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MORTEN Harket, the lead singer of Norwegian rock-pop gods A-Ha, once raced to The Royal Surrey County Hospital for the birth of his first daughter. Fellow band members, Magne Furuholmen (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards) and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (vocals, guitar, and keyboards) would pass Guildford en route to his home when they lived in the UK.
Next month, they return to the town for their GuilFest appearance. As one of the headlining bands for the BBC Radio 2 main stage on Saturday, July 15, A-Ha's imminent arrival is awaited with excitement. The band is happy to return to their old hunting ground. "We used to race past to get there [Morten's home] at about 70mph," Magne said. "I'm looking forward to making a stop this time."
Crowds can expect a mixture of old and new, such as The Sun Always Shines On TV, which was filmed at a Teddington church, and Take On Me. Magne said: "Outdoor gigs are a different matter and we have done a few of those, and we are really looking forward to it. It's going to be exciting for us."It's a great thrill to be back in the UK - it was our home for 12 years."
Magne said they continue to play happy and sad songs and are keen to play with other bands at the Stoke Park festival, including Embrace and Billy Idol. "Bands which inspire me the most are those that do unexpected things," he said. Magne described the positive impact and the challenges arising out of the band's temporary split in 1994. "To find your own footing and to work in new areas for me was healthy," he said.
Magne wrote Celice, the first track on their eighth studio album Analogue. Describing it as a simple love song about a girl, Celice, with a darker undertone, he was inspired by ideas of medieval self-torture from The Da Vinci Code. "It's an ode to self-inflicted pain. I suppose," Magne said. "It's not autobiographical, but everyone can relate to a situation where the other person is exerting control, and it's about taking the pain of a difficult relationship and questioning if you would be without it."
The band members, now in their 40s, had their pictures plastered over the bedroom walls of many an adoring teenager, which was sometimes a source of frustration for the band. Describing himself and the band as "three scruffballs", Magne added: "As 21 and 22-year-olds, we found it very embarrassing." A-Ha shot to fame in the 80s with Take On Me, underpinned by debut album Hunting High and Low.
By 1990, they had 13 consecutive top 30 singles in the UK, and in 1998, the trio confirmed their reunion, which led to 2000's Minor Earth, Major Sky.
See the Guilfest 2006 - Line-up & information >
Interview first appeared in Surrey Advertiser
