Preview: Gear up for manic time with Abba

Abba Mania
Edinburgh Playhouse

NEED a fix of Sweden's fab four and can't wait for the release of the cinematic adaptation of Bjorn and Benny's hit stage musical Mamma Mia next week? Then worry not. One of the UK's biggest Abba tribute bands head to the Edinburgh Playhouse on tomorrow evening with all your favourite 70's chart-toppers.

Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny, and Anni-Frid may have bailed out at the height of their fame, but they left behind a musical legacy that, 26 years on, has ensured an unprecedented and lucrative market for any number of imitators. This weekend, it's the turn of Abba Mania to take the Capital's music lovers on a trip down memory lane, when they give mums, dads, kids and grannies alike another chance to camp it up and relive the tacky Seventies styles that, some might argue are otherwise best forgotten.

In their spandex, sequins and platform boots, Abba Mania have been selling-out theatre around the country since their formation in 1999. Indeed, when they first played the Edinburgh Playhouse, back in 2000, they played an unprecedented week-long run at the 3,000 seat venue.

But then, unlike other tribute bands, Abba Mania don't just romp through the hits. Their show is a special concert presentation, which celebrates the music and style of Abba, reviving special memories of when Abba ruled the airwaves with songs like Voulez Vous, Dancing Queen, Winner Takes It All, Super Trouper and many more.

Abba Mania followed in the glittery platforms of Australian band Bjorn Again, the outfit that started the whole Abba tribute mirror ball spinning in 1989, but Abba, Sweden's greatest export after Volvo, weren't always the cult icons they are today. Like the Eurovision Song Contest that catapulted them into the world's gaze, there was a time when they were seriously uncool, and fans stayed firmly in the closet.

That all changed as people realised that their songs stood the test of time, thanks to the story-telling nature of their lyrics. For the tribute acts, capturing that all-important sound is imperative, and by far the biggest challenge.

When they get it right, it seems we just can't get enough of them.

However, let's give the last word to on the whole Abba tribute phenomenon to the original silver-caped hero, Bjorn Ulvaeus: "I find the constant interest in Abba rather strange. But it's natural in a way. A lot of people grew up with our music, it's an integral part of their youth," he says, adding with a chuckle, "but looking at it from a distance it feels like it happened to somebody else. Especially when you see some old footage of the band. . .those clothes. Talk about bad taste."

Fashions aside, on Saturday, for Edinburgh's legions of Dancing Queens, Fernandos and Chiquititas it will be time to dance, time to jive and have the time of their lives, all over again.

• Abba Mania, Edinburgh Playhouse, Greenside Place, tomorrow, 7.30pm, £16.50. Call 0870 847 1661