Bridges were a Norwegian

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band formed in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

, Norway in 1978. It is notable for being the predecessor to synth pop band

a-ha A-ha (usually stylised as ''a-''h''a''; ) is a Norwegian synth-pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. Founded by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (guitars and vocals), Magne Furuholmen (keyboards, guitars and vocals), and Morten Harket (lead vocals), the band ...

. The band released their debut album ''Fakkeltog'' in 1980. Their second album ''Våkenatt'' was recorded within the following year, but not released until 2018.

History

Paul Waaktaar-Savoy Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (born Pål Gamst, 6 September 1961) is a Norwegian musician and songwriter. Waaktaar-Savoy is best known for his work as the main songwriter and guitarist in the Norwegian pop band A-ha, which has sold more than 50 million alb ...

and

Magne Furuholmen Magne Furuholmen (born 1 November 1962) is a Norwegian musician and visual artist. He was named Knight First Class of the Order of St. Olav by King Harald for his services to Norwegian music and his international success. Furuholmen, better kno ...

both grew up in

Manglerud Manglerud () is a borough in the Østensjø district of Oslo, Norway. Manglerud was built in the 1960s as a suburb to Oslo, connected by the ''Oslo T-bane'' metro system. Sport Ice hockey The suburb is perhaps most known for its ice hockey team ...

, a suburb of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. During fifth grade, Waaktaar, then a drummer, recruited Furuholmen as a guitarist and vocalist for his band. Waaktaar later learned to play the guitar and the band briefly changed their name to Spider Empire. After recruiting Viggo Bondi on bass guitar and Erik Hagelien on drums, the band started to record demos. Waaktaar later convinced Furuholmen to play keyboards on their new songs. The band played live several times during 1978 and 1979, including one notable concert where

Morten Harket Morten Harket () (born September 14, 1959) is a Norwegian vocalist and songwriter, who is the lead singer of the synthpop/rock band A-ha. A-ha has released 10 studio albums to date, and topped the charts internationally after their breakthrough ...

was in the audience. Harket would later go on to form

with Waaktaar and Furuholmen.

Øystein Jevanord Øystein Jevanord (born 16 September 1959) is a Norwegian drummer. He has played with the following bands: *Bridges *Poem Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthe ...

replaced Hagelien on drums as the band went into the studio to record their debut album ''Fakkeltog''. The band financed the recording and the publishing of the album, which was released in 1980. The band went into studio again and had finished their second album, ''Våkenatt'', by the summer of 1981. However, the mood within the band had deteriorated during the recording process, and the band played their last concert later that summer, without releasing their newly finished album. Waaktaar and Furuholmen planned to continue their musical careers in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, but Bondi and Jevanord declined, and Bridges split up. In August 2018, ''Våkenatt'' was finally released by Rockheim Musical Archives, 38 years after it was recorded.

Discography

*'' Fakkeltog'' (1980) *'' Våkenatt'' (2018)

Band members

– lead vocals, guitars (1978–1981) *

– keyboards, vocals (1978–1981) * Viggo Bondi – bass (1978–1981) * Erik Hagelien – drums (1978–1979) *

– drums (1979–1981)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridges Norwegian rock music groups Musical groups from Oslo Musical groups established in 1978 Musical groups disestablished in 1981 1978 establishments in Norway