ABBA's Reunion Just Got Bigger With Two Much-loved '00s Artists Joining Concert Event
While the band's new singles are expected to make big chart debuts this week.
ABBA's reunion after four decades has seen fans around the world rejoice and now it's getting even better with some much-loved artists joining in for the upcoming concert event.
Klaxons' keyboardist and vocalist James Righton has shared that he'll be joining the iconic Swedish group for their ABBA Voyage concert series as part of their band.
The group rose to prominence with their 2007 debut album, Myths Of The Near Future, which went on to claim the UK's prestigious Mercy Prize.
"Guess you’ve all heard the amazing @abba news by now. I had an incredible/fun/magical/surreal time helping Benny and Bjorn find the 10 piece band for the reunion," said Righton in a post to Instagram.
"I can safely say that the musicians chosen and the band that has been formed is the best group of musicians I’ve ever heard play together in a room. There is serious chemistry and vibe."
UK electropop artist Little Boots has also been named as part of the group, saying in a post "As a life long @abba fan It is an absolute honour to share that I will be joining @abbavoyage live on stage on keyboards/ synthesisers and backing vocals."
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"My love for the songs of ABBA runs hard and deep, there is no other songwriting I have been more inspired by throughout my career, in my opinion it is the most life-affirming, heart wrenching, joyful, liberating, powerful pop music on the planet," she continued.
"It has already been a dream to spend time in the studio with my musical heroes. I am beyond excited for this journey to continue and to have the privilege of performing these songs with a group of the most incredible musicians I have ever played with. The sound of this band will give you goosebumps!..."
The ABBA Voyage concert is set to feature digital versions of the band, which were created following extensive months of motion-capture and performance techniques alongside a substantial team from the George Lucas founded company Industrial Light & Magic.
Best-known for their work in film - including Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Pirates Of The Caribbean and Harry Potter - the revolutionary ABBA concert will be the company's first exploration into music.
Of the impending concert series, which will open on May 27 2022 at the ABBA Arena (a state-of-the-art, 3000 capacity arena at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London), producers Svana Gisla and Ludvig Andersson have described the momentous journey that led to this new ABBA chapter.
“The magic of ABBA and the herculean efforts of this whole magnificent team reaches a long awaited milestone today," Gisla and Andersson said. "To be able to finally share this endeavour with the world is a proud moment for us and we can't wait to welcome you to our arena in East London, a place where we are so happy to be.”
It's been a big week for ABBA, who in addition to the announcement of the concert event series, have also shared two new singles (I Still Have Faith In You and Don't Shut Me Down) and have announced that they'll share their first album since 1981's The Visitors this year. The album, Voyage, is due for release on Friday 5 November.
The tracks are proving popular all around the world, with it expected that I Still Have Faith In You will debut at #6 on the UK Singles Chart, with Don't Shut Me Down just behind at #7.
ARIA mid-week figures suggest that the tracks while land in the Top 30 here in Australia while also bolstering the More ABBA Gold: More ABBA Hits compilation album which is likely to move into the Top 10 on the Albums Chart this week.
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