More than three decades since their last Australian visit, Norwegian pop icons a-ha are returning to our shores in February and March next year. They will be performing at Melbourne's Margaret Court Arena and Sydney's International Convention Centre on top of four outdoor shows for A Day On The Green happening at Kings Park & Botanic Garden in Perth, Rochford Wines in Yarra Valley, Bimbadgen Estate in Hunter Valley and Sirromet Winery in Brisbane. Following the AU dates, Kiwi fans had better be ready beacuse the band are also making their New Zealand debut, performing at Christchurch's Horncastle Arena and another A Day On The Green show at Auckland's Villa Maria.
The pop trio—composed of singer Morten Harket, keyboardist Mags Furuholmen and guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy—will be performing their seminal debut album 'Hunting High And Low' in full to celebrate its 35th anniversary as well as other favourites from across their career. Selling over 11 million copies worldwide, 'Hunting High And Low' includes the megahit 'Take On Me', which reached #1 on the Australian charts, as well as follow-up hits 'The Sun Always Shines On TV', 'Train Of Thought' and the title track, 'Hunting High And Low'.
Said Paul of the tour: "We have so many great memories of our Australian tour of 1986 and look forward to making new ones. And we can't wait to play in New Zealand for the first time—we'll be comparing your fjords with our Norwegian ones!"
a-ha dominated pop charts worldwide during the '80s and still regularly play stadiums and festivals. They have sold more than 55 million albums and remain one of the UK and Europe's most loved pop bands. Their most recent release was a 2017 MTV Unplugged collection featuring collaborations with Echo & The Bunnymen's Ian McCulloch and Alison Moyet.
Joining the band to cement this tour as a pop extravaganza is another superstar who dominated the '80s, Rick Astley. Also enjoying a major career resurgence, the British star has sold over 40 million albums, fuelled by hits like the monster 'Never Gonna Give You Up', 'Whenever You Need Somebody', 'Together Forever', 'When I Fall In Love', 'She Wants To Dance With Me' and 'Cry For Help'. In 2007, Rick Astley became an internet phenomenon, having been a subject of a viral meme known as 'Rick-rolling'. It resulted in 'Never Gonna Give You Up' collecting millions of hits on YouTube, introducing him to a whole new audience.
The A Day On The Green events in Australia will also feature synth-pop stars Pseudo Echo (not performing in Perth) and I Know Leopard. Pioneers of the '80s electronic and new romantic sound, Pseudo Echo released their debut album 'Autumnal Park' in 1984, skyrocketing the band to national success with the singles 'Listening', 'Stranger In Me', 'Dancing Until Midnight' and 'A Beat For You'. I Know Leopard, on the other hand, recently released their debut album 'Love Is A Landmine' featuring catchy singles 'Landmine', 'Heather' and 'Seventy Lies'.
Watch out for tickets and prepare to travel back to the glorious '80s with a-ha next year!
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