Since their formation in 1980, Swedish band The Nomads have been regarded as one of the pillars of the most radical garage rock scene. Formed by singer Nick Vahlberg (vocals), Hans Östlund (guitar), Joakim Tärnström (bass) and Ed Johnson (drums), the band unveiled their first single "Psycho" the following year , released on a small independent label called Noon Records, before signing to the historic Amigo Records label, to which The Nomads remained loyal for several years, starting with the single "Night Time" (1982), followed by the mini-album Where the Wolf Bane Blooms in 1983. With its successor, 1984's Temptation Plays Double, the band began to attract an ever-growing audience through intensive touring, without any media support on radio or TV. Back in the studio on a regular basis, they produced the album Hardware (1987), featuring organist Frank Minarik, and All Wrecked Up (1989), on which the original rhythm section was replaced by the tandem of Björn Fröberg on bass and Joakim Ericson on drums, alongside a special guest in the person of Johnny Thunders. In 1994, at the same time as the release of Powerstrip, the compilation Showdown! (1981-1993) retraced the band's forty-two-step itinerary from its beginnings, with several tracks released only as singles. This retrospective is followed by the band's only live album, Made in Japan (Recorded in Sweden) in 1995, then Raw & Rare (1996), which unveils more of the band's hard-to-find material. In 2001, the Swedish band celebrated its twentieth anniversary with a concert in Stockholm featuring members of other bands it had influenced, before releasing a new anthology with the compilation Showdown 2 - The 90's in 2002. Having left the studio since their original 2001 album Up-Tight, The Nomads resurfaced in 2012 with Solna, named after the town where they were born.
