Look into these Angeleyes, because you ain’t seen nothin’ yet; The Pub is set to turn into a Summer Night City of synth, high energy, and soprano when SOS – A Tribute to the Songs of ABBA rolls into the coastal town.
Voulez-Vous, come dance with me, Fernando? I can hear the distant drums and bugle sounds closing in on the Airlie Beach Hotel. Bjorn, Benny, Agnetha, and Freda are back and As Good As New in this perfect recreation of the Swedish supergroup.
SOS are armed to the teeth with fantastic costumes, incredible vocal talents, animated ABBA dance moves, and even crazy Swedish accents.
For years these band members have been leading a double life; by day, they’re mild-mannered Australian musicians, but by night, they’re crazy ABBA fans with a healthy love of all things Swedish and an obsession with 70’s disco music.
They banded together to obsessively re-create the sound, music and look of the Swedish pop sensation they loved so dearly. Now, they walk out on stage, leaving behind their everyday lives and transform into rock stars as The Australian ABBA Tribute Show.
Sam Bennet, who fills the shoes and takes up the pick as SOS’s Bjorn, said that audiences in the Whitsundays should “Bring their Chiquititas”.
“This will be the furthest north we’ve ever been and, being from Melbourne with the cold and rain, I cannot overstate how excited we are for some sunshine,” Sam said.
“I’ve been with SOS for the past eight years, and what I love about ABBA is that it’s multi-generational and it reaches everyone.
“You can tell how much it means to people – there’s always a song in the set where there’s a twinkle in their eye that they’re remembering a moment in their life. Whether that be heartbreak, love, it’s a real honour to perform that music.”
Sam said the group doesn’t just perform to emulate the records, they match the energy that audiences saw when ABBA played at Wembley or the Sydney Mine Music Bowl.
“We match that energy and the arrangements we use are often based on those live performances rather than the records,” Sam said.
“The one thing we try and do is give the audience an experience of what ABBA was in the 70s and 80s.”
Patrons at The Airlie Beach Hotel are in for two free shows (that’s right! For absolutely no Money, Money, Money): one on Saturday August 27, and (Mama Mia, here we go again) another on Sunday, August 28, when SOS take the Bar Top stage one last time!
Put On Your White Sombrero for their afternoon shows from 2.00pm to 5.30pm!
What: SOS – The Australian ABBA Tribute Show
When: Saturday and Sunday, August 27 and 28, from 2.00pm to 5.30pm both days
Where: The Airlie Beach Hotel
The Airlie Beach Hotel is eagerly awaiting the Arrival of SOS – The Australian ABBA Tribute Show in late August
They faithfully recreate not just the sound, but the look and theatrics of the Swedish supergroup
Make sure to “bring your Chiquititas” for the show at The Pub