When Smokie re-formed in the 1980’s there was the question of where to start to rebuild popularity in the post punk and new wave era. One obvious place to start was Norway where we had the best selling album at that time. Smokie’s Greatest Hits put us on the map and we have been there ever since. This legacy, along with the number one selling albums of the late 1980’s, enables us to still play to full houses the length and breadth of Norway, covering more ground and seeing more of Norway than most Norwegians. It’s no surprise that we can enjoy the best reactions from our audiences at Arendal Kulturhus and Skien’s Ibsenhuset. The people who attend our shows have mostly grown with us and become accustomed to being exposed so often to Smokie music via radio, their own record collections and even by grabbing a guitar and singing our songs themselves. Norway is like home to us, in fact I was even asked by a fan if it is true that one of us actually lives in Norway. Although I was the co-writer of “Norwegian Girl” I can’t say that living in Norway was ever an option for me. However, if I was to choose a country where I feel at home it would certainly be right here in this beautiful place. For now I am very happy in mini Norway, also known as The Scottish Highlands, where there are strong parallels. On our next return we can look forward to some mid summer shows, warmth and never ending daylight. We are indeed the lucky ones.
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