Blue Benders

Out of the Stockholm Jam Scene

Blue Benders formed in May 2021 in Stockholm, growing out of the city's jam circuit in Gamla Stan — the sessions at Stampen and S:ta Clara where guitarists Edvin Öström and Morris Malek were regulars during their time at the Rytmus music school. Vocalist Samson Mirro joined them, and a gig request turned the loose grouping into a band. Drummer and vocalist Tommy Moberg encouraged the young musicians along the way.

The name was settled over a café table, nodding both to their blues roots and to the act of bending guitar strings. The line-up is Samson Mirro on vocals, Edvin Öström and Morris Malek on guitar, Johan Sund on bass, who joined in late 2022, and Oskar Boså on drums, who joined in 2023.

A sound that outgrew the label

Though they started as a blues band, Blue Benders have moved toward rock while keeping deep foundations in blues, soul and funk. Dynamic bass lines, expressive guitar solos and a shared songwriting process — the members range in age from twenty to thirty-four — produce what they describe as musical cocktails, with Hendrix, D'Angelo, The Hives and Queens of the Stone Age all in the mix.

Awards and recordings

They were named Newcomer of the Year at the Bluespodden Awards in 2022. Their debut EP Strike One arrived in November 2023 with a sold-out release show at Nalen Klubb, and they took both Band of the Year and Live Act of the Year at the Bluespodden Awards in 2023, 2024 and 2025. In 2024 they placed second at the European Blues Challenge.

The debut album Do Not Apologize, or D.N.A., followed in February 2026, working through mental health, family, insecurity, love and hate. They remain a fixture of the Swedish festival circuit, with Stockholm Pride, Debaser Strand and Sweden Rock Festival among their appearances.