Music Review: Thank You For The Music – The Lowry, Salford

Thank You For The Music ABBA Tribute

THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC is the ultimate tribute to ABBA, recreating the sounds, sights and unforgettable hits of the Swedish pop group

Mamma Mia – what a performance! A blast from the past recreating ABBA’s number one hits with bright lights, flashy outfits and unforgettable voices.

The Swedish pop group from the 1970’s and early 80’s, ABBA, have created a legacy that not many will forget with number one hits from ‘Waterloo’ to ‘Super Trouper’, their songs have long been played and turned into record-breaking movies and West End musicals. However, with the groups dissolve in 1982, the world has yet to see them on stage together again, up until now.

Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid come alive again in this musical rendition, THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC. The men open up the stage in striking silk blue and yellow shirts, white bell-bottomed pants and platformed heels with the ladies following shortly after in knee-high white platform-heels, and their infamous short white dresses with the blue and white cats on the fronts and what with the stage and lighting set up, you are immediately thrown back a few years.

Their features are uncanny to the original group, and when Frida opens her mouth to sing the first song, her curly dark hair and strong and familiar vocals have you taking a double take at the singer. Her powerful vocals fill the air with a sense of control, while Agnetha’s lower pitched and husky voice leave the audience all ‘wanting a man after midnight’. It is almost impossible not to be foot tapping and singing along to the sounds by the second song!

The men, true to their long hair and shaggy looks stole the stage in the first half of the show with their rock and roll version of ‘Does Your Mother Know’. The men take control of the stage with their incredibly crisp voices and charm and play their keyboard and guitar with such finesse that it almost looks like an easy thing to be doing.

The ladies, in the meanwhile, bring the classic 70’s dance moves back to reality which is only exacerbated in the second half by the bright blue lycra body suits they are wearing. The group of four has the audience swaying, clapping and singing along with their harmonious sounds never missing a beat and hitting all of the notes without hesitation. They joke around in-between the songs and what with their Swedish accents, the group has you truly feeling that you’re a part of the 70’s set up.

Although there was a more of an elderly group in the audience, the show was well attended and by the end of it, it had everyone up on their feet dancing and swaying to the likes of ‘Lay All Your Love on Me’ and ‘Dancing Queen’. The songs brought a sense of new life to the audience, creating a carefree attitude and reliving the good times gone past.

Rendition or not, this ABBA throwback is enough to make anyone feel like they have been picked up and taken back in time and experienced the real deal. The exact sounds and feels of what was once the greatest sounds of the time will have you waking up the next morning singing their songs and thanking ABBA for the music.

4 out of 5 stars

THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC performed at The Lowry on 4 June 2018.