Thorp Perrow provided the perfect setting for an evening spent in the company of those superstars of song – ABBA.
The dark skies and damp conditions did nothing to spoil the fun as our four Swedish superheroes went through the ABBA repertoire in front of a soggy but very satisfied crowd. This was a special night as the audience, complete with their picnic blankets and gazebos, were treated to the very best of ABBA’s remarkable collection.
For those too young to recall ABBA in their prime, they were The Beatles of the 70s and early 80s. Formed in 1972 by Bjorn and Benny, Agnetha and Anni-Frid – the first letters of their names arranged as a palindrome to form ABBA – they launched their careers globally by winning the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with ‘Waterloo.’
Success after that did not come immediately and there were a couple of flop singles before ‘SOS’ and especially ‘Mamma Mia’ confirmed their undoubted talents. Eight albums and countless singles topped the charts and ABBA became the worldwide ‘Super Troupers’ of pop before they split up in 1982.
The Thorp Perrow audience danced with delight as ABBA Sensation played hit after hit, complete with 70s-styled choreography and costumes.
The girls sang their hearts out to ‘Name of the Game,’ ‘Ring, Ring,’ ‘Money, Money, Money,’ ‘Knowing me, Knowing you’ and of course the final encore which simply had to be ‘Dancing Queen’ – perhaps the most instantly recognisable of all ABBA’s stockpile of the stars.
The weather may have been designed to spoil – it was 12C and spitting – but the ABBA fanatics and even casual fans soon got going. The band had everyone on their feet inside the first three songs and from there on in it was ABBA-tastic all the way. A great evening in a glorious location.
Thorp Perrow hosts The Freddie and Queen Experience on Friday, August 2 – see www.thorpperrow.com for more details.
Be the first to comment