Edge is a Norwegian band which plays a style
that they calls Fortrock(fastrock). They sing in
Norwegian and it would be dumb if you don´t
listen to them. This interview was done in
december 2025.
Tell me a little when and why you started to
play together?
-The story begins in 1976. Jan Swensson
(vocals/bass) wanted to start a band and were
joined by his friends Helge Lysaker (guitar),
Geir Furunes (guitar) and Ola By Rise (drums;
later goalkeeper for Rosenborg and the Norwegian
national team in soccer).
Two years later Lysaker was replaced by
Ask Brantenberg Cold (guitar/backing
vocals) and Rise by Morten Diesel Dahl (later in
TNT). This lineup recorded two songs on the
album sampler 7000 Riff which portraited
the local rock scene in Trondheim.
Jan Swensson has been frontman and songwriter
since day one, with songwriting colleague and
sparring partner Ask Brantenberg Cold as a
companion the last years. The newest member is
Billy McBarbie (Sugar Louise) who replaced
Furunes, adding fresh energy to a band with deep
roots.
Tell me a little about every member in the
group, age, bands on the side, and before and
something bad about everyone?
-The members’ other bands:
Jan Swensson (65) – Oslo Plektrum, Dei Nye
Kapellanane, Schlappe Waffla, The Heat.
“Can only play on four strings!”
Ask Brantenberg Cold (63) – The Major Chord,
Baby Baby, Electric Blue, Fabel, Hyrm, Pur
Humbug, Cerebral Ekstase.
“Takes up too much space on the stage!”
Billy McBarbie (44) – Sugar Louise, Nasty
Reputation, Peter Wave Band, Slömber,
820-ANARKI, Østbyen Vel.
“Steals all the attention from the female (and
some of the male) part of the audience!”
Morten Diesel Dahl (66) – TNT, Tindrum, Diezel,
Peter Wave Band, Terje Tysland og Gutta på by’n,
Burn II.
“He smells of fuel…”
To be a little older an play rock music, is
that better than it was if you compare with when
you were younger?
-We are much better musician now, so this is the
perfect time
I can imagine that when you play live there´s
a lot of singalong from the audience, am I
right?
-You are right!
Which type of people comes to your concerts?
-Mostly people our own age, with some younger
people in between
We have KSMB in Sweden who calls their rock
for Vrålrock. Is Fortrock the Norwegian
explanation?
-Fortrock means fast rock. We like to play fast;
there are no ballads, though “fast” is a
relative word. With roots deeply planted punk,
new wave and hard rock of the 1970s, we have
carved out our signature: Fortrock – raw, real,
and forever relevant.
“Fortrock for ever!” is our slogan.
Is it a little bit hard to put in a special
genre, how do you describe yourself in three
words?
-Fast, catchy, uncompromising
What does punk mean to you, is it a
lifestyle, word or only a music style?
-A big influence, more like an attitude. We
learned to play during the first punk area. And
we learned that we had to do things ourselves to
get something done! Noone needs to tell us what
to do.
It feels a little like that politics and
music isn´t anything for you?
-Not quite right. A song like
“Sov
godt,” is flipping the finger at the idiots
steering the world in the wrong direction. And
we have other songs about the bad influence of
social media etc.
Which is your most political song?
-Rødt kort, which tells exactly what FIFA is, a
corrupt organisation with blood on their hands.
Photo: Kjell Solstad
How is it to live in Norway right now, when
we talk about politics?
-Not too bad, but the far right is getting
stronger and people in power don’t do anything
about the perils of climate change. They will
drill oil until there is no tomorrow …
Please tell me a little of the following
songs: Krigsråd, Rödt kort, Tre Grep
-Krigsråd: Musically a little different from
other EDGE songs, with driving bass and twang
guitars. It’s a song about life from our
perspective as elder men, looking back and
urging everybody to live their lives to the full
until the very end.
Rødt kort: A fast, angry, punkish song about
FIFA and the World Cup in Qatar. FIFA is
destroying football from the inside, and they
deserve a red card every day in the week and two
on Sundays!
Tre grep: Pop-punk with three chords and three
lessons in how to hold on to your partner.
To sing in Norwegian is a choice which is
natural? You never thought of singing in
English?
-We express ourselves best when we use our local
dialect – trøndersk! We have never considered
English – apart from the name of the band!
Is there
any really good Norwegian bands you can
recommend?
-Kvelertak, Moillrock, Raga Rockers, DumDum
Boys, Motorpsycho, Gluecifer, Backstreet Girls,
Stein Torleif Bjella, The Impossible Green,
brenn., Blomst, Les Faux Coupes, Centrum.
Any Swedish favourites?
-Hives, Hellacopters, Opeth, Bob Hund, Imperiet,
Ebba Grøn, every band Freddie Wadling was a
member of, Fred Åkerström, ABBA (!), Ted
Gärdestad, Amason, The Wannadies
Do you play any covers live? If you do which?
-A couple of Ramones songs, translated into
trøndersk
You call your new record Omkamp, what do you
mean with that?
-EDGE didn’t exist between 1979 and 2018, so we
feel we have a lot of unfinished business to do
as a band – a replay that will be better and
stronger now than in the 70s. We would also like
a replay of the factors that have caused climate
change, social media taking advantage of
people’s insecurities, fake news and other
threats to democracy.
You like football it seems like so
congratulations to your place in World
Championship, are you supporting any other team?
-It feels good to be better than you swedes for
a change!
😉
We all support Rosenborg, our local team. They
are shit at the moment, but they will rise
again! In England we support four different
teams, depending on who you ask: Arsenal,
Liverpool, Leeds and Man U.
You haven´t done a song to a football team or
something similar?
-We have a song about Kåre Ingebrigtsen, ex
manager of Rosenborg. He was sacked for no
reason in 2018 and that made us very angry. We
want to do a song about the national team before
the World Cup. Hopefully it will be sung when we
lift the Jules Rimet trophy …
😊
When we talk about that, you haven´t thought
doing an own beer or something like , if you
would do that, which type would it be and what
it is going to be called?
-Lager, OMKAMP
Elephant Beer (7,2%), EDGE
What is the most chaotic thing which ever
have happened during a Edge concert?
-We don’t do chaos!
Which is your favourite song to play live?
And which song is the most popular in the
audience?
-“Fortrock”. Recorded in 1979, 1 minute and 20
seconds. We have recently played it live in 1
minute and 8 seconds, which is a world record!
When you have done a record, is it important
to get it out physically?
-Of course, vinyl is the only true rock medium.
How do you listen on music yourself, is it
vinyl, cd, digitally or what?
-All three.
Which was the first and last record you
bought?
-First: Mungo Jerry: Electronically Tested
Last: Gary Moore: Live from Baloise sessions
Your ten favourite records of all time?
1.
Led Zeppelin II
2.
Black Sabbath: Paranoid
3.
Ramones: Leaving Home
4.
Sex Pistols: Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the
Sex Pistols
5.
The Motors: 1
6.
Thin Lizzy: Live and Dangerous
7.
Ash: 1977
8.
Foo Fighters: The Colour and the Shape
9.
Green Day: American Idiot
10.
Kvelertak: Endling
Wisdom word?
-Keep on rocking – no matter what!
Future plans for the band?
-Touring and recording – and celebrating our 50th
anniversary in 2026.
For yourself?
-Stay healthy, doing the things I enjoy
Something to add?
-Fortrock
for ever!