ABBA Voyage, a revolutionary concept at the forefront of live music, was created with help from an Oxford technology firm which itself has had a record year.
One of the world’s most successful and notorious bands is back performing to crowds with their own digital avatars, that truly have to be seen to be believed.
I headed to the ABBA arena in East London to see what all the fuss was about and I wasn’t 100 per cent sure what I was expecting in all honesty.
My first feeling was one of disbelief as the iconic Swedish band took to the stage for a show that will undoubtedly redefine the live music industry.
Created in collaboration with VFX company Industrial Light & Magic, Oxford Metrics provided the motion capture system which saw the movements of Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad tracked to create the ABBAtars, as they are called by producers.
The foursome performed their set to perfection while covered in motion capture technology over the course of five weeks before months of work from an 850-strong team created the final show.
And it was truly a ‘wow’ moment when they took the stage.
It didn’t feel fake or cheesy at all and it was very easy to get into the magic of being taken back to ABBA’s heyday.
It was more than a traditional show, it’s an experience which takes you on an immersive journey through the music of ABBA, with the group speaking to the audience at intervals throughout the show and performing their biggest hits.
Along with cutting-edge lighting and audio technology, there was also a first-rate 10-piece live band performing alongside the ABBAtars taking over for an exhilarating rendition of ‘Does Your Mother Know’.
The 95-minute concert held at the purpose-built arena at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, next to Pudding Mill Lane tube station and a 10-minute walk from Westfield shopping centre, has a capacity for 3,000 fans and houses 291 speakers, producing 870,000 watts of audio amplification throughout the concert and over 500 moving lights mapped to 30,000 points in the arena.
The only criticism I can think of is that the band have so many notable songs, your personal favourite may not have made the setlist, but make sure you turn up with plenty of time to enjoy the atmosphere where other ABBA hits play out in the foyer where you can also have a drink, grab a bite to eat and buy merchandise.
ABBA’s audience demographic continues to have a far-reaching impact on both young and old worldwide.
As the band states in their programme notes: “If you look around the auditorium, you will see people of all ages and that’s a marvellous thing.
“To have generations enjoying our music together is perhaps the most rewarding thing we could ever have wished for.”
Audience members are prohibited from taking pictures or videos of the performance to help keep the secrets alive.
“Kindly put your phones and cameras away to help ABBA keep the mystery of Voyage alive,” is the direction that comes from the speaker before the show begins.
If you are lucky enough to have seen it with your own eyes, you will be fully aware that the future of live music has no bounds.
Surely now we will see many great names immortalised in years to come as it’s easy to see how avatar-led concerts of artists such as Elvis Presley or The Beatles could achieve similar success.
Oxford Metrics' hand in ABBA Voyage is of huge credit to the company whose “core technology” helped create the one-of-a-kind show, which has opened the door to future of concerts.
A spokesperson for the company said: “Oxford Metrics is proud to have helped enable the critically acclaimed Abba Voyage concert at the Abba Arena, London.”
In preliminary results, Oxford Metrics posted revenue of £44.2m, up 53.5 per cent from revenue of £28.8m in 2022.
This was largely thanks to its advanced motion capture system, Valkyrie.
Imogen Moorhouse, chief executive of Oxford Metrics said: "I am delighted to report my first set of results as CEO of Oxford Metrics.
“Two years into our five-year strategy, we are reporting record revenue and adjusted profit before tax performance for fiscal year 2023.
“This result builds on from our strongest-ever first half as we executed against orders and continued demand for our smart sensing technology continued, driven by positive uptake of our new system, Valkyrie.
“Our team this year has continued to innovate, manufacturing more advanced camera systems than ever before.”
ABBA Voyage is now more than a year into its London residency, having been seen by more than 1 million people and selling out seats seven nights a week.
It will continue to do so throughout the year following the news of the decision to extend its stay in London until November.
ABBA Voyage is now booking until November 25 at the ABBA Arena, London. For information and best availability of tickets go to www.abbavoyage.co
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