Mamma mia! Abba’s real-life members surprise school show

Abba Voyage concerts can be deafening enough. But when the real-life Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad made an appearance in the hall, packed with hundreds of schoolchildren, even security staff present were surprised by the din.

- Priya Bharadia

On Tuesday, at the custom-built Abba Arena in east London, the virtual concert residency launched its expanded education programme, which aims to support local young people into creative industries.

The new initiatives include an autumn school programme and a mentoring scheme. The programme also aims to offer apprenticeship opportunities within local entertainment venues, many of which relocated to or expanded in Stratford after its regeneration for the 2012 Olympics.

For the launch event, ABBA Voyage invited local schools to enjoy the live concert experience. Earplugs were supplied for free, more so to protect ears from the young attenders’ screams than the concert acoustics.

Unlike most school trips, there were no pleas to sit still and be quiet. Teachers were instead encouraging students out of their seats, bouncing and singing along themselves.

Children soon began swinging their hi-vis jackets over their heads, belting along to perennial hits such as Gimme, Gimme, Gimme and SOS that have enjoyed new virality on TikTok.