ABBA and the rise of the work-from-home rock star

, one of the most successful musical acts in history, take to the stage for the first time in nearly 40 years. Or do they? To the crowd at a purpose-built arena in east London,’s quartet—Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid—look authentic, their sequinned dresses and feathered mullets swaying to the beat provided by a live band. Yet the singers are computer-generated illusions, captured as they looked in 1979, and their voices a blend of recordings from nearly half a century ago.

Their rejuvenated virtual selves are eerily real: dancing, jiving and, between songs, joshing with the crowd . On the opening night the audience, which included the king and queen of Sweden, suspended their disbelief, unselfconsciously cheering and applauding what was, strictly speaking, an empty stage.show. But basic digital services are changing the economics of even ordinary gigs.

forecasts. Last year Live Nation, the biggest live-entertainment company, acquired Veeps, a live-streaming startup. Spotify and Deezer, subscription music services, have both done deals with Driift. Some artists see it as more than that. As social media have squeezed musicians into ever shorter formats, an hour-long video-concert is “an opportunity to create beautiful long-form content”, says Mr Salmon. Meanwhile, a new breed of online gaming experience is allowing some artists to transcend the constraints of real-life shows. In concerts held on Fortnite, an online video-game, Travis Scott has mutated into a giant and Ariana Grande has sprouted wings and let her fans ride flying unicorns.

Nice to see them back from the dead. I love ABBA.

Plus, ABBA abba suck. Always have.

According to who?

Looks more like an Abbattoir but whatever.

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ABBA needs digital concerts to make £140m to cover costs of 'ABBAtars'The Swedish pop group returned to stage after 40 years with an avatar-led show in a purpose-built arena at London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, for a preview performance on Thursday.
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Penny Lancaster puts on leggy display at ABBA red carpet event as band reunitesLoose Women star Penny Lancaster was the image of rocker chic as she attended the first performance of ABBA 'Voyage' at ABBA Arena in London on Thursday 26 May
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Mystery of No10 ‘ABBA party’ will impede Boris moving on from PartygateThe Standard’s Courts Correspondent Tristan Kirk looks at questions that still remain after Sue Gray’s report into the scandal
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Mystery remains over ‘Abba-themed’ Downing Street partygate event🔴Conflicting reports of what happened on the night of Dominic Cummings’ departure as Sue Gray draws no conclusion about gathering Not fully appropriate or proportionate to cover it up. Either Sue Gray or the Police must report if. The fair law project will get to the bottom of it
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