Part of the Jamaica Worldwide artist series: reggae in Norway.

Who They Are

Rub A Dubs is Stavanger’s own reggae band, formed in 1996 and led by singer and guitarist William Helvik. On stage they field between eight and eleven musicians, with two guitars, bass, keys, drums and a full horn section of saxophone, trombone and trumpet. Members range in age from their mid-20s to their mid-50s.

The Sound

They play their own take on reggae, ska, rocksteady and lovers rock, sometimes touched with jazz, soul and electronica, but always true to the Jamaican roots. As one local write-up put it, Stavanger’s reggae band could just as easily be the sound of a Caribbean island.

The Story So Far

Over more than two decades they have released five full-length albums of original songs, including Dreamtime (1999), Kem komme nå? (2000), Frozen Light (2009) and Winter On Europa (2016). Their Christmas reggae song “Another X-Mas” was reborn in 2021 in Stavanger dialect as “Sang om glede”, and in 2025 they released the summer single “Sommer”. William Helvik also leads Grønn Tê, a reggae orchestra that sings in the local dialect.

Why They Matter

For a Jamaican living in Rogaland, few things feel more like home than hearing a horn section skank on a cold west-coast night. Rub A Dubs have kept that vibe alive in Stavanger for nearly thirty years. If they are playing near you, go.

Listen & Follow

• Listen on Spotify
• Rub A Dubs on Bandcamp
• William Helvik & Rub A Dubs on Facebook
• Rub A Dubs on Rogalyd

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