Rådhusteatret is a theatre and cultural venue at Idrettsveien 8 in Ski, Norway. Originally opened as Ski’s municipal cinema in 1957, the building served as the town’s main cinema until 2003, when cinema operations moved to Ski Storsenter. It subsequently developed into a general-purpose cultural venue, hosting concerts, theatre, dance and other performances. Following an extensive renovation completed in 2017, the main auditorium was expanded from approximately 360 to 550 seats.

Rådhusteatret is significant as the location of Mayhem‘s first proper live performance. On 20 April 1985, the young band entered the Follo-rock competition, performing with its original instrumental line-up of guitarist Øystein “Euronymous” Aarseth, bassist Jørn “Necrobutcher” Stubberud and drummer Kjetil Manheim, joined by vocalist Eirik “Messiah” Norheim. The band had been formed the previous year by three teenagers from the Ski and Langhus area and had yet to develop the material that would appear on its debut EP, “Deathcrush” (1987).

The performance lasted approximately 13 minutes and consisted entirely of cover songs: Venom’s “Black Metal” and “Welcome to Hell”, together with Celtic Frost’s “Procreation (of the Wicked)”. Mayhem made little effort to appeal to the competition’s judges. According to Necrobutcher, the performance was deliberately choreographed to provoke the audience. Messiah introduced the band by telling the crowd that if they thought this was the worst thing they had ever heard, they were absolutely right. The concert ended with Euronymous exposing his ass to the audience while Necrobutcher broke a spare bass guitar in two. The judges awarded Mayhem last place in their qualifying round.

Despite its modest beginnings, the concert became an important piece of early Norwegian black metal history. A rough recording survived and circulated among collectors for years, eventually appearing on an unofficial, limited vinyl release in 2013. To mark the 40th anniversary of the performance, Peaceville Records issued the recording officially as “Live in Ski” for Record Store Day on 12 April 2025. The limited edition was pressed on oxblood-coloured vinyl, with an etched reverse side.

Rådhusteatret also has an important place in the early history of Darkthrone. In spring 1988, the band, then also written as Dark Throne, made its first live appearance during the annual Follo-rock competition, held at what was then known as Ski Rådhusteater.

The band’s origins date back to Christmas 1986, when Gylve Nagell, later known as Fenriz, formed Black Death in the Kolbotn area. With Fenriz handling drums and vocals and Anders Risberget on guitar, the group recorded its first demo, “Trash Core ’87”, in early 1987. A second demo, “Black Is Beautiful”, followed in October, by which time Ivar Enger had also joined the band. Towards the end of the year, Black Death changed its name to Dark Throne and recruited bassist Dag Nilsen, with Enger moving to guitar.

In February 1988, the band completed its first demo under the new name, “Land of Frost”. The five-track cassette featured Fenriz on drums and vocals, Enger on guitar and Nilsen on bass, while Risberget contributed additional guitar to three tracks: “Winds of Triton”, “Forest of Darkness” and “Day of the Dead”. Risberget subsequently left the group, leaving Dark Throne in need of another guitarist.

Through a mutual acquaintance, Kjetil Aarhus, Fenriz was introduced to a young guitarist named Ted Skjellum. The two initially spoke on the telephone for around an hour, discussing their musical interests, particularly Metallica’s instrumental “Orion”. They subsequently arranged to meet at Kolbotn railway station. When Skjellum asked how he would recognise him, Fenriz described his bowl haircut, complete with a rat tail at the back, and the Palestinian scarf he was wearing.

Fenriz invited Skjellum to attend Dark Throne’s upcoming performance at Follo-rock in Ski, allowing him to see the band in action before deciding whether to join. The concert featured the unusual sight of Fenriz simultaneously playing drums and handling lead vocals, alongside guitarist Ivar Enger and bassist Dag Nilsen. Fenriz later recalled the performance with considerable amusement, admitting that attempting both duties at once was something he never repeated.

Despite the rough performance, Skjellum decided to join the band shortly afterwards, adopting the name Nocturno Culto. His arrival established the partnership with Fenriz that would eventually become the foundation of Darkthrone. The two continued developing the band’s material throughout 1988, recording “A New Dimension” later that year. Fenriz initially retained vocal duties, including on the subsequent “Thulcandra” demo in 1989, before Nocturno Culto took over as lead vocalist.

The precise date of the Follo-rock performance has not been established. A contemporary newspaper article confirms that the 1988 competition involved 24 bands, with its first qualifying round scheduled for 14 May and the final for 11 June. Fenriz has subsequently identified the performance as Darkthrone’s first concert and confirmed that he still possesses an audio recording, although he describes its sound quality as terrible.

ADDRESS:
Idrettsveien 8, 1400 Ski, Norway

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