a-ha
Back in the eighties, a-ha brought a whiff of fresh air straight from the Norwegian ffords to the London music scene and held a unique place in the hearts of many. Now they’re back on top form and raring to go with a series of concerts scheduled across the country. Fresh from the success of their headlining spot at iTunes Live festival, a-ha’s latest album, Foot of the Mountain has gone straight to the German no 1 and no 5 in the UK charts, demonstrating that the band still has a huge following worldwide.
Mortan Harket (singer), Magne Furuholmen (keyboard player) and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (guitarist and songwriter), shot to fame after leaving the land of trolls to seek their fortune in the recording studios of London. Less troll-like individuals would be hard to find - Mortan Harket, of the finely chiselled good looks and soaring vocals, had a voice that was instantly recognisable and the band offered a welcome change from the besuited, callow youths who dominated the music industry at the time, with a style that was unashamedly upbeat and passionate.
They gained their biggest success with their debut album, Hunting High and Low, which spawned the singles; Take on Me and The Sun Always Shines on TV; a UK no 1 achieving massive international success in Europe and America. Later albums like Scoundrel Days were less successful as synth pop began to fall out of favour but the band still had notable successes with the single The Living Daylights from the album Stay on These Roads that was used as the title track theme song to a James Bond Film – something the band is proud of to this day. Another hit, Summer Moved On went to no 1 in 17 countries and was notable for securing Morten Harket the world record for the longest held note in a UK hit song, coming in at 20 seconds.
Since the band’s appearance at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in 2000, a-ha have been on the up and up with a return to the synth-based styles of the initial albums. Morten Harket describes Foot of the Mountain as an album “that incorporates the key elements that first defined the band: soaring vocals, synth hooks, yearning lyrics and melodic melancholia.”
Prepare to be shaken and stirred by a-ha’s music for passionate pop people everywhere.
Where to get it >>
Backstreet Boys
The Backstreet Boys are back in town!
America’s most famous boy band is heading across the pond to perform a series of concerts in cities including Glasgow, Birmingham, London, Liverpool and Newcastle.
The band, comprising Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littress and AJ McLean, first got together in 1993 since when they’ve had 13 top 40 hits on the Billboard charts and sold over 100 million albums, probably making them the hottest boy band of all time.
After a musical break of three years, the band returned in 2005 with a new style of music, combining former dance styles with a guitar driven pop-rock sound and instruments.
Originally recruited by the boy band impresario Lou Pearlman, the boys first performed in schools and shopping malls before attaining international success in Europe. In 1999 the famous Millennium album containing the runaway hit I Want It That Away entered the Billboard charts at number 1 where it remained for 10 weeks. It sold over 12 million copies. A second album Black and Blue released in 2000 achieved platinum status in over 30 different countries with much of its material being co-written by members of the group.
The Backstreet Boys have reached a new maturity with a new album due for release in October 2009, working with the likes of Lady Gaga, OneRepublic and Akon to name only a few. Expect a dynamite show with spectacular and stunning effects.
Where to get it >>