The Act (band)

The Act
Origin	Oslo, Norway
Genres	Rock, new wave, power pop
Years active	1983–1987
Labels	EMI Odeon Tarted Up

The Act was a Norwegian rock band active in the mid-1980s. They toured extensively and released the album September Field.

The Act formed under the name Wham Bam! in February 1983, after Bjørn Kulseth (b. 1962) had moved to the capital Oslo and advertised in the music paper Nye Takter for other players into late 1970s new wave and classic 1960s pop and rock.

Kulseth and Rune Krogseth (b. 1963) both sang lead and backing vocals, played guitars and wrote songs. Bass player Trond Ihlen (b. 1956) and drummer Dag Bøgeberg (b. 1957) had been kicking around the Oslo music scene since the mid-1970s. Both had been in the band Jydske Rev (one album; Nyt det in 1981) though not at the same time.

Wham Bam! quickly become a popular live act, playing both original songs and covers of artists like Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, The Blasters, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Smokey Robinson etc. To avoid associations with the new UK teenybop duo Wham!, the band name was altered to The Act in November 1983.

After playing the Oslo club Ratz in January 1984, The Act took on keyboards and guitar player Stein Ramberg (b. 1961) as an associated member. Ramberg was a veteran of bands like Kollaps, Front Page, Saturday Cowboys and Ghostriders.

By both headlining shows around the country and supporting likeminded, visiting bands like Green on Red and R.E.M., The Act built a reputation as an exiting new live band. In December 1984 they were voted "Best Unsigned Band" in the annual readers poll in the music paper Nye Takter. Wannskræk, soon to become DumDum Boys, came in fourth.

In March 1985, The Act released their first record on their own label with distribution by Sonet Records. The single "Dream Talk" had been recorded in Oslo and mixed in London by engineer Steve Smith and producer Henry Padovani. Padovani had been the first guitarist in The Police and was by now the European Vice President of I.R.S. Records: The leading UK and US independent label of the time with acts like R.E.M., The Cramps, The Fleshtones, The Go-Go's, Wall of Voodoo, The Alarm, The Lords of the New Church etc.

...
Wikipedia