TAKE ON THREE

As a-ha: The Movie Retelling the a-ha story, with interviews and juicy clips from the bighaired ’80s when they were catapulted to stardom with their first album Hunting High And Low, Robsahm depicts a band that were more clean-cut than many others – touring with their spouses instead of groupies. “In a way, you could say, at least in the beginning, it was very little sex, drugs and rock’n’roll,” laughs Robsahm. “Except with their wives!” shows, they were a lot more than one breakout smash. “I still think they are an underestimated band, the band that deserved to be respected more,” muses the film’s Norwegian director, Thomas Robsahm. “Maybe they were too handsome. Maybe the video, maybe the name of the band…” He’s not the only one who thinks this: Coldplay have acknowledged their influence, while U2’s Adam Clayton called them “misunderstood” and far more “creative” than many thought.

Retelling the a-ha story, with interviews and juicy clips from the bighaired ’80s when they were catapulted to stardom with their first album Hunting High And Low, Robsahm depicts a band that were more clean-cut than many others – touring with their spouses instead of groupies. “In a way, you could say, at least in the beginning, it was very little sex, drugs and rock’n’roll,” laughs Robsahm. “Except with their wives!”

Covering the band’s follow-up disc Scoundrel Days, followed by the theme song for 1987’s 007 outing The Living Daylights, Robsahm goes, ahem, hunting high and low, as the band’s popularity wanes after a rock-oriented turn. After a split in the ’90s, a-ha reformed and continued touring and making albums.

Initially, Robsahm’s “dream” was to film them recording their tenth LP, 2015’s Cast In Steel – something akin to The Beatles’ Let It Be film.

When that didn’t work out, he began shooting as they toured in 2016 and rehearsed for their subsequent MTV Unplugged performance. Naturally documenting a band – Morten, keyboardist Magne Furuholmen and songwriter/guitarist Pål Waaktaar-Savoy – that’s been more on than off for well over three decades comes with issues.

“The hard thing is to get them together, even for an interview, even just to talk. It’s very easy to do with them separately, but very difficult as soon as there’s something to do together.”

Now Robsahm characterises them as “friendly” to each other – rather than outright friends – but the impression left by a-ha: The Movie is a band still driven by creative urges and one that refuses to wallow in ’80s nostalgia.

Touring the UK this summer, they’ve also got a new album, True North, due for release in the autumn. “What happens after that it’s impossible to say,” says Robsahm. Maybe another Bond theme? What a thought…