(Interview by Janos Janurik for Side-Line) Magne Furuholmen, the keyboardist, songwriter and former fun-maker of a-ha, has released his new solo album quietly and without much fanfare. On November 1, his birthday, the first song “Living With Ourselves” was released, which also serves as the title track for the new album. The album’s premiere took place at the end of August when Magne presented several new songs at the renowned art festival Fjord Cadenza. At that time, the album still lacked a title.

After the final a-ha tour in 2022, Magne – a true renaissance man and a phenomenon in the art world, known not only for his compositions but also for his active work as a painter – began working on new songs. He also revisited tracks that had not been included on the “True North” album. These songs were untitled and had no specific purpose. Even Magne wasn’t sure whether they would become material for a-ha, an Apparatjik project, or possibly a film soundtrack. (Apparatjik is a multinational band formed in 2008 by members of Coldplay, a-ha, Mew, and Martin Terefe.)

Ultimately, the songs felt more like a solo endeavor. During the winter of 2022 and the spring of 2023, Magne produced 10 deeply personal tracks. I had the opportunity to ask him about these songs and other aspects of his creative journey.

JJ: Hello Magne, I hope you are well! Thanks for taking the time to talk to me and our readers. It’s true that on your last solo album “White Xmas Lies” you sang about Christmas—or what became of it—in a somewhat disappointing way. However, your current work reminds me of a kind of Advent calendar, where you make a song available on online music platforms every week from the beginning of November. Was that the original idea, to give away a musical experience for Christmas, or is there something else behind it?

Magne Furuholmen: The ‘White Xmas Lies’ album was an ironic take on Xmas as having gone super-commercial, whereas this one was not intended to be a Xmas record. It was just a collection of songs that in the end made up a solo-record. For different reasons the material laid in waiting for almost a year before release, which is very unusual for me. I just wanted to release these songs with low shoulders to those who might be interested and not push for attention from those who are not, and I felt it might be interesting to just drop one song at a time to get away from the usual way of a heavily promoted release date for a new album.

JJ: The title of the first song you have released from your new album is “Living With Ourselves”. I think in today’s world that’s probably one of the hardest things to do—to be in harmony with yourself. How well have you done that? How well have you found your place in the world?

Magne Furuholmen: Well, judging by escalating conflicts and tension in the world it seems even harder to live with/get along with each other actually! But still, harmony and peace – and also celebrating differences among us as making the tapestry of the world richer instead of as a threat to our own worldview must start with honest and critical self-examination. Personally, I am much more at peace with my own shortcomings and strengths today than i was as a young man. I feel like I have been super fortunate in life, even with some bad/wrong choices made, and reconciled with things done to me that have seemed unjust or unfair along the way. Most things that happen in a life – good and bad – can be a source for learning and ultimately acceptance.

JJ: “Look How Far We Haven’t Come” and “World So Strange” are two of the tracks on your new LP. When I read those titles, I couldn’t help but think about the current situation in the world. On the last Magne F album, there was a protest song called “This Is Now America”, which has lost none of its topicality. It’s as if the world around us has turned even more upside down. Are you still protesting in your own way, or are you tired of falling on deaf ears?

Magne Furuholmen: Everything I write is a reflection of my experiences – of people and situations that touch me, irks me, gives me hope or takes it away…etc. I am hardly a protest singer, but with so many people having given me the opportunity to make music I do feel an obligation to raise my voice about these things and write as honest and unfiltered as I can – perhaps now more than ever before.

JJ: “Giving In To Christmas” is a song where the listeners have to pay attention to the message of the song. I think we both agree that this festival is becoming more and more empty, that it has lost its original message. And yet we try to hold on to old Christmas memories. Is this song something like a direct continuation of the idea of the album “White Xmas Lies”?

Magne Furuholmen: I happened to have written a new xmas song ‘Giving In To Christmas’ during, which was a kind of an apology for being such a grinch back with the WXL album… Haha. As well as a recognition that even imperfect rituals can have value during difficult times.

JJ: One of my favorite songs on the album is “God Is In The Details”. It’s melancholic and sobering, but uplifting and hopeful at the same time—like the clouds in the sky that are sung about. I think it could be a big a-ha hit. I know you have “White Horses” planned for the “True North” album, but this song also has the quintessence of the a-ha hits that are so dear to the fans. Can you imagine this song with Morten’s voice as an a-ha song?

Magne Furuholmen: Yes, I also thought it might be a song for a-ha to be honest. The lyrics were even kind of inspired by Morten – things Morten had said in conversations over the years, so I imagined it would be be perfect for him. We did actually record Mortens vocals on the demo, but as it turned out, he wanted some of the key things in the lyrics changed in order to perform it, and I really did not want to change them.

JJ: There’s also a beautiful duet in the set – next to ‘Look How Far We Haven’t Come’ – which could have been on the last a-ha album. How long have you known the guest vocalist Tini Flaat? Can you tell us something about the making of ‘Time Is On Your Side’?

Magne Furuholmen: I have known Tini since i made my (one-time appearance as a mentor on the 1st season of the tv show ‘The Voice’, and I then co produced her really beautiful debut album titled ‘Undo My Heart’ with my mate Martin Terefe 10 years ago. For ‘Time Is On Your Side’ I first recorded all the vocals myself, then Morten also recorded a version (which, as mentioned, I did not include in my allotted songs for the ‘True North’ album – even though according to Morten, this was one of his favourite of mine at the time. Revisiting it during this project, Tini was in my studio doing some background vocals and I just wanted to try our two contrasting two voices for the song and felt it worked.

JJ: You released a stirring instrumental on 20 December (‘Teo’s Theme’). Perhaps with the intention of bringing the important Christmas message to our souls? To focus not on the lyrics, which are so important, but on the inner voice?

Magne Furuholmen: This piece was written after the birth of my first grandchild. I imagined it to become film-music for something at some point later, but when I was putting the album together I felt it belonged on there – if for nothing else, for the fact it was written during this period.

JJ: It’s impossible to talk about your new album without mentioning the beautifully crafted vinyl release that accompanies it. Once again, you’ve made sure that fans get a record that’s not only pleasing to the ear, but also to the eye. The 200 fans who have this limited edition are really lucky. Which art form inspires the other? When your soul craves self-expression, is it the musician or the painter who bursts out first?

Magne Furuholmen: Thanks. I have done – and enjoyed doing – this crossover-thing with music and art on all my solo albums. Glad to see there are still people out there who appreciate it! Regarding inspiration, it is always a balancing act, and I never quite know which medium is in the driver’s seat. In the end though, all my creative output seems to bleed over into each other – words, music, visuals. For me there are no boundaries between them any more.

JJ: We already know that ‘Living With Ourselves’ will be released on CD in Japan on the 22nd of January, with a bonus track, a demo of ‘I’m In’ (‘True North’), sung by you. Will there be more physical releases of your new material?

Magne Furuholmen: There was originally no plan for any other physical release than the ltd edition vinyl. The CD release in Japan was an in-call from Sony Japan which came totally unexpected, but there are no plans for any further physical releases, no.

JJ: You mentioned earlier that you’re looking forward to important anniversaries. It’s been 40 years since ‘Take On Me’ was released, and your first solo album (‘Past Perfect Future Tense’) turned 20 this year. In the year 2025 year a book about you will be published in Norwegian, based on interviews with you. Written by journalist Ørjan Nilsson, who has already published biographies of Paul (2017) and Morten (2019). This will complete his trilogy. When can fans celebrate with you and your bandmates next? Are you planning live performances, either solo or as part of a-ha?

Magne Furuholmen: In general I seem to have gotten more appreciative of anniversaries with age (I used to sneer at them), and I would personally have loved to celebrate the passing of all this incredible time with a-ha together with our long-standing fans around the world, but this is of course not only up to me. As a solo artist, making the records is by far the most important thing to me, but I have toyed with doing some solo performances. We’ll see. And hey – there is a tiny little live -recording I did for TV just now before Xmas which comes out now in January at some point I think, but I am not sure if it is available outside Norway…

Tracklist:

1. Look how far we haven’t come
2. One 4 all and all 4 none
3. Living with ourselves
4. God is in the details
5. Teo’s theme [instrumental]
6. Time is on your side
7. White horses
8. World so strange
9. You won (and then some)
10. Giving in to christmas
11. Hold the line [TOTO cover]

Thanks to Magne Furuholmen for the interview, Harald Wiik for his help and Nina Djareff for the photos!

János Janurik

I began my career in online music journalism in 2001, writing about artists I had followed since the late ’80s and early ’90s, including Depeche Mode, Erasure and The Cure. I later edited the Hungarian Mute microsite for EMI Music Hungary. This led to interviews with Erasure, Nitzer Ebb and Alan Wilder, and some of those collaborations developed into lasting friendships. Since 2014, I have been part of the editorial team of depechemode.de. I also contribute interviews to Reflections of Darkness, Peek-A-Boo Magazine and Kaput Mag. I maintain a close connection to Mute Records artists and have also supported releases on Very Records. I am proud to collaborate with Side-Line Magazine, where I regularly publish interviews and features.

(Photo: Viggo-Bondi) Norway is a global leader in electric vehicle adoption, with more than half a million EVs now driving in its roads. This remarkable journey began in the early 1980s, when a group of environmental activists and the synthpop band A-ha joined forces to demand action on sustainable transport alternatives.

In an unlikely move in 1989, the lead singer of the renowned 1980s band A-ha Morten Harket and Frederic Hauge, the head of the Norwegian environmental group Bellona, embarked on a remarkable road trip. Their vehicle of choice? An electric Fiat Panda, recently imported from Switzerland, symbolizing their commitment to promoting sustainable transportation.

A-ha challenged Oslo’s exorbitant road tolls

Driving through Oslo, they challenged the city’s exorbitant road tolls, opting to park illegally and ignoring the barrage of penalty notices they received. The authorities eventually impounded their car, auctioning it off to cover the accumulated fines. However, the audacious stunt garnered widespread media attention, effectively conveying their message.

In 1989, two members of the group, Morten Harket and Magne Furuholmen were in Switzerland with environmentalist Frederic Hauge, when they came across a hobby-converted Fiat Panda. Stated range: 45 km. They snapped it up and imported it to Norway.

Photo: In Switzerland (Bellona) pic.twitter.com/Fqu0HibJ8s

— Robbie Andrew (@robbie_andrew) January 9, 2021

As a direct result of their activism, electric vehicles were subsequently granted exemptions from road tolls, just one among a plethora of incentives that have contributed to Norway earning the distinction of boasting the world’s highest per capita electric vehicle ownership. Further incentives included privileges like allowing EVs to use bus lanes, free parking, ferry travel, and zero tax.

Today, Norway is leading the way in the global transition to a sustainable transportation system. The country’s success is a testament to the power of sustainability and unexpected partnerships. A-ha’s collaboration with environmental activists showed that pop culture can be a powerful force for good.

Below is a video relating the whole story.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Sony Music Entertainment Premium Content and Trafalgar Releasing today launched the Official Full Trailer for a-ha’s forthcoming film “True North”, the accompaniment to their new studio album of the same title. “True North” will be released in select cinemas worldwide on Thursday 15 September, with the album following on Friday 21 October.

This film will also include a special behind-the-scenes featurette, exclusive to cinemas.

In the trailer, we hear a-ha’s Magne Furuholmen explain “‘True North’ is a letter from our home to the world. It was kind of inspirational to look at this as a performance inside a film, that would somehow have a narrative connected to what these songs were about.”

Watch the official full trailer right here.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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The new single by the Norwegian act a-ha is out now. You can view the video for the track “I’m In” right below. The track is the first taster for their forthcoming album “True North” to be released on 21 October 2022, their first collection of new songs since 2015’s “Cast In Steel” and their 11th studio album so far. “True North” will hold 12 tracks – six written by Magne Furuholmen, six by Pål Waaktaar-Savoy.

Here are a few stills from the below video.

While “True North” is a new album, it is also a film capturing a-ha recording the songs during November 2021 in Bodø, the Norwegian city located 90km above the Arctic Circle. The orchestral arrangement on the album is by Kjetil Bjerkestrand, whose association with a-ha stretches back to 1994’s “Shapes That Go Together” single. He has also worked with Magne, Morten and Pål outside a-ha.

The “True North” film will be released to cinemas in selected territories world-wide by Trafalgar Releasing in late summer 2022. The “True North” album will be out as a jewel-case CD, heavy black vinyl (2 x recycled 12’’ vinyl), limited deluxe edition (with hard-cover book including 40 pages, 2 x LPs with glued sleeves, CD in a cardboard sleeve and an USB card), and digital audio long-play for download and streaming.

Here’s the video for the single.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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The first single from a-ha’s new album “True North” is “I’m In”, and will be out this Friday 8 July together with a video. It is the first taster for their forthcoming album to be released on 21 October 2022, their first collection of new songs since 2015’s “Cast In Steel” and their 11th studio album so far. “True North” will hold 12 tracks – six written by Magne Furuholmen, six by Pål Waaktaar-Savoy.

While “True North” is a new album, it is also a film capturing a-ha recording the songs during November 2021 in Bodø, the Norwegian city located 90km above the Arctic Circle. “First, we had the idea to record a studio session live,” says Pål. “Then, to film a studio session. That grew into more of a production with the Norwegian orchestra, the Arctic Philharmonic, who we have collaborated with.”

Magne, who wrote the moving “I’m In”, says this about the song: “It’s a song about total commitment and a show of support for someone who is troubled. Real commitment is a leap of faith. Everyone knows how difficult it can be to offer commitment and support unconditionally, but this is what it takes to make anything worthwhile happen – love, friendship, change, self-improvement, careers, a better world. Easier said than done of course but it begins with an attitude, then uttering the words. After this it is all hard work to realize whatever potential your commitment has in the world. Without this attitude everything just gets bogged down with conflicting thoughts, doubts and fear. Just say it: ‘I’m in’.”

The orchestral arrangement on the album is by Kjetil Bjerkestrand, whose association with a-ha stretches back to 1994’s “Shapes That Go Together” single. He has also worked with Magne, Morten and Pål outside a-ha.

The “True North” film will be released to cinemas in selected territories world-wide by Trafalgar Releasing in late summer 2022. The “True North” album will be out as a jewel-case CD, heavy black vinyl (2 x recycled 12’’ vinyl), limited deluxe edition (with hard-cover book including 40 pages, 2 x LPs with glued sleeves, CD in a cardboard sleeve and an USB card), and digital audio long-play for download and streaming.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. During the late 1970s bands such as the Human League, Kraftwerk, and later on Gary Numan, Soft Cell and John Foxx helped pioneer a new synth-pop style that drew more heavily from electronic music and emphasized primary usage of synthesizers. Developed in the late 1970s it has seen several revival periods up until now.

We picked out the best synthpop albums from the past 4 decades (!!!). Here’s our list.

The Human League – “Dare” (1981)

The Human League are ‘oldies’ when it comes to synthpop. Formed in Sheffield in 1977 and initially an experimental electronic outfit, the group attained widespread commercial success with their third album “Dare” in 1981. The album contained four hit singles, including the UK/US number one hit “Don’t You Want Me”. The band’s third studio album, it was recorded between March and September 1981 following the departure of founding members Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh, and saw the band shift direction from their prior avant-garde electronic style toward a more pop-friendly, commercial sound led by frontman Philip Oakey. A remix album based on “Dare”, “Love and Dancing”, was released in 1982.

Talk Talk – “It’s My Life” (1984)

Talk Talk were an English band formed in 1981, led by Mark Hollis (vocals, guitar, piano), Lee Harris (drums), and Paul Webb (bass). The group achieved early chart success with the synth-pop singles “Talk Talk” (1982), “It’s My Life”, and “Such a Shame” (both 1984) before moving towards a more experimental approach in the mid-1980s. Not surprisingly that our next pick is “It’s My Life”, the second studio album by Talk Talk, released in 1984. The album enjoyed an enormous succes thanks to the big international success of its singles (notably “Such a Shame”). We have a soft spot for the tracks “Dum Dum Girl”, “Such a Shame”, “Renée”, “It’s My Life” and “It’s You” although the entire album is just extremely enjoyable.

Alphaville – “Forever Young” (1984)

The German synth-pop band Alphaville, which formed in Münster in 1982, achieved chart success with the singles “Forever Young”, “Big in Japan”, “Sounds Like a Melody”. All these were taken from their 1984 debut album “Forever Young” which was produced by Colin Pearson, Wolfgang Loos and Andreas Budde. Despite the success of the album and its singles, the band did not tour as they felt more like ‘studio rats’. It remains the band’s best output to date.

a-ha – “Scoundrel Days” (1986)

The Norwegian synth-pop band a-ha was formed in Oslo in 1982 by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (guitars), Magne Furuholmen (keyboards and guitars), and Morten Harket (vocals). “Scoundrel Days” is the second studio album by the trio and offered a more mature sound compared to their debut “Hunting High and Low” (1985). “Scoundrel Days”, recorded in England in early 1986 and produced by Alan Tarney, sported such singles as “I’ve Been Losing You”, “Cry Wolf” and “Maybe, Maybe” which was released solely in Bolivia. “Manhattan Skyline” was the forth and final single released from the long-player.

Erasure – “Wonderland” (1986)

“Wonderland” is the debut studio album by the English synth-pop duo Erasure and was released in 1986. Although it was not an immediate success, the three singles released from it did become cult tracks overtime: “Who Needs Love Like That”, “Oh L’amour” and “Heavenly Action”. Although “Wonderland” was considered a failure, especially when comparing it to Clarke’s prior successes with Depeche Mode and Yazoo, the album became an all time favourite that laid the fundament of what was to follow in 1987 with the release of “The Circus”. The album was produced by Flood who would become a long-time collaborator.

Pet Shop Boys – “Actually” (1987)

Pet Shop Boys, the English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981, broke all records when they released “Actually”, their second studio album, in 1987. It was pushed forward by such great tracks as “One More Chance”, “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” (with Dusty Springfield), “Shopping”, “Rent”, “It Couldn’t Happen Here”, “It’s a Sin”, “Heart” and the majestic “King’s Cross”. In short an album filled with hits.

New Order – “Technique” (1989)

New Order was formed in 1980 by vocalist and guitarist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. The band formed after the demise of Joy Division, following the suicide of lead singer Ian Curtis and were joined by Gillian Gilbert on keyboards later that year. Their experience of the early 1980s New York club scene saw them increasingly incorporate dance rhythms and electronic instrumentation into their work which resulted in their 1983 hit “Blue Monday” becoming and absolute monster hit. However, we picked out “Technique”, their fifth studio album. Released in 1989 by Factory Records, the album incorporates Balearic beat and acid house influences into the group’s dance-rock sound. “Technique” was the first New Order album to reach the number one spot on the UK charts and had such excellent singles as “Fine Time”, “Round and Round” and “Run 2”.

Depeche Mode – “Violator” (1990)

“Violator” is the seventh studio album by England’s Depeche Mode. It was first released on 19 March 1990 through Mute Records internationally, and through Sire and Reprise Records in the United States. Preceded by the singles “Personal Jesus” and “Enjoy the Silence” (a top-10 entry in both the United Kingdom and the United States), the album propelled the band into international stardom, and also yielded the singles “Policy of Truth” and “World in My Eyes”. The album is generally considered as their most accomplisched electropop album before they encorporated more rock elements in the next album, “Songs of Faith and Devotion”. The role of Alan Wilder was crucial in “Violator”, you only have to compare the first and final version of “Enjoy The Silence” to notice the huge difference.

Bel Canto – “Birds of Passage” (1990)

Bel Canto is a Norwegian music duo, originally a trio, fronted by vocalist Anneli Drecker and musically powered by Geir Jenssen and Nils Johansen. Signed originally to Crammed Discs, their second album “Birds of Passage” is considered as an absolute pearl holding an excellent production (aided by Giles Martin) and a long list of guest musicians who added acoustic elements to the cold nordic synths Jenssen and multi-instrumentalist Johansen. It was also the last album featuring Geir Jenssen. It holds the hits “Intravenous”, “Birds of Passage”, “A Shoulder to the Wheel”, “Time Without End”, “Continuum” and “The Suffering”. The band remains an often well-hidden pearl in electropopland.

De/Vision – “Fairyland?” (1996)

De/Vision, a German synthpop act formed in 1988, was at the peak of its electropop stardom around the mid-nineties culiminating in the outstanding “Fairyland?” album which had such great tracks as “I Regret”, “Sweet Life”, “Today’s Life” or “Bleed Me White”. The band was fronting a new wave of electropop bands in Germany but was generally considered to be the most consistent one as far as quality and output. Sadly enough the release, and also the band’s earlier material, are no longer available on Spotify.

Wolfsheim – “Spectators” (1999)

Wolfsheim was a synthpop duo from Hamburg, Germany, that consisted of Markus Reinhardt and Peter Heppner. Their fourth studio album was “Spectators” (1999) preceeded by two ‘pre-release’ singles from the album. “Once in a Lifetime” was released on October 16, 1998 and “It’s Hurting For The First Time” followed on November 30th. The LP was produced by Wolfsheim and José Alvarez-Brill and held 11 new songs. To this day, “Spectators” is the best-selling album by Wolfsheim with over 250,000 copies sold. The third single, “Künstliche Welten”, was released in 1999.

Iris – “Disconnect” (2000)

“Disconnect” is the debut album by the electropop group Iris. Released in 2000 via the US label A Different Drum, the synthpop label by excellence, its success was guaranteed by the now cult synthpop jewels “Annie, Would I Lie to You?”, “Lose In Wanting” and “Danger Is The Shame”. Originally formed by Reagan Jones and Mat Morris in 1993, after the release of their first album “Disconnect”, Matthew Morris was replaced with Andrew Sega, who pushed the band’s sound in a more experimental electronic direction. Sadly enough the release, and also the band’s earlier material, are no longer available on Spotify.

Elegant Machinery – “A Soft Exchange” (2008)

The Swedish synthpop band Elegant Machinery defined the Swedish synthpop movement along with such bands as Page, S.P.O.C.K, Sista Mannen På Jorden and Kiethevez. Heavily influenced by acts like Yazoo, The Human League, Depeche Mode and Rational Youth, the trio Robert Enforsen, Richard Jomshof and Leslie Bayne started the band in 1988 under the name Pole Position. The band was very successful in Sweden, with a number of successful singles and various awards. But it is their 2008 album “A Soft Exchange” that earned them a place in our list. The album was extremely mature yet very melodic and features such pearls a “With Grace”, “Do You Know”, “Feel The Silence”, “Bleeding Words” and “Is This The Way”.

Electro Spectre – “Dangerous Game” (2012)

The Norwegian electronic music duo Electro Spectre fronts the 3rd electropop wave. Isak Rypdal (writer-producer) and Alexander Björneboe (writer-singer) debuted in 2009 with the album “Watch It All Turn” (which was later reproduced and re-released in 2010). The duo has secured us from a steady and consistent output ever since. In our list we picked the band’s 2012 release, which is their second studio album entitled “Dangerous Game”. Included are such pearls as “Love Thief”, “Dancing Girl”, “World Keeps Turning” and “Tokyo Shuffle”.

Mondträume – “Empty” (2014)

Mondträume is the creative outlet of 2 Spanish talented artists Pikotto Vond Mond and Damasius Venys. In only a few years, the duo rapidly caught the attention of concert organizers, released several songs on compilations, and secured a label contract with Belgium’s electronic label Alfa Matrix where they debuted with the album “Empty”. The hits “Life Is Short”, “Parasite” and especially the synth pop pearl “Far From Pain” showcase why this band became one of the strongholders in the 3rd electropop wave together with such bands as Electro Spectre, and more.

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

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Due to the ongoing global Covid-19 outbreak a-ha have decided to reschedule their European shows once again, this time to Spring 2022. The new dates are below.

The original tickets remain valid, but you are advised to contact your point of purchase for further details. For the Norwegian shows, if you want a refund you have a two month period to request this, ending on April 19.

These are the rescheduled shows.

• 28 April 2022 – Gothenburg, Partille Arena
• 29 April 2022 – Copenhagen, Royal Arena
• 01 May 2022 – Prague, O2 Arena Prague
• 04 May 2022 – Amsterdam, AFAS Live
• 05 May 2022 – Brussels, Forest National
• 07 May 2022 – Paris, Le Zénith
• 09 May 2022 – Frankfurt, Festhalle
• 11 May 2022 – Berlin, Mercedes-Benz Arena
• 12 May 2022 – Hamburg, Barclaycard Arena
• 14 May 2022 – Leipzig, Arena Leipzig
• 15 May 2022 – Cologne, Lanxes Arena
• 18 May 2022 – Stavanger, DNB Arena
• 20 May 2022 – Oslo, Spektrum
• 21 May 2022 – Oslo, Spektrum
• 24 May 2022 – Bournemouth, BIC
• 25 May 2022 – Liverpool, M&S Bank Arena
• 27 May 2022 – London, Wembley Arena
• 28 May 2022 – Birmingham, Utilita Arena

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

The live Facebook premiere of Magne’s “White Xmas Lies” concert (recorded at Kulturkirken Jakob in Oslo on December 4, 2019) is now available online. The concert recording lasts about an hour, and the setlist includes 11 songs:

1. Snow is Falling
2. The Light We Lost
3. A Wintry Silence
4. The Season to be Melancholy
5. Caprice Des Dieux
6. This is Now America
7. You Can’t Have it Both Ways (featuring Tini Flaat Mykland)
8. So Cold It’s Hard to Think
9. White Xmas Lies
10. Revelation Song
11. There Goes Another Year

All of the songs are from Magne’s album “White Xmas Lies”, except “You Can’t Have It Both Ways”, which was written by Magne, and can be found on Tini’s 2014 album “Undo My Heart”. Performing with Magne were Karl Oluf Wennerberg, Even Ormestad, Morten Qvenild, Madeleine Ossum, Emilie Heldal Lidsheim, Dan Sunhordvik and Tini Flaat Mykland.

You can watch the full concert over on Facebook here.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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On Saturday 26th December at 5pm CET you’ll be able to view the “White Xmas Lies” live concert premiere by Magne Furuholmen and chat with him as well online. The “White Xmas Lies” live concert footage was shot in Oslo (Norway) on December 4th 2019 at Kulturekirken Jakob in Oslo. The free concert was organized in partnership with the Salvation Army, and the attendees included both Salvation Army guests and fans.

The show lasted for about an hour, with Magne either at the piano or playing acoustic or electric guitar. He was joined by seven musicians – Karl Oluf Wennerberg, Even Ormestad, Morten Qvenild, Madeleine Ossum, Emilie Heldal Lidsheim, Dan Sunhordvik and Tini Flaat Mykland. To get an idea of what to expect, here’s a short video which was posted.

“White Xmas Lies” is the third solo album by Magne Furuholmen as Magne F. and was released on October 25, 2019.

You can RSVP on Facebook to receive reminders before the premiere begins.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Bridges were a Norwegian rock band formed in Oslo, Norway in 1978. It is notable for being the predecessor to synth pop band a-ha. The band released their debut album “Fakkeltog” in 1980, but their second album “Våkenatt” which was recorded within the following year, will only get released in full later next month (November 20th) and this after almost 40 years. Good to know, the album holds the early version of the later well known a-ha tracks “Scoundrel Days” and “Soft Rains Of April” as you can hear below.

Bridges included future a-ha members, Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, alongside Viggo Bondi (Bass) and Erik Hagelien (Drums), who was later replaced by Oystein Jevanord on drums. The band was formed during their schooldays in Oslo, Norway and they played gigs across 1978 and 1979. One audience member was the future a-ha lead singer, Morten Harket.

The second Bridges album didn’t get released earlier because band members Waaktaar and Furuholmen planned to continue their musical careers in London after 1981, but Bondi and Jevanord declined, and so bridges split up and Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy would go on to form the synth-pop act a-ha.

As you will notice, the Norwegian psych-rock sound of Bridges is very different to that of a-ha’s electro pop.

“It’s not only an essential part of Norwegian music history, as the missing link between Bridges and a-ha; as I listened to the record, I discovered that it’s a masterpiece which still feels fresh and relevant today,” said rock historian Terje Nilsen at Rockheim in 2018.

“Våkenatt” is available to pre-order now and the first single from the album “Asleep” can be downloaded and streamed below.

Note that “Våkenett” had been pressed up in a small run of vinyl copies in 2018, by Norway’s national museum for pop music, Rockheim Museum, in Trondheim, Norway. 900 copies of the album were produced on green vinyl 180gram vinyl presented in a box.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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The Norwegian act a-ha have announced 9 more shows for autumn 2020 – in Peru, Chile, Argentina, Mexico and Brazil. Note that this means that a-ha will be performing for the first time ever in Mexico City and Lima.

The list of concert dates is below.

New Tour Dates

• 1 September – Lima, Peru – Parque de la Exposición
• 3 September – Santiago, Chile – Movistar Arena
• 5 September – Buenos Aires, Argentina – Buenos Aires Arena
• 8 September – Curitiba, Brazil – Teatro Positivo
• 11 September – São Paulo, Brazil – Espaço das Americas
• 13 September – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Jeunesse Arena
• 16 September – Belo Horizonte – MG, Brazil – Expominas Arena
• 19 September – Salvador, Brazil – Arena Fonte Nova
• 22 September – Mexico City, Mexico – Auditorio Nacional

During the ‘Hunting High and Low Live’ tour, Magne Furuholmen, Morten Harket and Pål Waaktaar-Savoy will be performing new and old, familiar and less-familiar songs for the half of the concert. Then, after returning to the stage, they will play the ten songs of their 1985 debut album “Hunting High And Low” in the running order of the original release. The tour is timed to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the release of the “Hunting High And Low” album, with its top selling single “Take On Me”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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a-ha’s Magne Furuholmen has released a music video for his solo-single “This is now America”. For the occasion Furuholmen has teamed up with experimental German theatre / performance duo Vinge/Müller, to create a video that according to him is “in many ways the dark, dystopic cousin of the famous ‘Take on me’ video”. Furuholmen explained that this song was a protest song in direct protest to the Trump administration in an interview with Rolling Stone. Not sure Trump really bothers that much though…

The narrative in the video follows an adolescent character on the verge of self-destruction, hiding from a troubled world outside. Magne says this about the video: “As a 15 year old kid, I had a feeling the world was full of infinite possibilities, and an exciting place to follow one’s dream. Young kids today grow up in a very different, and much more troubling world. To me, the video for ‘This is now America’ is about loss of innocence and alienation…as is the song, come to think of it!”

You can watch the video below.

Busy bee Furuholmen

Furuholmen, better known to music fans by his stage name Mags, is the keyboardist of the synthpop/rock band A-ha, and co-wrote hits such as “Take On Me”, “Stay on These Roads”, “Manhattan Skyline”, “Cry Wolf”, “Forever Not Yours”, “Analogue (All I Want)”, “Minor Earth Major Sky”, “Touchy!”, “You Are the One”, “Move To Memphis” and “Foot of the Mountain”.

Furuholmen is also a visual artist with solo exhibitions held in Norway, the UK, and elsewhere in Europe. His work is represented in private and public institutions and museums worldwide, among them The Norwegian State Archives, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, and others.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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(Photo by a-ha.com) Premiering on Thursday November 26th, 2020 at 6 pm at the Colosseum movie theatre in Oslo is “a-ha The Movie”.

The movie – directed by Thomas Robsahm and Aslaug Holm – follows the band over a period of four years, telling the full story of how three young men followed their impossible dream of becoming Norwegian pop stars. You will get both a close look behind the scenes today and and a new visit to this 35-year-and-counting long adventure tale.

When Take On Me reached number one on Billboard in the US in 1985 the dream came true. Or did it? The band was not prepared for what the success would bring, including tension between the three members Morten Harket, Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar. How do they see their legacy and future today?

2 extra concerts following the premiering

Coïnciding with this event are 2 shows at the Oslo Spektrum on the 27th and 28th of November, 2020. A limited amount of tickets for the movie premiere can be bought with a purchase of a Spektrum ticket. The movie ticket also gives you access to a fan convention on Saturday November 28th, featuring Thomas Robsham and a few other prominent guests.

This long weekend will mark the end of the ‘Hunting High & Low’ tour.

About Thomas Robsahm

Thomas Robsahm (born 1964) has extensive experience in the Norwegian film industry. Starting out as a young actor in Svend Wam’s “Five days” in August in 1973, he has since built himself a career as one of Norways most prolific writer-directors and producers, working in both short and feature films, as well as documentaries and television series’.

He made his directorial debut with the short “The Gun Club” in 1987. His debut as a feature film director came with the action-filled crime-drama “Rebels with a Cause” in 1992, and was the first of many successful films, both fiction features and documentaries, directed by Robsahm – such as the feature lenght documentary “The Mosquito” (1996), the award-winning “S.O.S.” (1999) and “Modern Slavery” (2009), as well as his contribution to the portmanteau film “Utopia – Nobody is Perfect in the Perfect Country” (2002). Robsahm also worked for the youth division of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation NRK from 1993 to 1994, and has also directed several music videos for popular Norwegian bands.

He established his own production company Speranza Film AS in 1995 (now co-owned by director Margreth Olin), and has since also produced numerous feature and documentary films for other directors, in addition to his own films – including critically acclaimed, award-winning and audience favorites such as “Thrane’s Method” (Unni Straume, 1998), “My Body” (Margreth Olin, 2002), “It´s Hard To Be A Rock´n Roller” (Gunhild Asting, 2006) and “The Angel” (Margreth Olin, 2009)

Robsahm has also served as commissioning consultant for feature films at the Norwegian Film Institute. He is currently running Oslo Pictures with Dyveke Bjørkly Graver.

About Aslaug Holm

Aslaug Holm (born 1965), is a director and cinematographer recognized for her distinctive, personal style and was the cinematographer and editor of one of the most successful and acclaimed documentaries ever to be theatrically released in Norway, “Cool & Crazy” (2001).

She also directed “The Rich Country” (2006), following Jens Stoltenberg in the time leading up to him being elected Prime Minister in September of 2005. The film was awarded the FIPRESCI-award at the Tromsø International Film Festival (TIFF), where it also had its premiere.

Her most notable film is “Brothers” (2015). The film premiered at CPH:DOX, and received the Best International Feature Documentary Award at Hot Docs in 2016. The same year she also received the National Film Award Amanda for Best Director.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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To be released on October 25th is an exclusive art edition of only 200 copies of Magne Furuholmen (a-ha)’s new solo album “White Xmas Lies”.

Each numbered item includes the following:

• A white vinyl double-album
• An original artwork (25 x 25 cm) signed and numbered by Magne Furuholmen
• A poster with all 200 art-pieces combined

The artworks are monotypes made on 5 large sheets of 410 g somerset paper which were cut into squares of 25 x 25 cm to accompany the special edition of 200 vinyls. Together the 200 pieces make up a larger whole, and from the poster included you will be able to find the position of your particular piece.

The edition is sold right here in random order and it is not possible to request numbers. The price for this gem is €150 – plus shipping & handling, quite cheap to have an original Magne Furuholmen hanging in your house. His artworks regularly fetch much higher prices at auctions, so if you look at it as an investment on top, it might be worth a shot.

The video below was filmed by Thomas Vincent Furuholmen in Magne’s painting studio in August 2019 and it captures the process of making the original artworks for the limited art-edition.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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a-ha’s Magne Furuholmen has shared a surprise single called “This is now America” on Instagram. You can listen to the song and watch the video below – click on the instagram link in case it does not display. The video was directed and edited by Thomas Vincent Furuholmen with artwork by Magne Furuholmen.

Instagram post by Magne Furuholmen * Aug 22, 2019 at 2:42pm UTC

2,006 Likes, 448 Comments – Magne Furuholmen (@magne_furuholmen) on Instagram

In further a-ha news, Ørjan Nilsson’s book, “Hjemkomst” (The Homecoming), will be launched September 26th. The book covers the years 1993–1998 when a-ha’s frontman Morten Harket enters the stage as a solo artist and political activist, releasing new material (“Wild Seed”), while revealing a fiery political involvement in issues ranging from climate crisis to the liberation of East-Timor.

It’s not yet sure if an English version will be released, but you can expect it to happen as a-ha has quite a strong following outside Norway as well. Below is the frontcover for said book.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Out on September 27 are the deluxe- 2CD Sets (remastered with unreleased bonus tracks, some live-takes and demos) of the a-ha albums “Minor Earth | Major Sky” (2000) and “Lifelines” (2002). There will also be vinyl editions for the first time ever for these albums.

When a-ha took a seven-year break after their fifth album “Memorial Beach” was released in 1993, each of the members, Morten Harket, Magne Furuholmen and Pål Waaktaar-Savoy, pursued their own interests and arts until they were invited to perform on the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize concert in Oslo. a-ha performed two songs at the event and started work on “Minor Earth | Major Sky” which would be released in 2000. In 2002 the album was followed up by “Lifelines”.

The “Minor Earth | Major Sky” 2CD set features the remastered original album with bonus tracks and a second CD with 16 more demos, outtakes and live tracks. The “Lifelines” 2CD set contains the remastered original album with bonus tracks and a second 19-track CD of early versions, demos and songs that did not make it to the final album.

You can order the “Minor Earth | Major Sky” album right here as a 2CD set or on vinyl. The “Lifelines” 2CD set and vinyl are available here.

Two unreleased demos are available now digitally: an early version of “The Sun Never Shone That Day” (from Minor Earth | Major Sky Deluxe Edition) and a raw demo of “Forever Not Yours” (from Lifelines Deluxe Edition).

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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The demand for a-ha’s ‘Hunting High and Low Live’ tour is exceeding the initial forecast and as a result the band is extending it into 2020.

During the tour Magne Furuholmen, Morten Harket and Pål Waaktaar-Savoy will be performing in An Evening With format, with an interval. For the first half of the concert, they will play new and old, familiar and less-familiar songs. Then, after returning to the stage, they will play the ten songs of their 1985 debut album “Hunting High And Low” in the running order of the original release.

The first show for 2020 has just been announced and it will take place in Trondheim, Norway. The show will be on 7 February 2020 at the brand new indoor stadium, Trondheim Spektrum, opening in October 2019. a-ha is the first band to be announced to play at the arena. Here’s the pre-sale link, and here’s the general sale link.

More dates in 2020 will be announced soon, including areas the band hasn’t visited since their 1986 world tour.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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a-ha’s Magne Furuholmen has a new solo album coming up. The news was revealed in a few tweets, here’s a resume of the texts posted: “Hey everybody – belated best wishes for the coming year, and a small tease from the recording-session in the mountains last week to let you know that i’m hard at work and have been for a while now in order to make sure xmas 2019 is ruined for y’all with a new, dark magne f xmas record! no cheesycozy covers but instead 15+ original songs so far with appropriate seasonal topic-ery. after all ‘tis the season to be melancholy’… so, something to look backwards to for a whole year – talk about gift that keeps on giving! lotsa love, the grinch.”

You can already view/listen to a first preview below.

 

Dit bericht bekijken op Instagram

 

Een bericht gedeeld door Magne Furuholmen (@magne_furuholmen) op 21 Jan 2019 om 9:00 (PST)

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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a-ha will embark on an October and November 2019 tour where the trio (Magne Furuholmen, Morten Harket and Pål Waaktaar-Savoy) will be performing in ‘An Evening With’ format, with an interval. For the first half of the concert, they will play new and old, familiar and less-familiar songs. Then, after returning to the stage, they will play the ten songs of their 1985 debut album “Hunting High And Low” in the running order of the original release.

Back in October 2010, a-ha had played the whole of “Hunting High And Low” just twice (quite an unforgettable event we must say), first at Oslo’s Konserthus and then at London’s Royal Albert Hall (from where we reported live back then).

The tour is timed to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the release of the original version of “Take On Me” – issued in the UK on 19 October 1984 to reputed sales of just 300 copies. The re-recorded “Take On Me” was released in Britain during April 1985 to little fanfare, and in America that May where it hit big after its striking promotional video was seen on TV. It was reissued in the UK that September and, finally, the British hit came. The Hunting High And Low album was on sale in America in June 1985, and in the UK in October 1985.

Here are the dates scheduled:

• 29 OCT – Dublin – 3Arena
• 30 OCT – Belfast – SSE Arena
• 01 NOV – Glasgow – The Armadillo
• 02 NOV – Leeds – First Direct Arena
• 05 NOV – London – Royal Albert Hall
• 06 NOV – Brighton – Brighton Centre
• 08 NOV – Amsterdam – AFAS Live
• 09 NOV – Paris – Seine Musicale
• 12 NOV – Mannheim – SAP Arena
• 13 NOV – Leipzig – Leipzig Arena
• 15 NOV – Oberhausen – Koenig Pilsner Arena
• 16 NOV – Bremen – OVB Arena
• 18 NOV – Warsaw – Towar Arena
• 20 NOV – St. Petersburg – Ice Palace
• 22 NOV – Moscow – Krokus City Hall

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Out soon is the forthcoming album/DVD “a-Ha: MTV Unplugged Summer Solstice” which includes 17 tracks by the band in acoustic versions plus 2 cover versions and 2 brand new songs. Today the band released a video for the acoustic version of their first hit “Take On Me”.

You can pre-order a super deluxe fanbox here: MTV Unplugged – Summer Solstice (Ltd. Fanbox)

The acoustic set was recorded live on June 22 and 23, 2017 at the Giske Harbour Hall in Norway with an enlarged line-up. The line-up for the shows included a-ha frontman Morten Harket and the 2 other co-founders Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, next to Lars Horntveth (acoustic guitars, resonator lap steel guitar, vibraphone, bass clarinet and soprano saxophone), Morten Qvenild (upright piano, harpsichord, harmonium, dulcitone, mandolinette, autoharp and kokle), Even Enersen Ormestad (bass), Karl Oluf Wenneberg (drums, percussion, bells and bass xylophone), Madeleine Ossum (violin and backing vocals), Emilie Heldal Lidsheim (viola and backing vocals) and Tove Margrethe Erikstad (cello and backing vocals).

Below is the live video for “Take On Me”.

The band also released 2 other videos.

“The Sun Always Shines On TV” featuring Ingrid Helene Håvik.

“The Living Daylights”

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Some fan news for the commercial TV show fans in Scandinavia. Earlier this month, a-ha frontman Morten Harket announced via a video on the a-ha Instagram account (see the video below) that he would be one of the mentors on the next season of ‘The Voice – norges beste stemme’ on TV2 this fall. Very soon after, TV2 confirmed the news on their Facebook page.

The series has aired three times before, in 2012, 2013 and 2015. According to Dagbladet, the other 3 mentors for the upcoming season have not yet been announced. Previous mentors include Hanne Sørvaag, Sondre Lerche, Yosef Wolde-Mariam, Espen Lind, Tommy Tee, Lene Nystrøm – and that other a-ha member Magne Furuholmen, whose team member Martin Halla won in the first season.

A post shared by a-ha (@officialaha) on Feb 6, 2017 at 12:25pm PST

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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A few days ago we reported about an (possible) upcoming acoustic tour for a-ha. The official word is out now and it’s even bigger than we had thought. The Norwegian act will make a live acoustic album and concert film from a series of intimate performances to take place between June 26 – June 30, 2017. The album, DVD and broadcast are scheduled for release in November 2017.

In early 2018, a-ha will take this special acoustic set on the road as well. Magne, Morten and Paul will be joined by a handpicked ensemble of musicians to embellish and reinvent the classics, as well as presenting new material in acoustic arrangements.

Morten Harket: “The band is finally coming together for live acoustic recordings of a wide selection of our songs! As we speak, there is palpable growing excitement about this in the group. We had wonderful moments with the fans during our last tour, and as a fourth member of the band you certainly have had an influence on our commitment to this. I really look forward to it all!”

Once all the dates are known, we’ll inform you, for now only German dataes have been announced.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Remember the farewell tour a-ha did earlier this year? Perhaps it wasn’t really farewell because the official Facebook page of the band posted the above picture with the phrase: “Packing lighter next time we hit the road…” If that isn’t a big hint. On top the piano and guitar seem to indicate that the band will be offering an acoustic set.

It isn’t the first time the band has done acoustic sets, although they were for a rather limited audience or for special occasions, one being the ‘In Memoriam’ concert for Stine Sofie Sørstrønen and Lena Sløgedal Paulsen, two Norwegian girls of 8 and 10 years old, who were killed on May 19 2000 in Kristiansand. One year later, many Norwegian artists commemorated the girls by a special concert near Grimstad. a-ha played in a stone quarry in Fjæreheia, close to Grimstad. The concert was recorded and broadcasted by the Norwegian TV2 and added as a bonus for the fanclub only edition of the “Vallhall” live DVD.

Below are some more acoustic sets, with the first video holding no less than 25 tracks performed acoustically:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYCT3hkg644

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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