ABBA Voyage

They're back! ABBA are back! 

ABBA have returned, nearly 40 years after deciding to take a break, with two new songs; promise of a full studio album; and an innovative virtual reality show residency next year in a purpose built ABBA-stadium in London's Olympic Park.

In a delightful video released by the band, Anni-Frid, Agnetha, Benny and Bjorn talk through the developments. At one point in the video, set against the backdrop of a peaceful nordic vista, Benny plays the melody of one of their new tracks on a white piano. Bjorn, meanwhile, explains that when he first heard it, he knew that it 'had to be about us'. The song, 'I Still Have Faith in You', celebrates the band's remarkable 'union of heart and mind'. 

The 2022 London shows will see ABBA on stage as virtual avatars (or, Abbatars). Their movements are modelled on recent performances by the band in high-tech performance capture suits. Artists from George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic company have created avatars which resemble the band in the 1970s.

For more information about the iconic band and their history, Bright Lights Dark Shadows by Carl Magnus Palm, published by Omnibus Press and revised in 2014, is the definitive biography of ABBA. 

'Essential reading for anyone wondering what the pop world looked like in the 1970s' Mojo

 Cover photograph: ABBA