Fans from a number of countries are gathering in Oslo this weekend, to attend Morten’s solo concerts at Sentrum Scene and to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the start of a-ha.

According to the book Så Blåser Det På Jorden (1986), Magne and Paul visited Morten’s home on his birthday, 14th September 1982, to welcome him as the new singer in their band – which is exactly 30 years ago today.

Morten had actually auditioned for the duo a year earlier, in Magne’s basement in the summer of 1981, but an unfortunate misunderstanding put any potential collaboration on hold. After impressing the two of them with his voice, Morten had left his microphone in the basement and said that he would return when he’d had some time to think about the offer to join them.

One day the microphone was suddenly gone, which Magne and Paul interpreted as a blatant refusal to join the band. The truth was, however, that the microphone didn’t actually belong to Morten, and instead its rightful owner had taken the opportunity to collect it.

By June 1982, the misunderstanding had still not been cleared up. But after spending half a year in England without any results, Magne and Paul were so desperate that they decided to swallow their pride and contact Morten once again. Morten was reluctant and decided to go on a vacation to Greece while considering the offer.

Luckily, he finally agreed to join the two others – and 14th September 1982 is the day a-ha was born (although the band name would arrive a bit later).

English book cover

Anyway…the full schedule of this weekend’s events, with the fan party, exhibitions, guest speakers and more can be found on a-ha.com. Fans who have pre-ordered the a-ha photo book should note that the pick-up and signing at Sentrum Scene is taking place today, Friday, between 14:00 and 18:00, instead of Saturday.

In connection with the photo book, Morten and Stian Andersen will appear at Oslo Book Festival tomorrow at 15:45, where they will be interviewed by music journalist Asbjørn Slettemark.

There is also another a-ha book being published this weekend; the English translation of Larissa Bendel’s “Hunting High and Low”-book from last year.

“a-ha’s “Hunting High And Low” is a piece of Norwegian history – the story of three young hungry musicians in London, sky-high ambitions and several ground-breaking videos. Larissa Bendel from Germany played an important part in a-ha’s international fan club in Germany and gives a unique perspective on the band, both how she witnessed their adventure as a teenage fan and how she today is reading the band’s music as an established academic, supplemented by the band members’ own comments”, the publisher Falck Forlag says in a press release.

The 104-page book will be available for sale at Sentrum Scene this weekend and can also be ordered online here.