A-Ha in Kyiv

Norwegian pop band returns to capital
to perform in Kyiv for the second time. Their previous show took place almost exactly three years ago on Oct. 28, 2003, while this year they’re performing a show organized by the ASA company on Oct. 26. But while the timing remains pretty much the same, luckily the location doesn’t. The band’s last show was held at Ukraina Palace and obviously lacked some energy – not only because it was delayed for more than an hour but also because Ukraina Palace is just not the place to hold this type of concert. A-Ha is not as tame as some of Ukraina Palace’s previous performers,  such as Sting or Joe Cocker, and thus calls for a more relaxed venue than the Palace, where everyone usually solemnly sits and watches the stage. I’m sure the A-Ha concert could be really fun, and hopefully this time it will be, since the gig is taking place at a much more appropriate place – Sports Palace.

The story of A-Ha began in 1976 in Oslo when two young musicians and composers – keyboard player Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktar-Savoy –  formed a band called Bridges. Soon enough, at one of their concerts, they met Morten Harket, but it wasn’t until 1983 that they finally persuaded him to join the group as their vocalist and the band itself got its name – A-Ha. The following year the new band released its first single “Take On Me,” which remains A-Ha’s main hit till the present time. The debut album “Hunting High and Low” remained a top 10 hit for some time and in 1986 the band won a Grammy for the Best Video and was nominated for Best New Artist. A-Ha remained popular till the beginning of the 90s, but their fifth album “Memorial Beach” wasn’t especially successful. The band was often accused of repeating itself, and in 1994 A-Ha fell apart and the band members started working with their own solo projects.

But, luckily for their fans, in 1998 the group reassembled and released a new album “Minor Earth, Major Sky,” featuring such hits as “Summer Moved On” and “Velvet,” which demonstrated plainly that Harket, Furuholmen and Waaktar weren’t a bunch of losers trying to make some extra money on their former popularity like some of their colleagues, but returned with new strength and ideas, and with perhaps more mature, but just as romantic songs. In 2002 they released their “Lifelines” album and last year their latest record, “Analogue,” hit stores, with the song “Celice” as its main single.

I must confess I wasn’t too impressed with “Analogue” – the band’s two previous records stood out much more, but so far it sells well, which means veteran pop-stars A-Ha should continue working, as long as they have inspiration – after all, Morten Harket’s pure vocals haven’t changed much since the time of “Take On Me” – the song that remains the highlight of any A-Ha gig, and somehow doesn’t get annoying no matter how many times you’ve heard it before.

Sports Palace (1 Sportyvna Ploshcha, 246-7406). October 26, 7 p.m. Tickets Hr 130 to Hr 900.