THE RETURN OF ABBA

From the tour dates to the divorce drama and why they aren’t ‘holograms’, here’s a guide to the super troupers’ dark past and their exciting comeback

- LINDSAY DE FREITAS

MAMMA Mia, here they go again – and ask any fan if they want this long-awaited reunion and you’ll get the same reply: I do, I do, I do, I do.

In fact, fans may add that they’ve had a dream about this for a long time and the band is bang on the money, money, money. Super troupers, that’s what they are. Dancing queens (and kings) who are back to hear us say thank you for the music all over again.

No matter that the four Swedish musicians are all in their seventies and haven’t performed together for nearly 40 years – Abba is together once more and followers of the super-group are saying gimme, gimme, gimme.

Benny Andersson (74), Björn Ulvaeus (76), Agnetha Fältskog (71) and Anni-Frid Lyngstad (75) are releasing their first album in 39 years, aptly titled Voyage, and taking their hits to the stage again.

And their comeback isn’t exciting only for fans from back in the day. In less than five days their official account on TikTok – where users are mostly under 30 – amassed a million followers and the nine videos they’ve posted so far have been viewed almost 30 million times.

The general consensus is the pop legends have swooped in to sprinkle their trademark glitter and sequins on an otherwise lacklustre year. They may have bid us Hasta Mañana once upon a time but they’re back. Talk about the winner taking it all.

A COMEBACK TOUR WITH A DIFFERENCE

Abba’s return to the stage, slated to begin in May 2022, will be a comeback tour like no other. The band won’t actually appear in the flesh at the shows – instead they’ll be sending “digital avatars” to bash out the hits at a purpose-built, 3 000-capacity venue in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.