August 2009

a-ha, Norway’s multi-million selling purveyors of instant pop gems, return on 27 July with the brand new album 'Foot Of the Mountain' released on Universal Music. Bursting to life with soaring synths, a memorable chorus and Morten Harket’s instantly recognisable vocals, 'Foot Of the Mountain' is an a-Ha classic that sees a return to their early recording methods.[+] Read more

Like Scotland, Norway has managed to develop a great jazz scene, partly due to its remote geography, and the Edinburgh Jazz Festival sees performances from some of the finests Norwegian musicians. American pianist/composer George Russell kick started the scene during his stay in Norway in the 1960s, working with Jan Garbarek, Jon Christensen and Arild Andersen. [+] Read more

Following the release of their much-anticipated third album 'Junior', Röyksopp heads back to the UK for festival stints in London and Cheltenham. 'Junior' follows the massive success of Röyksopp's debut album 'Melody AM' and the subsequent release 'The Understanding'. On their third album the band fuses elements of both their previous albums with a blend of electro and house. [+] Read more

The ‘dream’ theme has been a constant throughout out Norwegian artist Kristin Vestgard’s career, and the results can been seen in her paintings at an exhibition in Cornwall. Like the dreams of the day, when you let your mind wonder to unknown landscapes of the imagination, Vestgard's paintings exist in a timeless space, where humans interact without conversation, place or time. [+] Read more

Casiokids, the first band ever to release a Norwegian language pop single in the UK, is back again at two festivals following their UK tour in July. Casiokids have just toured throughout England as part of their ongoing European tour, including gigs in London and Brighton. International music press have doled out plenty of praise to the young Norwegians. [+] Read more

Well, at least for a week when the world famous Largs Viking Festival takes place in Ayrshire, Scotland, where crowds gather from near and far to celebrate the Viking heritage in Largs, notably the Battle of Largs 1263, which was the last Viking invasion in the UK. There are events for all the family throughout the week starting with the opening day parade, opening ceremony and various Viking activities. [+] Read more

Knut Henrik Henriksen, is one of the seven artists in an international group show of site-specific and specially commissioned work prompting fresh perspectives on the South London Gallery’s architecture. Henriksen’s sculptural works continuously challenge exhibition spaces in which they take place. At this new London exhibition, four concrete sculptures by Henriksen are on show. [+] Read more

The Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen’s ‘Ghosts’, in which a widow reveals to her pastor that she had hidden the evils of her marriage for its duration, will run at the Arcola Theatre this summer. Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s new version is presented in collaboration with ATC (Actors touring company) and The Arcola Theatre and will run from 22 July until 22 August. [+] Read more

This year's festival will bring writers, poets, thinkers, politicians, scientists and historians from 45 different countries to debate, discuss, argue and inspire from 15 - 31 August in the settings of Charlotte Square in the historic heart of Edinburgh, the world's first UNESCO City of Literature. Over 200,000 visitors will come to join the debate, meet the authors, browse the bookshops. [+] Read more

Follow Norwegian photographer Jonas Bendiksen’s journey through the fringes of the former Soviet empire in a new exhibition at the PM Gallery in Ealing. ‘Satellites’ is a photographic journey through the scattered enclaves, unrecognised mini-states, and other isolated communities that straddle the southern borderlands of the former USSR. [+] Read more

Norwegian contemporary artist Natalie Holland’s work ‘Agnes’ has been selected to be part of the BP Portrait Award exhibition which runs from June until September. The Portrait Award, now in its thirtieth year at the National Portrait Gallery and twentieth year of sponsorship by BP, is the most prestigious portrait competition in the world, highlighting the very best in contemporary portrait painting. [+] Read more

‘Max Manus’, the World War II epic which got a quarter of Norway’s population to the cinemas in the space of six weeks at the end of last year, has now been released on DVD in the UK. ‘Max Manus – Man of War’ is the true story of the resistance fighter of the same name, who in spite of being one of the most wanted men by the Gestapo in Norway, participated in some of the most daring sabotage attacks. [+] Read more

The Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery, part of the University of Glasgow, will show some of Edvard Munch's finest prints from 12 June 2009.This major loan exhibition is a collaborative project between the Hunterian Gallery and the Munch Museum in Oslo, which will show works by Whistler in the autumn. The Munch exhibition will be on show in Glasgow until 5 September, and will then go to the National Gallery in Dublin.[+] Read more