Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad reunite for third Abba Voyage anniversary
The Swedish musicians, who were married until divorcing a year before the influential pop group split in 1982, were at the arena in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, where fans were treated to new songs added to the Abba Voyage show on Tuesday.
The group, also made up of Agnetha Faltskog and Bjorn Ulvaeus, who tied the knot in 1971 before splitting almost a decade later, said: 'When we first opened we never imagined that we'd still be in London three years on. We're very grateful that so many of you have joined us.
'Of course, the reason for us being able to sustain our concert for so long is because of our incredible audience.'
The new tracks added to the concert's setlist included Abba hits The Name Of The Game, Super Trouper, Money, Money, Money and Take A Chance On Me.
Famous faces including British singers Elvis Costello, Myleene Klass, and Mahalia along with U2 star Adam Clayton, author and Pointless star Richard Osman, comedian Rob Brydon and Poldark actress Eleanor Tomlinson were in the audience, Abba Voyage said.
A post shared by ABBA Voyage (@abbavoyage)
Since opening in May 2022, the series of shows that brings to life younger versions of the Abba members through 'Abba-tars', and a 10-piece live band has had more than three million visitors, and according to consultancy Sound Diplomacy, brought an estimated more than £1 billion to the UK economy.
The concert series was created by the Swedish group, directed by Flashbacks Of A Fool director Baillie Walsh and produced by Svana Gisla and Andersson's son Ludvig Andersson.
Abba were the first Swedish winners of the Eurovision Song Contest, performing hit song Waterloo in 1974 in Brighton.
They have had a string of chart-toppers including Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!, Dancing Queen, Super Trouper, The Winner Takes It All and Mamma Mia!
The group split in 1982 after 10 years but reunited and released their first new music in almost 40 years with their ninth studio album Voyage in 2021, which topped the UK album charts.
Their songs also inspired the musical Mamma Mia!, which began in London in 1999, and became a hit worldwide sensation.
It has resulted in two movies, 2008's Mamma Mia! and 2018's Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
ABBA Voyage is booking until January 2026.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Guardian
14 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Jamiexx reunites with bandmates at LIDO festival
The electronic DJ made famous for his band The xx brought on fellow members Romy and Oliver Sim to play some of their biggest hits, including Waited All Night. The 25,000-strong crowd were not deterred by the miserable weather, with showers and dark, grey skies throughout the day, and braved the downpour to see the 36-year-old play his best-loved songs. He managed to captivate the crowd without a word, playing favourites like Life featuring Swedish singer Robyn, Dafodil featuring Kelsey Lu and Loud Places with bandmate Romy. A post shared by LIDO Festival (@lidofestival) At one point, he launched into a remix of I Hate Hate, which featured a dancer wearing what appeared to be a keffiyeh with colours of the Palestinian flag around the neck, dancing enthusiastically in the background visuals of his set. Dressed in a chequered shirt and a gold chain, the DJ nonchalantly took to the stage, occasionally waving or raising his beer to the audience, before rolling up his sleeves and turning around to flick between the vinyl records he might use next. After beginning his solo set with a piano-based song, he increased the tempo and played a mix of garage, house, dubstep and techno tunes. Jamie xx managed to stir the crowd with songs such as F.U. featuring Erykah Badu and Baddy On The Floor featuring Honey Dijon. The 36-year-old had already set off the festival, which began at around 2pm, playing a back-to-back set with Skrillex in the production tent. The graphics around the main stage for the DJ's closing set began as a black and white checkerboard – styled like a nightclub – before featuring the audience dancing in slow motion and honing in on certain dancers. Before his main show, Jamie xx performed his first-ever back-to-back set with DJ Nia Archives, with whom he collaborated on a remix of Waited All Night. The pair took it in turns to perform tracks to the full crowd's thundering cheers underneath the big top tent. .@sampha, what a beautiful performance! Photo: Isha Shah #LIDO #Sampha — lidofestival (@lidofestival) June 7, 2025 Hailing from London, the DJ – real name James Thomas Smith – found fame as part of the trio The xx, which was hugely popular throughout the 2010s for its breathy indie pop. Named after Victoria Park's historic Lido Field, the music series was announced last autumn in East London. Charli XCX, Massive Attack and London Grammar are also headlining across the festival's weekends. The artist curated the line-up for today's festival, inviting former bandmates such as Romy, friends and people he says he admires, including Sampha, Arca and Shy FX. For the first time, the club stage The Floor – inspired by Jamie xx's club residencies – was available to fans, featuring smoke, dark lights and acts such as DJ Harvey.
North Wales Chronicle
17 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Jamiexx reunites with bandmates at LIDO festival
The electronic DJ made famous for his band The xx brought on fellow members Romy and Oliver Sim to play some of their biggest hits, including Waited All Night. The 25,000-strong crowd were not deterred by the miserable weather, with showers and dark, grey skies throughout the day, and braved the downpour to see the 36-year-old play his best-loved songs. He managed to captivate the crowd without a word, playing favourites like Life featuring Swedish singer Robyn, Dafodil featuring Kelsey Lu and Loud Places with bandmate Romy. A post shared by LIDO Festival (@lidofestival) At one point, he launched into a remix of I Hate Hate, which featured a dancer wearing what appeared to be a keffiyeh with colours of the Palestinian flag around the neck, dancing enthusiastically in the background visuals of his set. Dressed in a chequered shirt and a gold chain, the DJ nonchalantly took to the stage, occasionally waving or raising his beer to the audience, before rolling up his sleeves and turning around to flick between the vinyl records he might use next. After beginning his solo set with a piano-based song, he increased the tempo and played a mix of garage, house, dubstep and techno tunes. Jamie xx managed to stir the crowd with songs such as F.U. featuring Erykah Badu and Baddy On The Floor featuring Honey Dijon. The 36-year-old had already set off the festival, which began at around 2pm, playing a back-to-back set with Skrillex in the production tent. The graphics around the main stage for the DJ's closing set began as a black and white checkerboard – styled like a nightclub – before featuring the audience dancing in slow motion and honing in on certain dancers. Before his main show, Jamie xx performed his first-ever back-to-back set with DJ Nia Archives, with whom he collaborated on a remix of Waited All Night. The pair took it in turns to perform tracks to the full crowd's thundering cheers underneath the big top tent. .@sampha, what a beautiful performance! Photo: Isha Shah #LIDO #Sampha — lidofestival (@lidofestival) June 7, 2025 Hailing from London, the DJ – real name James Thomas Smith – found fame as part of the trio The xx, which was hugely popular throughout the 2010s for its breathy indie pop. Named after Victoria Park's historic Lido Field, the music series was announced last autumn in East London. Charli XCX, Massive Attack and London Grammar are also headlining across the festival's weekends. The artist curated the line-up for today's festival, inviting former bandmates such as Romy, friends and people he says he admires, including Sampha, Arca and Shy FX. For the first time, the club stage The Floor – inspired by Jamie xx's club residencies – was available to fans, featuring smoke, dark lights and acts such as DJ Harvey.
Rhyl Journal
18 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Jamiexx reunites with bandmates at LIDO festival
The electronic DJ made famous for his band The xx brought on fellow members Romy and Oliver Sim to play some of their biggest hits, including Waited All Night. The 25,000-strong crowd were not deterred by the miserable weather, with showers and dark, grey skies throughout the day, and braved the downpour to see the 36-year-old play his best-loved songs. He managed to captivate the crowd without a word, playing favourites like Life featuring Swedish singer Robyn, Dafodil featuring Kelsey Lu and Loud Places with bandmate Romy. A post shared by LIDO Festival (@lidofestival) At one point, he launched into a remix of I Hate Hate, which featured a dancer wearing what appeared to be a keffiyeh with colours of the Palestinian flag around the neck, dancing enthusiastically in the background visuals of his set. Dressed in a chequered shirt and a gold chain, the DJ nonchalantly took to the stage, occasionally waving or raising his beer to the audience, before rolling up his sleeves and turning around to flick between the vinyl records he might use next. After beginning his solo set with a piano-based song, he increased the tempo and played a mix of garage, house, dubstep and techno tunes. Jamie xx managed to stir the crowd with songs such as F.U. featuring Erykah Badu and Baddy On The Floor featuring Honey Dijon. The 36-year-old had already set off the festival, which began at around 2pm, playing a back-to-back set with Skrillex in the production tent. The graphics around the main stage for the DJ's closing set began as a black and white checkerboard – styled like a nightclub – before featuring the audience dancing in slow motion and honing in on certain dancers. Before his main show, Jamie xx performed his first-ever back-to-back set with DJ Nia Archives, with whom he collaborated on a remix of Waited All Night. The pair took it in turns to perform tracks to the full crowd's thundering cheers underneath the big top tent. .@sampha, what a beautiful performance! Photo: Isha Shah #LIDO #Sampha — lidofestival (@lidofestival) June 7, 2025 Hailing from London, the DJ – real name James Thomas Smith – found fame as part of the trio The xx, which was hugely popular throughout the 2010s for its breathy indie pop. Named after Victoria Park's historic Lido Field, the music series was announced last autumn in East London. Charli XCX, Massive Attack and London Grammar are also headlining across the festival's weekends. The artist curated the line-up for today's festival, inviting former bandmates such as Romy, friends and people he says he admires, including Sampha, Arca and Shy FX. For the first time, the club stage The Floor – inspired by Jamie xx's club residencies – was available to fans, featuring smoke, dark lights and acts such as DJ Harvey.
