsum AS, which shares an address with Under Brua Bar. Gargari owns 34% of the shares in that company, while Erman and Line Kieu Giang Phan own 33% each.
So what’s the connection between Gargari and Rock In? To find out, we need to take a closer look at the owner who took over after Willy Bendiksen — nightlife baron Bobby Chaudhry. Chaudhry held stakes in a number of bars and venues across Oslo going back to the 1980s. We’re talking about places like Schous Corner, Valentinos, Dovrehallen, Cafékontoret, Onkel Blaa, Olympen, Pigalle, Paragrafen, Krølle Kro, and Justisen — just to name a few.
Chaudhry didn’t exactly have a squeaky-clean reputation. As early as 2002, he and his former partner, reality TV personality Mette Iversen, were taken to court for money laundering and embezzlement. In 2017, Bobby Chaudhry was sentenced to prison and had several million kroner confiscated. In 2016, he had already been sentenced to three years and six months in prison for multiple offenses. He also lost the right to operate a business, had nearly 4.7 million kroner seized, and was ordered to pay over 700,000 kroner in damages to Skatt øst (the regional tax authority).
Chaudhry also owned a company called Oslo Bar Konsept, which handled beer distribution from breweries to bars. In April 2014, Mohsen Gargari bought into Oslo Bar Konsept, paying three million kroner for 40 percent of the shares. A month later, Gargari discovered that Økokrim (Norway’s economic crime authority) and the tax authorities had carried out a raid and arrested several individuals connected to Oslo Bar Konsept and a then-employee at Ringnes. They were suspected of corruption.
While Gargari has kept a low profile in the press in recent years, digging back a decade or more reveals some controversy. A 2009 headline in Jarlsberg Avis reads: “Mohsen Gargari is involved in yet another bankruptcy, where the trustee points out numerous legal violations.”
On 19 March, Maryam Hashemi was registered as the new general manager of Noor Invest in the Brønnøysund Register. She is also listed as a board member. The board chair is Sarboland Sadiq, who also owns Nor Bakeri at Økern in Oslo.
Rock In eventually disabled most of its comment sections on Facebook after first deleting many negative comments—then removing several posts entirely.
After closing temporarily due to the staff exodus, Rock In began rehiring. The most visible newcomer is booking manager Jørgen Lintoft, who has been actively defending Rock In on Facebook. Although he claims he isn’t a spokesperson for the pub, he has effectively taken on that role.
One of his first public acts was posting on his personal profile a photo of himself tearing up an Inferno Metal Festival poster and tossing it in the trash, with the caption: “Trash where trash belongs.” Why the hostility toward Inferno? Most likely because the shows originally scheduled to take place at Rock In during the festival were moved elsewhere. Lintoft was angry enough to publicly voice his discontent.
What Lintoft likely doesn’t realise is that Inferno doesn’t book the club shows—the venues do. Bands playing at Vaterland are booked by Vaterland. Those at Brewgata are booked by Brewgata. So the concerts originally booked at Rock In were arranged by Erman—and of course, he moved them. Not Inferno.
As one Facebook user put it: “Talk about sawing off the branch you’re sitting on.” Inferno has provided a reliable income stream for Oslo’s metal pubs for years. Rock In is now unlikely to be part of that ecosystem.
More bizarrely, Lintoft has been using Rock In’s official Facebook page like a personal blog. Things came to a head when he posted no fewer than eight updates about a Viking Queen concert on 29 March—held not at Rock In, but at Olsen på Bryn. Rock In only hosted the afterparty.
For context, Olsen at Bryn is a local neighbourhood pub that serves food and hosts smaller shows. It’s much smaller than Rock In, making it ironic to host an “afterparty” at a larger venue. It’s like throwing an afterparty at Oslo Spektrum after a gig at Sentrum Scene.
Another moment that raised eyebrows was Rock In posting twice about a visit from 80-year-old Thore Henki Holm Hansen. Hansen is well known in Norway as a former leader of the 1% motorcycle club Outlaws. In 1981, he was sentenced in the U.S. to 60 years in prison for possession and sale of 37 grams of cocaine, but fled to Norway before serving his time. In 1997, he was arrested in Belgium and later extradited to the U.S., where he served seven years. Many questioned the pub’s decision to promote itself with images of Hansen.
Things got stranger when Hansen’s daughter, well-known conspiracy theorist June Wattum, entered the conversation. She defended the new Rock In—stating that it might not focus as heavily on metal anymore. When criticised, she responded: “One of them was my father, Thore Henki Holm Hansen. I dare you to Google him.”
The drama peaked on a Saturday night when Rock In’s lawyer, Bjørn Berge, posted a lengthy statement on their Facebook page attempting to explain the situation. While the message contained some interesting points, it was hard not to notice that he consistently misspelled the venue’s name as “Rockin” (without the space). Not ideal when trying to restore credibility.
Lawyer Berge’s Facebook post (translated to English):
Dear guests, partners, and followers,
We refer to various statements and opinions circulating on social media regarding the recent changes at Rockin. On behalf of Rockin, we would like to make the following statement:It is a fact that former co-owner and general manager, Erman Atabay, has left Rockin. He did so voluntarily. We fully recognise the importance of his contributions to the venue, its customers, and its staff, and we wish to acknowledge his efforts and commitment over the years.
This change stems from a dispute over ownership of Noor Invest AS, the company operating Rockin. This disagreement arose in 2021/2022 and led to a legal dispute that ultimately ended in a settlement. As part of that settlement, Erman Atabay was bought out of the company. It’s important to clarify that he had the opportunity to buy out the other owner but chose not to do so.
The settlement specified that Rockin was to be run as normal until its implementation on 28 February 2025. Unfortunately, we experienced a coordinated boycott from staff, including resignations and sick leave, which has forced us to temporarily close as we work to hire new employees. We deeply regret this situation and suspect it may have been planned in advance.
Despite the challenges, we remain committed to continuing Rockin as a place for those who share our passion for music, community, and great experiences. It’s the people who work here—alongside the music and our guests—who create the unique atmosphere that defines Rockin.
We ask for respect regarding the changes that have occurred and for the new staff members stepping in to build Rockin’s future. We encourage everyone to refrain from hostility or negative comments toward those now running the venue. We aim to create a positive environment where both staff and guests feel welcome.
We look forward to reopening and continuing to be a place where music, connection, and great memories are at the heart of it all. Thank you for your support and understanding during this transition.
Kind regards,
The Management at Rockin
Bjørn Berge
Attorney MNA
With such an ongoing trainwreck, Rock In’s future looks bleak. In fact, things seem so bad that many are speculating it’s only a matter of time before the place completely goes under.
Update 31.03.2025 20:15: Jørgen Lindtoft has announced that Rock will change name and logo for the pub. It is still unknown at the time.
In practice, this means that the new owners have paid NOK 1.5 million to take over a lease, a liquor license, alcohol stock, and some furnishings. All decorations were privately owned by the previous owner, who took them along when he left Rock In. The customer base isn’t included either, as most former customers have decided not to return.
Update 05.04.2025 20:15
On the morning of Saturday, April 5, booking manager Jørgen Lintoft announced that Rock In’s new name would be Grønland Jern og Mettal Live Bar, posting the update in the Heavymetal.no Facebook group. Whether this was an official name announcement or just a suggestion he wanted to float to the public remains unclear. However, later that same day, the name was also posted on Rock In’s own Facebook page. It’s worth noting that in all posts, the name was spelled “mettal” with two T’s — which is a misspelling in both Norwegian and English.
In the same Facebook group, Lintoft also attempted to gather booking information to bring the legendary American crossover thrash metal band S.O.D. to Grønland Jern og Mettal Live Bar. Under a video posted of S.O.D., Lintoft asked for contact information. The person who had posted the video appeared confused and replied that this was Stormtroopers of Death, to which Lintoft responded that he had a solid budget and was very eager. The conversation ended with Lintoft concluding that he could immediately picture the band playing at Grønland Jern og Mettal.
What makes this interesting is that S.O.D. is a legendary thrash band dating back to the 1980s, featuring well-known names like Scott Ian, Danny Lilker, and Charlie Benante from Anthrax, along with Billy Milano. Considering that Grønland Jern og Mettal Live Bar has a capacity of around 150 people, it’s extremely unlikely that S.O.D. would play there. Lintoft would need to throw a serious amount of money on the table to even make that possible. It also doesn’t help that S.O.D. no longer performs live.
All of this suggests that Lintoft may not entirely know what he’s doing. But time will tell — it can’t be long now before Grønland Jern og Mettal Live Bar starts announcing its first planned concerts.
Update 05.04.2025 20:15
Despite what initially seemed like a positive atmosphere on Saturday morning at Grønland Jern og Mettal Live Bar—with the announcement of a new name and talk of a generous booking budget—the mood had completely shifted by 7:00 AM on Sunday morning. Booking manager Jørgen Lintoft announced that he is stepping down from his position and does not wish to elaborate on the reasons. He clarified that his contract includes no notice period, allowing him to resign with immediate effect.
At the same time, he stated that a total of 28 agreements have already been made and will remain in place. It appears these refer to concerts with various bands booked to play at Grønland Jern og Mettal, and these bookings will be followed up by the person taking over his role.
What remains to be seen is how general manager Maryam Hashemi will respond, and whether a new booking manager will be brought in. One thing seems certain: the drama surrounding the former Rock In is far from over.
Update – 14 April 2025, 22:50
Despite booking manager Lintoft announcing on 5 April that he was stepping down from his position at Rock In with immediate effect, it now seems that this was not true, as he continues to promote the venue on social media. This past weekend, he promoted a band called FoxHunt, claiming they would be playing there at some point in the future. He also posted videos showing the band performing at Rock In to an empty room — likely a soundcheck used to test the venue’s equipment.
Under one of the videos, he wrote:
“Promotering. Black Trash Metal. I really don’t care bout the fact that Satan Has Left the Building. Good riddance. As applauded by our new crowd.”
Exactly what that means is unclear, but it could be interpreted as satisfaction that the black metal crowd will no longer be coming to Rock In. We can probably assume he meant to write “thrash”, as in the music genre, not “trash” as in garbage.
More curious is the fact that Lintoft wrote a review of Rock In on Google Maps, where he enthusiastically praises the new owners — and himself — all in the third person. Much of what’s written does not reflect the actual situation.
For example: “The biggest change is on the live front — there are now concerts every single week…”
This, of course, isn’t true, as not a single concert has taken place at Rock In since the new owners took over — unless there have been secret shows where both bands and audience were sworn to secrecy. It also appears that Electronica has now been booked at Rock In.
Lintoft adds some self-praise, since he’s the one doing the booking:
“And clearly a lot of work has gone into the booking.”
He continues:
“Here you can regularly experience great acts from both home and abroad”
Again, no great acts — or any acts — have yet played at Rock In under the new management.
Then he writes:
“Rumour has it the venue will change name, but that shouldn’t affect the experience.”
This is, of course, a rumour he himself started, even going so far as to reveal a possible new name.
Near the end of the review, he writes:
“Still the city’s best place for heavy music but now reaching wider than before, which is only a good thing.”
We can assume he meant that the venue now has a broader musical scope. Though that may not quite be accurate, as large parts of the customer base have stopped showing up — following a widespread boycott by former staff and regulars.
Lintoft’s full Google Maps review (translated):
“New owners took over on March 1st without it affecting the quality. A little less focus on the darkest black metal, which doesn’t really matter to me. Still plenty of rock and metal.
The biggest change is on the live front — there are now concerts every single week. In addition to rock and metal as always, it’s refreshing to see punk, goth, indie and electronica also on the program.
And clearly a lot of work has gone into the booking.
Here you can regularly experience great acts from both home and abroad — but luckily, there’s still room for up-and-coming artists.
There are rumours of a name change, but that shouldn’t affect the experience.
Still the city’s best place for heavy music, but now reaching wider than before — and that’s only a good thing.
Pool! Cocktails. Beer and spirits. Fair prices and, not least, dedicated and skilled staff.”
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