Björn Again @ KingsPark

Mon 1st Dec, 2008 in Gig Reviews

Gallery by Stu907

It could be argued that ABBA is just as Australian as a sickie, a barefoot visit to the video store or sucking Milo through a Tim Tam. In fact, one could even say the fascination with ABBA’s music has become a passed-on tradition in this country. The big haired kids who first grooved to the jump-suited Swedes at roller-discos and on Countdown have since educated an entirely new generation. With nothing more than a copy of Gold: The Greatest Hits and some free space in the living room to pass on some killer moves, parents have ensured the passion and giddiness surrounding ABBA has lived on. The only problem, however, is that unlike some other reunion-prone acts of yesteryear, when Björn, Benny, Frida and Agnetha hung up their white satins, they had no intention of ever dusting them off again. Ever since the band’s only Australian tour in 1977 the nation has been gagging for a live ABBA fix. Cut to Friday night at King’s Park and the solution: Björn Again.

Formed in Melbourne, Björn Again are pioneers of the 1980s tribute band phenomenon. They have since established an international conglomerate that provides the world’s ABBA junkies with a unique hit of impersonation, innovation and down right piss-taking.

Gazing out over the crowd at the concert, one might have thought the real ABBA had put the double divorces behind them and done the unthinkable. Not in the wildest hen’s night could anyone imagine the number of silly wigs, sparkly sequins and UDL cans curling around the grassed hills like an inebriated snake slithering toward Mardi Gras. Of course, for every baby boomer, there was someone under the age of 15 who knew the words of Knowing Me, Knowing You just as well.

As if the evening hadn’t started out with enough glitz already, the support group was local act Absolute Kylie, a tribute to our own dancing queen. Perth’s Kylie, Sarah Harmony, comes with a Minogue stamp of approval after Absolute Kylie appeared on Australia’s got Talent where Danii Minogue was impressed by her performance. Her set was a huge added bonus, with hits like I Should Be So Lucky, Can’t Get You Out of My Head and Locomotion going down great with the huge crowd that had begun to assemble. The show included all the feather hats, flowing hooded dresses and gyrating male dancers that one would expect from the real Kylie.

After a shot break in which the most convincing cross-dressing Frida’s were picked out of the crowd and shot onto the big screen, the amazing light show began and Björn Again stepped onto the stage. Like a speeding Volvo station wagon, they burst into ABBA’s 1974 Eurovision winning hit, Waterloo. With no sign of stopping, they continued with Honey, Honey, Voulez-Vou and Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!, -refusing to be upstaged by the strange sight of ducks making their way onto stage.

While their note perfect renditions of classics, impressive lightshow and replica cat dress costumes sets them apart from any wedding band trying recreate the glitz of ABBA, by far the most endearing quality of Björn Again is how tongue in cheek their performance is. Their in-between-song-banter was as enjoyably Eurocheesy as their music. The crowd was continually reminded in thick faux Swedish accents that “the people of Perth are so beautiful” and as they headed off to intermission Benny assured the necessity of a break; Apparently Bjorn had to go and iron his white satin boxer shorts.

There were, however, some parts of the show that may not have been needed. While intended to be fun takes on well-known classics, some of the musical variations were unfocused and broke the enjoyable illusion of being real thing. In particular, Benny’s mid song rap in Take A Chance On Me. Equally, Björn’s 10 minute guitar solo accompanied by a lacklustre cover of Bon Jovi’s Living on a Prayer left the crowd cold. It’s hard to capture the grunt that makes that song so memorable when you’re wearing a sleeveless jumpsuit with flairs.

As the night came to an end, the band put out a request for one more “special song”. Nearly before the audience’s cries had ended, the glorious string intro to Dancing Queen sounded. Benny asked “every human being [to] get onto their feet” and the valley became a sea of waving glow sticks. Remarkably, the band did not once break character. Even in their final bow was the illusion upheld. It’s possible in the coming weeks many of the children at that concert may suffer two major disappointments: there is no Santa and Björn Again aren’t the real ABBA. You couldn’t really blame any adults for getting the second one wrong either.

Gallery by Stu907