Biography

Swedish rock group formed 1991 in Katrineholm, Södermanland, by Sören ’Sulo’ Karlsson, Anders ’Boba’ Lindström and Henrik ’The Duke of Honk’ Widen. Influenced by British early 1970s R&B.

35 years after the band’s birth, Diamond Dogs are about to release ”Similar Shakes Different Distortion”.

A new full-length album, mainly recorded at legendary Capricorn Studios (the home of Southern Rock) during Diamond Dogs’ touring in and around Macon, Georgia, USA in 2025. The US concerts and recording sessions was organized by the city of Macon’s tourism office, and at their stay in Macon the Diamond Dogs members also met the families of Little Richard, Otis Redding and the Allman Brothers for future collaborations.

The new album contains a duet with Swedish singer Caroline af Ugglas, the album’s only cover song, which was also recorded in 1966 by a then 16-year-old Stevie Wonder.

The album is produced by The Duke of Honk.

Background:

After making highly acclaimed demo tapes with star producer Max Martin the members moved to Stockholm upon finding fame in 1992 and debut album Honked was recorded in Sunlight Studio with inimitable producer Tomas Skogsberg. The first single ”Blue Eyes Shouldn’t Be Cryin’” launched in 1993 made its way to a rotation on MTV’s classic hard rock show Headbangers Ball.

Through constant touring, Diamond Dogs soon built a large reputation for their energetic live shows, with the charismatic and dynamic stage antics singer Sören ’Sulo’ Karlsson, as well as its innovative use of the piano as a lead rock instrument, Henrik ’The Duke of Honk’ Widen is a pioneer in sound and style for gritty rock’n’roll keys. Sulo is the main songwriter, and Honk serves as the group”s principal producer.

Keeping busy the better part of the 1990s playing live shows, Diamond Dogs took a break in 1997 and Anders ‘Boba Fett’ Lindström became a full member of The Hellacopters.
Two years later DD was contracted on new label with worldwide distribution in 1999. They cut a five track record in 24 hours and named it ”Among the non-believers”, released in early 2000. It became the restart of a successful journey that eventually took Diamond Dogs to world wide cult status.

The group went into the new millennium with their second long player As Your Greens Turn Brown, SAE Studios, Stockholm, released in March 2001. The first single ”Goodbye Miss Jill” got a fair bit of airplay around the world, and already being recognized as one of rock”s most dynamic stage performers, Diamond Dogs now had earn a sizable following.

After spending the early part of 2001 on the road with an active touring schedule, the band went back into the Sunlight Studio under the wings of Tomas Skogsberg and recorded their third album Too Much Is Always Better Than Not Enough, released in 2002, which yielded a hit single ”Bound To Ravage”. This is perhaps the most raw and stylistic album in the band”s catalogue, effective songs with sharp edges and loads of attitude. It was made in a hurry at a time in their career when they really had more focus on traveling the world as a hard glam boogie road collective, and later that year the group again embraced their touring, playing clubs, festivals and concert halls, either headlining as main act, or opening on tours for bands like The Cult, Ian Hunter, Hanoi Rocks, The Damned, Sensational Alex Harvey Band and The Nazareth. For the album Black River Road, 2004, Robert ’Strings’ Dahlqvist (Hellacopters) joined Diamond Dogs.

Diamond Dogs have over the years created a reputation as one of the best rock’n’roll live acts there is out there, and their shows is often stretched out to over 3 hours.

In 2014 their longtime member and saxophone player Mats ’Magic’ Gunnarsson died in a drowning accident, and Diamond Dogs were going to honor him with a last album and tour. The following year album Quitters & Complainers was released, and European tour ”Stop Barking Up The Wrong Tree” ended in October 2015 in Oviedo, Spain with a huge final show, opening for Iggy Pop, a spectacular farewell night, the group then disbanded.

Sulo was to form London punk band The Crunch together with Terry Chimes (Clash), Dave Tregunna (Sham 69) and Mick Geggus (Cockney Rejects). Sulo also have had artistic collaborations with Wilko Johnson (Dr Feelgood), Randy Bachman (Bachman Turner Overdrive), Robert Wyatt (Soft Machine), Billy Bremner (Rockpile), Paul Young and Maria McKee to name a few.

The Duke of Honk is also associated with Swedish pop stars Meja and Louise Hoffsten, The Solution (The Hellacopters), Rednex, Conny Bloom (Electric Boys), The Nomads, Lisa and The Lips (The Bellrays), US soul singer Gabriel Kelley among others, and his keys can be heard on countless productions with other rock artists.

Throughout the years the Diamond Dogs members have also been serving as members in bands such as Johnny Thunders, Ian Hunter, KSMB, Electric Boys, Glenn Hughes, Nationalteatern, Wilmer X, Dogs D”amour, Michael Schenker, Eldkvarn, Glen Matlock, The Vibrators, The Facer, Silver Ginger 5, UK Subs…

On Diamond Dogs recordings you can also hear guest appearances by Danny Bowes (Thunder), Randy Bachman (BTO), Louise Hoffsten, Brady Blade (Emmylou Harris), Brian Robertson (Thin Lizzy), Fjodor (Ebba Grön), Neon Leon, Henry Gibson (Curtis Mayfield), Nicke Andersson (Hellacopters), Jeff Dahl, among others.

The group reunited in 2019 with the album Recall Rock’n’Roll & The Magic Soul, Wild Kingdom Records.

Although based in Sweden, the band had always considered Spain its second home because of its big popularity and frequent touring there. Diamond Dogs have played classic music venues like Razzmatazz, Mephisto, Sala Apolo, KGB, Helldorado, Sala Heineken, La Riviera, El Sol, and often having a varying of Spain”s biggest rock bands performing as support acts. Diamond Dogs have performed seven concerts at the historical venue Antzokia in Bilbao where they also recorded their live album ”Let”s Have It-Live In Bilbao”. Diamond Dogs have been headlining many of Spain”s largest rock festivals (Festimad, Primavera Sound, Serie Z among others), and at their second time appearance on Azkena Rock Festival’s main stage the festival had Roky Erickson opening up for them. Diamond Dogs sold out the football stadium in Benidorm on a double bill with British hard rockers and friends The Cult.

In 2007 Diamond Dogs did five sold out concerts in a row at the legendary theatre Södra Teatern in Stockholm with their celebration show for the great Sam Cooke, which they later also took to Madrid for two more sold out shows at Sala El Sol. It resulted in the live album ”Soul Folks-The Sam Cooke Concerts” which was released the following year.

Diamond Dogs have toured Europe together with UK”s Quireboys, and US”#rocker Dan Baird (Georgia Satellites). Good friends Spike and Dan are also guesting on several Diamond Dogs recordings. Diamond Dogs have been special guests support on two Ian Hunter tours. Diamond Dogs have been special guests support on two The Damned tours. Diamond Dogs have been special guests support on tours with Hanoi Rocks, Sensational Alex Harvey Band, The Nazareth, and at one exclusive gig with Iggy Pop.

Diamond Dogs have toured Great Britain countless of times and played over 270 gigs at many of UK”s premium rock venues, including Camden Palace, Electric Ballroom, Nottingham Rock City, Manchester Academy 2, Glasgow Cathouse and The Ferry, Bristol Bierkeller, Camden Underworld, Baths Hall, Utility Newcastle Arena and O2 Academy, Holmfirth Picturedrome, London Borderline, JB’s Dudley, Sheffield Boardwalk, London and Manchester Hard Rock Café, Cleethorpes and Blackpool Winter Gardens…

Nowadays the English music press speaks about the band as sounding more British than the Brits themselves!

Diamond Dog’s singer Sulo is nowadays also an established author, with several books published in recent years, and he is the author of the recently published and acclaimed biographical portrait of the former UEFA football president Lennart Johansson “Lennart Johansson – A mate among bigwigs and trophies”.

In August 2026, Joakim Thåström’s (Ebba Grön) biography ”Hundarnas sång : Peace, love & pitbulls och Thåströms 90-tal” written by Sulo, will be released.

The biggest Danish daily newspaper ”B.T.” expressed their admiration for Diamond Dogs with a half-page concert review for one of their Copenhagen shows, with the article headline: ”The meaning of life”.

Diamond Dogs album ”The Grit & The Very Soul” was voted ”Best international album of the year” 2011 by the allied Spanish music press: https://www.musicopolis.es/musicopolis-2011-los-mejores-discos-internacionales-del-ano/ 289792011/

Rockstar quotes:

”We played with The Faces many times, and believe me, Rod and the lads had both good and bad nights up there, but The Diamond Dogs really are like The Faces on one of those brilliant nights” /Dan McCafferty, Nazareth

”So somedamnbody has to keep the rawk alive, and the Diamond Dogs have consistently done it better than nearly anyone in the past couple of decades” /Captain Sensible, The Damned

”Hey Sulo, where’s my royalties!?” /Ian Hunter /Mott The Hoople

”Diamond Dogs, straight outta 1973, but wears it well” /Jamie Stewart, The Cult

”Comparing our band’s history, the Diamond Dogs biography will be like the ”Lord of The Rings” trilogy, while the Hellacopters story would turn out more like a thin leaflet” /Nicke Andersson, The Hellacopters

”Dude, is SLAP BANG BLUE RENDEZVOUS a release for children of the 70’s! A combination of Mott The Hoople, 1973 UK glam, ELO-Roy Wood-era, early Bowie and The Faces. So put this sparkling double on your turntable! Call everybody you know who doesn’t steal and tell ’em to bring a bottle and two sweethearts! Fill the baby pool with ice and two cases canned beer and watch the mood change! Diamond Dogs are that cool! Rough, smoky vocals brilliantly mixed with honky tonk piano and laid back guitars. The warm atmosphere brings the air of the golden age, and the energy of the songs and performance give a promise of rock music for the new generation.” /Benny Andersson, ABBA

”Holy shit Diamond Dogs! Are you alive? We thought you were all dead” /Ruyter Suys, Nashville Pussy

”Diamond Dogs have created the perfect time capsule. Just pressing play conjures up the spirits of the 70’s glam rock era, including Bowie and T. Rex, Elton, Faces and the Stones. The boogie piano, the whiskey soaked vocals, the delightfully sleazy overall feel of these songs. The dudes sound like they’re having more fun than you could believe, it’s honestly hard to imagine listening to this album with anything less than a grin on your face. If you love 70’s era glam rock, you need to grab a drink, grab your friend, and join the Diamond Dogs party” /Paul Young

”Sweden’s Diamond Dogs are fantastic. I can’t put it in simpler terms than that” /Brian Robertson, Thin Lizzy

Various press quotes:

”The Diamond Dogs, ladies and gentlemen. One of the world’s finest pure rock’n’roll bands. Still doing it just how they please and rock n roll never sounds quite so authentic” /Andy Thorley, maximumvolumemusic.com (UK)

”Diamond Dogs are in a league of their own. You’ll be hard pressed to find many bands revisiting this style of classic rock or doing at as well” /Craig Hartranft, dangerdog.com (US)

”The Diamond Dogs totally rule. Sulo is probably my favorite living rock & roll singer. I find them utterly irresistible. As a rock writer, I’m supposed to use critical thinking and objectivity in consideration of the CDs that cross my desk. But all that goes out the window when I get a Diamond Dogs record. Sure, I could tell you that the Sweden-based collective is one of the most derivative bands in existence, specifically of the Faces. But every time I hear a Dogs disk, I have to say, !So fucking what?” The combination of leader Sulo’s rough but dynamic singing, superb songs and the band”s tightly crafted rough-and-tumble is everything I want out of rock & roll; even if the Faces were still around, I’m not sure they could better the work of the Dogs” /Michael Toland, highbias.livejournal.com (US)

”Diamond Dogs leaves the listener feeling like they’ve been somewhere momma told them not to go, but knowing that they’ll soon be visiting again” /Viki Ridley, metalmouth.net (UK)

”Diamond Dogs is the cream of the crop, slipping into the shoes of the masters and continuing to champion soulful, energetic, pint-in-the-air rock and roll. Chris Robinson gave it a good shot with the Black Crowes, but this is the real deal, from Sulo’s whiskey voice down to Henrik Widen’s (Duke of Honk) fat organ and rollicking piano homage to the great Ian McLagan” /Dr Bristol, wordpress.com (US)

”All I have to say is that once I popped this in I was in pure heaven. Diamond Dogs is absolutely brilliant. The best way to describe it is The Faces featuring Rod Stewart meets classic era Rolling Stones and you are partly there. This is very much classic rock music from the early 70’s. While I am a complete metal head to the max, a record like this does me some good and what a fine disc this will make to my collection. As usual, these guys have a plethora of releases that I will now hunt down. There are two things that make this record extra special. Famed metal producer Tomas Skogsberg (Entombed and all that was heavy) produced this thing. Bottom line here is that this disc is just like a fine wine. It’s smooth, warm and enjoyable to the max. The new generation of kids may not get it, but if you are in your 30’s and older you will have a grin from ear to ear as you hear it. What also makes this music such a fun journey to be on is the fact that the tracks are all short and it’s over in just forty minutes give or take just like in the old days. Well, looks like I will be spinning this thing a long time to come. A must have and a top ten for the year for sure” /Joe Florez, live4metal.org (US)

”Diamond Dogs, think of it as Rock and Roll sushi. There isn’t a track on Up the Rock that isn’t shockwave solid” /Kim Thore, allaccessmagazine.com (US)

”It’s so good to have the Diamond Dogs back in the fold with their fantastic brand of Faces meets the vintage Stones. God bless you Diamond Dogs for carrying the flag for good time bar-room rock’n’roll and long may you continue to set fire to it all. Listening back to songs like ”Goodbye Miss Jill” remind you how much of a fantastic live band Diamond Dogs are” /Dom Daley, uber-rock.co.uk (UK)

”Slap Bang Blue Rendezvous containing 24 brilliant tracks” /therockzone.net (UK)

”Diamond Dogs is a band sitting pretty nicely on top of their game, and they sound like they’re having an absolutely blast” /Andy Close, purerawk.com (UK)

”Diamond dogs… It’s truly a sound garden, the most loosen-up situation you could live in. Ballads you will remember, guitars you will love, lyrics you will distinguish. No need to write about song titles and tracks that you will like the most. This is one album you listen to all the way and then listen to all of it again and then again and again” /Costas Koulis, rockpages.gr (GR)

”With their mojo as potent now as it ever was, the Diamond Dogs ability to knock out gem after gem of timeless rock & roll still astonishes” /bigtakeover.com (US)

”Diamond Dogs make seamless song-writing and tight performances sound easy. Let me say from the off that this may be my album of the summer” /Sophie Brownlee, rocktopia.co.uk (UK)

”The Swedes in The Diamond Dogs have been quietly releasing top-notch Rock albums since the early 90s” /metal-observer.com (GER)

”Diamond Dogs have a mastery over simple yet addictive riffs and melodies that will make them a winner in many people’s book, and there isn’t a weak moment” /Chris Dahlberg, cosmosgaming.com (US)

”Christ on a bike, why have this band never become huge?” /Scott Adams, metalasfuck.net (AU)

”An album ideal for listening while driving a long journey, ideal for listening while enjoying beers with friends at the local bar, from Diamond Dogs, a band that I would love to see live” /heavymetalmusicnews.com (US)

”Thank whatever gods there be for the Diamond Dogs. The Swedish classicists make no bones about their mission in life: to keep the flame of old-fashioned, R&B-greased, riff-driven rock & roll burning. The band may not have any ideas the Rolling Stones and the Faces haven’t thought of first, but, as songwriter Sulo, keyboardist Henrik ”The Duke of Honk” Widen and their various cohorts have proven over and over again, they don’t need any. After all, the Faces are long gone (sporadic reunion gigs to the contrary) and the Rolling Stones seem capable of calling up the old spirit only once in a while, and rarely on record” /Michael Toland, blurtonline.com (US)

”Diamond Dogs brim with boozy joie de vivre on spectacular comeback album” /Classic Rock Mag, www.loudersound.com (UK)

”The Diamond Dogs deliver a classic rock rooted in simple but stylish elements that would make The Stones, The Kinks, Mott and Ian Hunter happy, and nobody’s doing it as quite as well as this ensemble. Currently there are very few bands, whether from America, Britain or Europe, that can perform this music with the authenticity and acumen of Diamond Dogs” /dangerdog.com (UK)

”It’s a double album of twenty-four timeless classics from the 70s and into the twenty-first century with a dash of smudged guyliner, some red wine spilt and a honking wedge of bloody fantastic emotional roller coaster rock and roll.” /rpmonline.co.uk (UK)

”Diamond Dogs, Sweden’s boogie rock legends” /Zeezee, myglobalmind.com (US)

”Diamond Dogs is one of those bands that could have been huge. Diamond Dogs are one the best live acts I have ever seen. The groove and the soul and the action they bring with their extremely swinging music is impossible to ignore” /Jon Wilmenius, etainmentnewsreviews.wordpress.com (GER)

”Kick ass rock n roll! I didn’t think there was any band around that could compare to the likes of Hanoi Rocks but I stand corrected with Sweden’s Diamond Dogs. Reputedly one of Sweden’s best live acts who’ve been going for the best part of a decade” /Shan Siva, battlehelm.com (US)

”Fans of classic rock should seek out Diamond Dogs; you may be genuinely surprised at how good they are” /Neil Daniels, musicomh.com (UK)

”Sweden’s Diamond Dogs always sound like they’re staggering home from a seriously good party just as the sun is rising” /Essi Berelian, Classic Rock Mag, loudersound.com (UK)

”When it’s the Diamond Dogs it’s all about the song and the Double D’s have ’em in spades. English isn’t his first language, but Sulo is hands above his contemporaries in mastering the English language in the context of heartfelt rock’n’roll. No one does Mott meets The Faces better. No one does rock’n’roll rapture quite like the Diamond Dogs do these days” /Ben Hughes / rpmonline.co.uk (UK)

”I love the Diamond Dogs; If there”s a band that’s done more to keep the flame alive for true, honking, barroom boogie over the last twenty years then they’re unfamiliar to me” /sentineldaily.com.au (AU)

”The guys from Diamond Dogs have once again made one hell of an album” /Christian van Millingen, metal-temple.com (GER)

”Look up the term ”kick-ass rock’n’roll” in the Oxford Dictionary Of Musical Terminology and you will read Swedish rock group Diamond Dogs” /Monk, uber-rock.co.uk (UK)

”Thirty years on from their debut, the dogs remain defiantly off the leash” /Paul Moody, Classic Rock Mag (UK)

”One of the best guitarists in British rock and VLR reward winner Chris Spedding has teamed up with a bunch of rock’n’roll bad boys for a tribute to Little Richard, and this collection is fantastic. This one crackles with enough energy to set the jukebox alight. Pure magic!” /Paul Castles, Vive Le Rock (UK)

Press quotes for the previous release ”About The Hardest Nut To Crack”:

”What are you waiting for? Drop the needle and crank it up” /Adam McCann, Metal Digest (US)

”Swedish institution Diamond Dogs, Chuck Berry on steroids, doubtless several of the tunes on this twelfth studio album will be sung along to loudly and lustily in concert” /Johnny Sharp, Classic Rock Mag, loudersound.com (UK)

”Rock‘n’roll should sound spontaneous, dangerous, and fun. Basically, it should sound like Diamond Dogs” /Andy Thorley, Maximum Volume Music (UK)

”The band shows easy mastery of bluesy crunch” /Michael Toland, The Big Takeover (US)

”You still can’t go wrong with the Dogs…” /Mark Diggins, The Rockpit (AU)

”Legendary Swedish glunksters Diamond Dogs, who have been doing the same since the early part of the 1990s and are serving us a reminder of their collective genius with this, their latest slice of party-starting punk ‘n’ roll mayhem” /Monk, Uber Rock (UK)

”About as close as you can come to The Faces without marrying a super model” /Rock Is The New Roll (US)

”Slaps down hard and is filled with power. Shimmers and breams and breathes” /The Median Man (US)

”Some kind of things is timeless, like a good music. All the technologies passed away against sound of pure rock and blues. That’s why it’s time to polish the dancing shoes and put your Feet on it. Diamond Dogs shows you the way” /Milla Smile, Tempelores (NL)

”In the ever-changing world of rock and roll, some bands come and go, while others stand the test of time. Meet Diamond Dogs, a popularSwedish rock band formed in 1991. Their new album, About the Hardest Nut To Crack, is about as close to a classic rock & roll record you’ll find these days” /Vince, New Releases Now (US)

”You’re all gonna love wallowing in this one, believe me…” /Scott Adams, Sentinel Daily (AU)

”A new Diamond Dogs record is always cause for a celebration” /Ben Hughes, RPM (UK)

In the summer of 2025, Diamond Dogs are one of the headlining acts at one of the biggest rock’n’roll festivals in Spain, Azkena Rock Festival, along with names like John Fogerty and Manic Street Preachers, and here are some reviews for their show at Azkena Rock Festival, Basque Country, June 20, 2025:

https://www.dirtyrock.info/2025/06/azkena-rockin-in-the-free-world/

Crónica – Azkena Rock Festival 2025 (Vitoria-Gasteiz)

Azkena 2025: festín de rock para la cuadrilla de siempre

Crónica Azkena Rock Festival/2025 jornada viernes (Vitoria, 20/06/2025)

Crónica de Azkena Rock Festival con John Fogerty, The Hellacopters, Public Image Limited o The Damned: Tormentas eléctricas y predicadores punk

https://www.mondosonoro.com/criticas/conciertos-musica/festival-2025-azkena-rock/

And in September 2026 Diamond Dogs are back in Spain for a full exclusive nationwide tour in collaboration with Azkena Rock Festival.

The band’s words about the new record:

So here we are again, with no intention to stop swinging.

In fact, after last year’s homage to the great late Little Richard that eventually took us to the stages of his hometown Macon, Georgia and even into Otis Redding’s Capricorn Studios, we are more eager than ever to rock and roll.

Later, we also spent some beautiful time in our sweet family studio, the Dog Pound, to complete the Capricorn recordings, to play our hearts out and making this our best effort so far on tape, and what amazingly seems to be our sixteenth album.

So, what you’re now holding in your hand is a humble collection of songs written by yours truly, and performed by a band on top of their game.

You may say it’s the same old recipe! But yet again with fresh magic herbs, and above all, this is the testimony of a band that never leaves its path or changes its attitude to how rock should be rolled out.

So let’s cut a long story short, this is Diamond Dogs several chapters down the line, exactly the way you didn’t know you wanted us to sound!

In other words, similar shakes different distortion.

Sulo

Stockholm -26

SIMILAR SHAKES DIFFERENT DISTORTION:

Recorded at Capricorn Studios, Macon, USA & Dog Pound Studios, Stockholm, Sweden. Orchestral arrangements & mixing The Duke of Honk. Engineers Jonas Åhlén, Peter Jogren & Rob Evans. Mastering Eric Broyhill. Cover photos Thomas Sändh & Pelle Mannerud. Artwork & concept Bewigro ForM.

Backing vocals Jenny Fall, Katja Ahlsell, Caroline af Ugglas, Ethan Hamlin & the band. Saxophone Bo Gustafsson. Bass on ”Brass Monkey Weather” Martin Tronsson. Organ on ”Brass Monkey Weather” Ethan Hamlin. Lead vocal on ”A Place In The Sun” Caroline af Ugglas (album bonus song, written by Ron Miller & Bryan Wells). All songs by Sulo Karlsson. Produced by The Duke of Honk.