MUSIC REVIEW: Bjorn Again - The O2 Ritz, Manchester.

This has been an auspicious year for ABBA with the release of their first new album in forty years and interest in the Swedish fab four shows no sign of diminishing. Indeed, to quote Benny Anderson in a recent interview, there is now more ABBA than there was when ABBA were originally together. When the news broke of a new ABBA show being put together, using the latest in digital holograms, the BBC needed some authoritative comment and who else was there to call but Rod Stephen, founder and creator of Bjorn Again? Rod was naturally pleased that the original band members were back working together whilst firmly of the opinion there was still room for Bjorn Again.

A whole industry has grown up of ABBA tribute bands with many continuing to fill large theatres and the quality generally being very good. Having said that, without genuinely good singers and musicians, there is no point even trying to do ABBA; the songs are for the most part, just too technically sophisticated. Amidst all this competition, Bjorn Again continue to stand out as the premier ABBA tribute act. They have a loyal following but a casual glance at their audiences show a wide ranging demographic. New generations continue to discover Bjorn Again just as they continue to learn about a certain Swedish group who were big in the 1970s.

So what explains the enduring popularity of Bjorn Again? They certainly capture the essence of the original songs with painstaking accuracy and the costumes are faithful to those originally worn. The on-stage movements of the ABBA girls are recreated in detail; all-in-all, a slick, detailed show but it is more than that. Unlike almost every other professional tribute act, Bjorn Again never take themselves too seriously. They can be in the middle of singing an ABBA song with such precision that it sounds just like the real thing and then suddenly break off into a comedy rap routine or a heavy metal riff. This makes very much for a fun and relaxed show and means that in real terms, Bjorn Again are actually a lot more than simply a quality tribute act. They have a very distinct identity, marked by a lot of on-stage banter which was never part of ABBA.

The Bjorn Again show has changed very little down the years. This is partly because, provided you like ABBA music, both the visual and musical experience can be enjoyed time and time again and however well you know the songs, you cannot beat the energy and experience of a live performance. In this current show, there has been a few small changes in the costuming but pretty much everything else, including the banter has stayed the same. The most notable change is the inclusion of one or two songs from the new ABBA album ‘Voyage’ released on the 5th November. It was with real feeling when Bjorn Again performed ‘I Still Have Faith In You’ with ‘Frida’ announcing that this was their tribute to ABBA.

This review would be incomplete without mentioning the special rapport which Bjorn Again have with their audiences. The encore calls at the end of the show were genuinely heartfelt and a look round at the faces of the audience showed a mix of joy and emotion. Bjorn Again have created a perfect balance in producing respectful and pristine renditions of some of the greatest songs ever written whilst never losing a sense of fun and being themselves. It seems that Bjorn Again, to quote a song from the great Swedes, will, like ABBA themselves, continue to go ‘on and on and on’.

Reviewer - John Waterhouse
on - 2.12.21