ABBA make 'emotional' return to UK for first time in 40 years for 'revolutionary' show

Mark Sutherland Glastonbury Festival — the biggest live music event in Europe — gets into full swing today, for the first time since 2019.There will be 200,000 people on site in Somerset, in the west of England, watching thousands of performances across 93 different stages, including headliners Billie Eilish, Sir Paul McCartney and Kendrick Lamar, and Diana Ross in the highly prized Sunday afternoon ‘legends’ slot.And yet, somehow, Glastonbury is even bigger than those numbers suggest. First held in 1970 – when 1,500 hippies got free milk in exchange for their £1 entrance fee – the festival has developed into a national and international institution, as much a part of the traditional British summer as Wimbledon.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentU.S. actor David Dastmalchian (“Dune,” “The Suicide Squad”) is attached to star as the host of a late-night talk show that goes horribly wrong in upcoming indie chiller “Late Night With the Devil,” which is currently shooting in Australia.Directed by Australian writing-directing duo Colin and Cameron Cairnes (“100 Bloody Acres,” “Scare Campaign”), “Late Night” is the second title spawned by a multi-picture deal between low-budget U.S.

Christopher Vourlias Ten projects by first- and second-time directors searching for European partners took the stage this week during the Transilvania Pitch Stop, one of the leading co-production and co-financing platforms for filmmakers from Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the wider Black Sea region.The forum’s ninth edition reflects a generation of up-and-coming filmmakers looking to find their voice through deeply personal storytelling, according to Dumitrana Lupu, who recently took over as the Transilvania Film Festival’s head of industry. “People are really writing about their personal experiences,” she tells Variety.Five of the projects received a tailored script consultation from veteran script editor and film consultant Christian Routh, while all of the filmmaking teams were coached by consultant and producer Agathe Berman ahead of their pitch on June 23 to a gathering of producers, sales agents, festival programmers and other industry guests.

It’s official. The reviews are in and ABBA’s new concert experience, ABBA Voyage is a certified hit!The ABBA Voyage concert, which officially opened on at the purpose build ABBA Voyage Arena in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, May 27, has received rapturous reviews from fans and critics.Kylie Minogue attended the premiere and said on Instagram, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! What.

ABBA Voyage live experience have spoken to NME about how it was made, as well as what could be next for both the show and the band. Watch our video interview above.Premiering earlier this week at the purpose-built ABBA Arena in Stratford, East London, to a delighted response from fans, the ambitious production sees a “digital” version of ABBA (or ‘ABBAtars’) performing alongside a 10-piece live band (put together with the help of Klaxons’ James Righton).Working on the show with ABBA were Svana Gisla (who produced Jay-Z and Beyoncé‘s On the Run Tour), choreographer Wayne McGregor, Johan Renck (who directed David Bowie‘s videos for ‘Blackstar’ and ‘Lazarus’), Baillie Walsh (who has directed for Massive Attack and Bruce Springsteen) and producer Ludvig Andersson (son of ABBA’s Benny Andersson and producer of And Then We Danced, Yung Lean‘s ‘In My Head’ and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again).“We did an awful lot of research and development on this, as you can imagine,” Gisla told NME from the red carpet.

Swedish supergroup ABBA has returned to the stage as digital avatars for a new London concert residency. On Thursday, all four members of the band publicly reunited to attend the opening night of "ABBA Voyage." Benny Andersson, 75; Agnetha Fältskog, 72;  Anni-Frid Lyngstad, 76; and Björn Ulvaeus, 77, were all smiles on the red carpet as they posed for photographers before entering the new ABBA Arena in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, where they watched their digital avatars hit the stage.

Mark Sutherland “To be or not to be, that is no longer the question,” declared ABBA co-founder and musical mastermind Benny Andersson at the start of “ABBA Voyage,” the Swedish quartet’s first “concert” in over 40 years. And if that sounds like a curiously existential way to begin a pop concert, well, this is no ordinary live show.For a start, despite Andersson’s insistence that “This is really me, I just look very good for my age,” it’s actually his de-aged, computer-generated avatar — or “ABBA-tar,” if you must — that is speaking his pre-recorded words.

“ABBA Voyage” is certainly a trip.

ABBA's music undeniably transcends decades; its universal appeal bringing cross-generational joy the world over. And now, after announcing their ground-breaking ABBA Voyage show at its purpose-built ABBA Voyage Arena in London's Pudding Mill Lane last year, the spectacle is finally open to fans.

Zara Larsson has covered ABBA‘s ‘Lay All Your Love On Me’, as well as telling NME what the band mean to her and revealing that work is progressing well on a “dark” and “vulnerable” new album. Watch our interview with Larsson above.Today sees Larsson release her cover of the Swedish pop giants’ 1981 track for the Spotify Singles series, just after the premiere of the band’s ambitious new ABBA Voyage show in London.Speaking to NME on the red carpet of the event, Larsson admitted being a little starstruck to have pop royalty nearby.“They were like, ‘Oh, can you believe the Swedish Royal Family is here?’ and I was like, ‘I know, ABBA are right there’,” she said.

ABBA stepped out for their first public appearance together in six years ahead of the first Abba Voyage concert. The iconic Swedish group, made up of Bjorn Ulvaeus, Agnetha Faltskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Benny Andersson, were pictured attending the ABBA Arena to mark the band’s first virtual show. Fans of the group were doubtlessly thrilled by the public appearance - which marks the first time the foursome have been seen together since a rare 2016 appearance in Stockholm.

ABBA premiered their highly-anticipated digital concert tour, ‘Voyage’ today (May 26). View official photos from the event below.The concert, which took place today (May 26) at ABBA Arena in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, marked the first time in 36 years Benny Andersson, Agnetha Fältskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Björn Ulvaeus were seen as a group together in public.Speaking to NME on the red carpet during the opening night of their ‘Voyage’ residency, Lyngstad told NME “It feels fantastic” to be at the premiere. “Really looking forward to seeing the show again.

Penny Lancaster put on a leggy display as hit the red carpet ahead of ABBA’s first performance of their 2021 album, Voyage. Penny, 51, who’s married to Rod Stewart, donned a short leopard print dress for the occasion, paired with a black skinny scarf, belt, and thigh-high heeled boots.The mum-of-two wore her stunning blonde tresses in a curly blow dry, and donned a pair of gold hoop earring to complete the look. Penny joined the likes of Kiera Kinghtly, Great British Bake Off's Matt Lucas, Kylie Minogue and ABBA themselves in hitting the red carpet for the star-studded affair.

They were the iconic 1970’s pop band who took the world by storm with hits such as Gimme Gimme Gimme, and the ABBA foursome were back together today. It was their first public appearance together in six years, after a performance hiatus, as they attended the first performance of their one-of-a-kind concert ABBA "Voyage" at ‘ABBA Arena’ in London.The Swedish pop group is made up of Agnetha Fältskog, 72, Björn Ulvaeus, 77, Benny Andersson, 75, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, 76.

ABBA have been seen together for the first time in 14 years after hitting the red carpet at the new ABBA Arena in London’s Olympic Park.

NME on the red carpet during the opening night of their ‘Voyage’ concert residency, ABBA told us what fans can expect after their digital tour. Watch our full video interview with the Swedish pop band above.The event, which took place today (May 26) at ABBA Arena in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, marked the first time in 36 years Benny Andersson, Agnetha Fältskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Björn Ulvaeus were seen as a group together in public.“It feels fantastic,” Lyngstad told NME when asked what it was like to be at the premiere.

Abba finally reunited in London in full for the first time in 40 years for the Abba Voyage red carpet on Thursday night.Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Agnetha Fältskog, and Björn Ulvaeus smiled for cameras as they posed altogether ahead of kicking off their hotly anticipated hologram tour.The Swedish pop superstars were last together in the capital for an appearance on The Late Late Breakfast show hosted with Noel Edmonds in 1982.Speaking on the red carpet outside a purpose-built stadium at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London, Agnetha enthused: ‘It’s amazing to see all the English fans.’The group’s highly anticipated concert features younger ‘Abba-tars’ of the foursome performing songs from their back catalogue with a live 10-piece band.Benny admitted he expected himself to cry during the concert, saying: ‘Oh definitely, all the time.’Speaking about why she had enjoyed the project so much, Anni-Frid said: ‘I think the most exciting thing about this project was to come together as a group again after so many years not doing anything as a band together.’Abba was catapulted to worldwide success after winning the Eurovision Song Contest with Waterloo when the event was held in Brighton in 1974.They have since sold more than 400 million albums and singles.The popular quartet parted ways after last performing together in 1982 following a successful 10-year stint.In 2018 they announced they had recorded new material and it arrived in November.Abba Voyage shows begin in London on Friday, May 27and are running until December 2022.It’s then expected that the show will hit the road, on a world tour lasting until the year 2026.The lengthy run is possible all thanks to ‘Abbatars’ – aka the four holograms which

ABBA have been pictured together as they gear up for their hologram performances.The legendary Swedish pop group reunited ahead of their virtual tour in London and is the first time the band have been pictured together in six years.The concert kicks off tomorrow (May 27) as the iconic pop stars present their album Voyage - as digital versions of themselves at the custom-built ABBA Arena in London.The highly anticipated concert will also feature a setlist of hit ABBA songs and a 10-piece live band.The iconic group is made up of four members - Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, who are now all over 70.Speaking to DW, Björn was visibly excited about the upcoming concert, saying: "The audience agree to be in this imaginary world for a while at a concert, and they see the ABBAtars as living creatures."The ABBAtars, which are the name given to the digital holograms the group, will show the stars in late 1970s when they were at the peak of their fame.Almost four decades after they split, the group confirmed late last year that all four members were working together on new material.Their final album was released on November 5 and was the group’s first album in 40 years after they called it a day in 1982.All ten songs featured on the album were composed by ABBA’s songwriters Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus who said they are "absolutely trend-blind."The legendary group, who shot to fame after winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974, released three singles before Voyage but haven't performed in front of a crowd since 2016.The group admitted that they would be retiring for good after the release of their final album.Benny confirmed "this is it, it's got to be," meaning that despite their

Fred Bronson The first news about a virtual ABBA show broke in 2016. Six years later, “Voyage” is set to open at the purpose-built 3,000-seat ABBA Arena in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Along the way, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus wrote two new songs for the show and reunited with Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid (Frida) Lyngstad to record a new album, making a spectacular comeback for the Swedish quartet that first achieved international fame in 1974 by winning the Eurovision Song Contest with “Waterloo.”After two previews, a VIP invited audience will see the show tonight (Thursday, May 26) and an official opening night happens on Friday, May 27.