By NOEL MURPHY
POP avatars Babba are heading Geelong’s way with a string of hits and a glittering show reliving the glory days of legendary Swedish alter-ego Abba.
From Waterloo through Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia and Ferrnando to Money, Money, Money and lots more, the tribute band has the Scandinavian rockers’ music down in spades.
And their sequins, capes, jumpsuits and hotpants, too.
“And don’t forget the accents,” says James ‘Bjorn’ Macdonald, who is coming with his Babba bandmates to Corio’s Gateway Hotel next week.
“It’s all respectful but we like to have a bit of light-hearted dialogue and humour, too.”
Together with Michael Ingvarson as Benny, Kelly Wild as Agnetha and Jacqueline Hamilton as Frida, Macdonald said Babba delivered a “very faithful’’ tip to the original Abba superstars of the soaring ’70s.
He was keen to ensure the great Abba name remained unsullied by any misunderstanding about the foursome’s musicianship, either.
None were manufactured pop stars, they had the goods, Macdonald said.
“The music is really well put together. The harmonies are pretty complex and, with all four voices going and in a full six-piece band, for a muso it’s a lot of fun.
“We’re very faithful to the music and try to get the sound as close as possible to the original. Show-wise, it’s bright and glittering and flash – all of that – and the girls have three costume changes, the guys have two.”
Billed as the world’s most-exciting and musically accurate tributes to Abba, Babba has been performing since 1994 when its members were recruited from separate bands to play a regular weekly gig at Brunswick Street’s Royal Derby Hotel.
They have played all over Australia in the intervening years – up to 180 gigs a year – as well as Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and New Zealand.
As much as the music might be fun to play, and challenging, Macdonald said the Babba performances were now much more about playing to audiences.
“When we play it becomes all about entertaining the crowd, it’s more about providing a good night’s entertainment.”
Babba will perform at the Gateway on 11 October.
