ABBA Voyage producer Ludvig Andersson has provided an update on touring plans for the smash-hit production – and dismissed claims the show has created a new format for the live business.

Millions of tickets have been sold for the show since it debuted at the purpose-built 3,000-cap ABBA Arena in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in May 2022, under the direction of Andersson, fellow producer Svana Gisla and director Baillie Walsh.

Speaking at this week’s inaugural SXSW London conference, Andersson shared his hopes that ABBA Voyage would travel to other markets, but maintained there was currently no arrangements in place for it to happen.

“We’re constantly in exciting conversations with all sorts of different exciting places, so I hope so,” he said. “If I had concrete plans I would share them, but we really do want to.”

The filmmaker son of ABBA’s Benny Andersson was interviewed on stage by BBC Music journalist Matt Everitt alongside Ben Morris, creative director of visual effects company Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), which created the digital versions of ABBA for the virtual concert residency, for yesterday’s (5 June) Making ABBA Voyage panel at Shoreditch Town Hall.

“We were lucky enough to have four people who are still alive and who actually wanted to do this”

Andersson noted how important it was to have the band’s buy-in for the project.

“We were lucky enough to have four people who are still alive and who actually wanted to do this,” he said. “When you enter this space and come to our arena, you feel that this is ABBA’s space. You’re not in a place where some corporation has thought, ‘We’re going to reactivate or raise the value of the brand.’ This is actually made by the people who are in there. It’s made because they love making it.

“It’s ABBA’s house that you show up to. There were a lot of people involved, but it’s their name on the door. We didn’t want it to be a time capsule. This is ABBA now. It’s not going back to the 70s, this is what ABBA wants to do now.”

Morris agreed that seal of approval was a crucial aspect in the success of the show.

“That authenticity does have massive value to the fans,” he said. “You know that the band are involved in this… and that is really important. It’s almost like the band certified what’s going on in there. You can feel it, and I think the audience – the superfans – definitely feel that.”

“One of the first things [said at] one of the first meetings was, ‘This has to be a gig, it can’t be anything else'”

The £141 million project, which blends the virtual and physical worlds, has brought the Swedish group back to the stage in avatar form, backed by a 10-piece live band. The latter addition was a crucial component, said Andersson.

“For sure, we needed a live band,” he said. “One of the first things [said at] one of the first meetings was, ‘This has to be a gig, it can’t be anything else.'”

Nevertheless, Andersson felt there were intangibles that transported the production to another level, lending it an almost otherworldly quality.

“In all the interviews that we did around the opening, people asked us, ‘So what is it?’ And yeah, it’s a gig, but something occurs – something profound – and that’s part luck,” he said. “We did everything we could to be granted that, but there is still magic in there and we are very careful to meddle with that, because it just happened.

“The first time we had an audience there, we were all standing up in the rafters looking down and as the first song came on, everyone just ran towards the stage. That was a good moment, and it just keeps happening. Of course, it’s just a show, but I often hear people, in there who have reactions and deeper emotions. It becomes a congregational space that does something to people when they’re in there. That’s incredible and we’re so proud. But also, who knows what that is?”

“There’s a danger in assuming that what we have done here is create some kind of format. We haven’t”

Asked for his advice to people with other virtual concert projects in the works, Andersson said that attempting to simply replicate the ABBA Voyage formula would not be sufficient.

“There’s a danger in assuming that what we have done here is create some kind of format. We haven’t,” he insisted. “We made this one thing and we did it to the best of our ability.

“Anyone out there who is doing something similar must begin by thinking, ‘What is the thing we want to make?’ Not thinking, ‘Ah, we take this and we just throw in something else.’ I would advise to start from scratch. This is a specific thing, and anything other than that will be another thing.”

In April, it was revealed that Pophouse Entertainment, the Sweden-based music investment firm behind ABBA Voyage, has raised over €1.2 billion for its debut fund. The fund, which will acquire music catalogues and IP, is already approximately 30% deployed via artist partnerships with KISS, Cyndi Lauper, Avicii and Swedish House Mafia.

“We believe KISS could be a very interesting avatar experience in the kind of Marvel universe”

Pophouse’s co-founder, ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus, also starred at SXSW London yesterday in a keynote entitled The Future of Entertainment.

Echoing Andersson’s thoughts about ABBA Voyage, Ulvaeus said the show evoked “almost a spiritual feeling, there’s something strange in the room which is amazing.”

“The strangest thing about Voyage is how emotional it is,” he said. “How people so quickly forget that they’re looking at screens. I’m amazed, we had no idea that would happen.”

Pophouse has previously confirmed plans for a KISS avatar show in 2027, along with a biopic and themed experience.

“We believe KISS could be a very interesting avatar experience in the kind of Marvel universe,” added Ulvaeus. “They were cartoons and now have transcended to the digital world.”

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At the inaugural SXSW London, Dame Caroline Dinenage has confirmed a fan-led review of live music to safeguard the success of the UK music industry.

The Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Committee chair made the announcement during the Live Music in Crisis: Is Anyone Listening? panel today, which the MP hosted at Shoreditch Town Hall.

Encompassing all aspects of live and electronic music, the review will be chaired by Lord Brennan of Canton, a former member of the DCMS committee.

“He’s going to engage with music across the country, and with music industry stakeholders too, to hopefully find recommendations that go well beyond grassroots venues that we’ve focused on before and into electronic music as well,” said Dinenage.

“We’ll be announcing the next steps and how you can get involved in the coming weeks. We know that the industry voices we’ve already spoken to are supportive of it and I hope that you guys will be as well.”

The amendment to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill would put the ‘Agent of Change’ principle into law

The fan-led review was one of the recommendations from the committee’s report on grassroots music venues, published in the last parliament. It will consider the music fan experience, examine the sustainability of venues, and explore the barriers to touring faced by emerging artists.

In addition, it will look at the effectiveness of existing policies and how different levels of government support live music.

Dinenage has also tabled an amendment to legislation currently going through parliament, to strengthen the rights of music venues in the planning process.

The amendment to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which returns to the House of Commons next week, would put the ‘Agent of Change’ principle into law – meaning existing businesses and facilities should not have unreasonable restrictions placed on them as a result of development permitted after they were established.

“That means that developers, rather than existing venues, need to take responsibility for changes, including noise,” she said. “I think it’s really important that we start putting that on the government’s agenda.”

“Our challenge as an industry, with support from government, is trying to help the struggling areas of the sector survive and thrive into the future”

The SXSW session also featured BBC Radio DJ Steve Lamacq and Broadwick Group’s head of operations Sam Spencer, who pondered whether the live and electronic music sectors were “in crisis”. Lamacq, who also chairs UK trade body LIVE, said it was a difficult question to answer.

“Live music has never been so popular, last year contributing £6.2 billion to the economy,” he said. “This year, there will be more music shows in arenas than we’ve ever seen in this country so, on the one hand, live music is in rude health. At the bottom of the scale, at the grassroots level, we are still seeing two venues closing a month and we certainly know that there are venues that are struggling to make ends meet.

“Our challenge as an industry, with support from government, is trying to help the struggling areas of the sector survive and thrive into the future, because it’s where a lot of the new talent comes from. It’s where the alternative voices sit, and it has a really integral part to play in the entire British music industry.”

Spencer expressed frustration at the received wisdom that young people were less interested in drinking alcohol than previous generations.

“People say that young people aren’t drinking anymore. No, young people are drinking,” he stressed. “They’re just drinking from Tesco. And I can tell you that Tesco does not face the same amount of red tape that I face in our venues.”

“We’re the reason that certain people go to certain places at certain times. It doesn’t just happen”

Lamacq noted that live music was now appealing to a wider demographic than ever before.

“I’ve just turned 60. When I was 30, it was considered to be old,” he said. “It has opened up to a much broader audience… It’s not an exclusive, ultra-cool thing just for hipster kids, it’s for everyone now and I think that is part of live music’s success.”

Spencer suggested the industry doesn’t always get the credit it deserves for its contribution to the wider economy.

“We’re the reason that certain people go to certain places at certain times. It doesn’t just happen,” he said. “People need to think about that and remember that tourism happens because of us. It’s not just for any miraculous reason, it’s because people want to go out, ultimately.”

“You don’t want alternative music – or any kind of music – to be part of the establishment, but you do need some help at some point”

The pair considered whether there was a complacency at government level over the success of the business.

“I think less so over the last couple of years,” said Lamacq. “The select committee work has been brilliant for focusing attention on live music. I think live music just got on with doing the job until Covid came along – and that’s when LIVE was formed, out of the pandemic.

“Since then, hopefully we’ve started making more noise to be able to say, ‘Look, we’ve done all this on our own, but we have some problems here and here where we need the government to help.We don’t make a lot of asks, but we are coming to you now asking for some support.'”

He added: “It’s a weird thing, because the last thing you want, in a way, is rock and roll being legislated by a government. You don’t want alternative music – or any kind of music – to be part of the establishment, but you do need some help at some point.”

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Days after they were removed from the bill at Scotland’s TRNSMT due to police concerns, Kneecap have confirmed details of their biggest headline show outside Ireland to date.

The Belfast rap trio will play London’s 12,500-cap OVO Arena Wembley on 18 September this year, presented by DHP Family by arrangement with Primary Talent International.

The group, who headlined Wide Awake in the capital’s Brockwell Park last month, are also still slated to perform at this month’s Glastonbury Festival in addition to the 2,500-cap O2 Academy Glasgow on 8 July. They also have two dates at Dublin’s 13,000-cap 3Arena in Ireland booked for 16-17 December.

TRNSMT promoter DF Concerts said last week that the band’s slot had been pulled “due to concerns expressed by the police about safety at the event”.

It followed Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh being charged with a terror offence after allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag at a London gig in November 2024. Both Hamas and Hezbollah are banned in the UK and it is against the law to publicly express support for the groups.

Controversy around Kneecap has intensified since they shared a “fuck Israel, free Palestine” message onstage at Coachella in April. The band parted company with their North American representatives International Artist Group (IAG) in between the two Coachella weekends.

Singers Paloma Faith and Annie Lennox are among more than 300 public figures to have signed an open letter

The band were subsequently dropped from a slew of festivals in Germany and the UK. A number of headline shows were also cancelled by venues on ‘safety grounds’. The cancellations led to more than 100 acts, including Massive Attack, Paul Weller and Idles, signing a statement in support of the band.

The artist community has become increasingly outspoken amid the escalation of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Singers Paloma Faith and Annie Lennox are among more than 300 public figures to have signed an open letter calling on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to “take immediate action to end the UK’s complicity in the horrors of Gaza”.

Meanwhile, artists including Jasmine.4.t, Sam Akpro, Rat Party, Blood of Aza, Saliah, Magnus Westwell and LVRA have cancelled their slots at the inaugural SXSW London in response to the non-publicised appearances of former British PMs Tony Blair and David Cameron after accusing the festival of “art-washing”.

SXSW has issued a statement in response, saying it​ “respects everyone’s views and positions and aims to create an open, diverse space for debate and discussion”.

Elsewhere, Irish post-punk band The Murder Capital had two concerts in Germany cancelled last month over their plans to display a Palestinian flag on stage, while American singer-songwriter Kehlani’s scheduled show at Cornell University was also nixed due to her pro-Palestine support.

Radiohead’s Johnny Greenwood and Israeli musician Dudu Tassa also saw their June dates at Bristol Beacon and London’s Hackney Church cancelled after the venues “received enough credible threats to conclude that it’s not safe to proceed”.

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South by Southwest’s upcoming European debut edition is primed to help build a “better and bigger” global industry, according to the festival’s head of music Adem Holness.

The Austin, Texas-hailing festival of convergence, which launched in 1987 and combines interactive media, film & TV and music, lands in the UK capital for the inaugural SXSW London from 2-7 June, taking over dozens of venues, galleries, clubs and other spaces in East London over the course of the week.

Holness joined SXSW London last summer from the city’s Southbank Centre, where he curated and oversaw events including Meltdown Festival, Stormzy’s Live from Queen Elizabeth Hall and Honey Dijon’s Honey Verse in his role as head of contemporary music.

“When I first found out SXSW was coming to London, I was immediately intrigued,” he tells IQ. “I’m a Londoner, and what I love about London is that it’s already somewhere people can experience music from all around the world, so I was interested in how we could present the future of music from that perspective.

“London is an international city: it’s one of the only places where you can get off at any tube stop and find yourself in a distinct community. I could immediately see how that would work in the context of SXSW and how the venues could feel like gateways into distinct underground music scenes. And I wanted to have a hand in helping to guide that.”

“Tems was our first choice of headliner and reflects so much of what I want the festival to stand for”

As head of music, Holness is tasked with leading the cultural platform’s music programming team and oversee music partnerships and curation of events within the music industry.

“My job is part-booker and part-industry liaison, so there have been lots of conversations about our plans and for people to understand the vision and ambition,” he explains. “We’ve got some pretty major players turning up at the conference and coming down to check out artists, so it’s feeling really good.”

Grammy Award-winning Nigerian singer-songwriter and producer Tems will headline Billboard‘s THE STAGE event at Troxy on 5 June (Billboard and SXSW are both Penske Media Corporation brands), with support from British-Nigerian Afro-soul artist LULU.

“Billboard is one of our co-curators, and we’ve been talking a lot about the international underground and growing music scenes, and there was so much crossover,” says Holness. “When thinking about [the purpose of] SXSW London, there are such strong relationships with Sub-Saharan Africa, and so we were interested in finding an artist that reflected that scene and that growth, and Tems was our first choice.

“I am probably the worst programmer because I’m constantly telling people that I’m fans of their music, which is not a great negotiation tactic! But she was absolutely my first choice and reflects so much of what I want the festival to stand for. We’ve announced a support artist that also reflects that scene and where we’re trying to go, so I’m very excited about that. I think it’s going to be a special moment in the festival.”

“It’s about spotlighting international underground scenes, grassroots collectives and people who are disruptive in their local context”

Other partners co-curating stages across SXSW London’s Music Festival include BBC Introducing, BBC Asian Network, Black Lives in Music, Dankie Sounds, Seoul Community Radio and Shubbak Festival.

“It’s about spotlighting international underground scenes, grassroots collectives and people who are disruptive in their local context. It’s a chance to navigate one of the most exciting parts of one of the best cities and learn about music from all across the world, at the cutting edge.

“Like any new venture, we’re building it from the ground up. We’ve announced our first wave of co-curators and we’ve got more to announce. These are people who are embedded in specific music scenes, who are helping us shape what the programme looks like. We’ve got people who really understand underground music in different contexts – well known brands and platforms, as well as grassroots and DIY.”

In terms of showcases, a music industry jury reviewed artists from the open submissions. Sample names from the jury included BBC Studios’ Alison Howe, consultant George Ergatoudis, Royal Albert Hall head of programming Dave Gamble, artist manager Whitney Asomani, BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music editor Lauren Brennan and Ivors Academy Trust chair Michelle Escoffery.

Following the public submissions, each entry was reviewed by a genre or scene specific specialist within the jury, which created a shortlist for co-curators to select from. Each jury member also submitted a wildcard – an act they were particularly excited about.

“I knew we would get absolutely inundated, because there are not enough opportunities out there for emerging artists,” notes Holness. “So we wanted to make sure we had a process that meant the people that were looking at their submissions understood the music they were making.

“We invited around 100 music professionals from around the world – from grassroots DIY club promoters making their own underground queer scenes, through to A&R directors. We also wanted to make sure we had people in the mix who have the capacity to open opportunities for artists, so festival bookers and other kinds of programmers. You’ve got people who’ve got decades-long careers in music alongside people still relatively early in their journey.”

“We’re not doing this on our own. The festival is co-led by our industry”

Holness continues: “I’ve been working with new and rising artists for most of my career, and I know there are not enough opportunities for people to realise their ambitions – not enough resources, not enough infrastructure – and so I really hope this is a useful vehicle for them to be able to realise their ambitions.”

He adds: “We’re not doing this on our own. The festival is co-led by our industry, whether that’s people on our jury helping to shape the artist showcase, or the platforms, collectives and pioneers presenting them and shaping the programme with us, it’s something that we’re doing together.”

Big-name conference speakers announced so far include actors Idris Elba and Gillian Anderson, ABBA legend Björn Ulvaeus, Police drummer Stewart Copeland and fellow musicians Wyclef Jean and Jean Michelle Jarre. Holness insists that music is “integral” to the event.

“Music is the backbone of London in many ways,” he says. “It’s definitely how I make sense of the world around me. Not to in any way undermine the other parts of SXSW London – technology and screen – which will be really important parts of what we’re doing, but I think music is going to be what makes SXSW London feel alive in a way that I don’t think anything else can.”

SXSW London is produced under licence from SXSW LLC by Panarise, a live entertainment company established and owned by private investment firm Panarae. It will become the second international spin-off of the brand, following in the footsteps of SXSW Sydney, which debuted in Australia in 2023 and returns for its third year from 13-19 October.

“We’ve got over 900 companies coming to the festival and people from over 45 countries”

With the 2025 Austin flagship having just wrapped up, Holness says the London edition follows the “same fundamental framework” as its sister events.

“The basic building blocks of SXSW Austin and Sydney are absolutely informing how we’re working,” he remarks. “But as I’ve said before, this ain’t Texas, it’s going to feel different. It’s going to feel like the European version. Not just London, Europe and beyond. I’m getting on really well with my counterparts in Austin and Sydney, but I hope it feels different in a good way.”

Conference passes are priced £1,000 (€1,200), with music passes costing £600 (€720). And with just over two months to go until SXSW London, Holness says that preparations are on track.

“We’ve got over 900 companies coming to the festival and people from over 45 countries,” he finishes. “What I’m focused on is making sure that we’ve got the right decision-makers there and people who are able to to drive our industry forward and do better and bigger business together, but also on opportunities for artists.

“I have experience of delivering London festivals in June and am hoping we get really great weather. Of course, London is busy. The London calendar is busy, but I’m really excited for summer.”

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South by Southwest (SXSW) is expanding to Europe with the launch of a London edition in June 2025.

The Austin, Texas-hailing, world-leading cultural platform, which celebrates the convergence of creativity, culture and technology, will take over dozens of venues, galleries, clubs and other spaces in Shoreditch, east London, over the course of a week next summer.

SXSW London will expand the footprint of the conference and showcase festival, which has been held in the Texan capital since 1987. An Asia Pacific spin-off, SXSW Sydney, debuted in Australia last October. “These events, each with their own distinct flavour, make South By an indispensable three-stop tour for the global creative community,” says a statement.

“As a life-long fan of SXSW I truly believe that it’s more than an event – it’s a movement, a platform where the world’s greatest minds, musicians and motivators come to share their passion and their vision of the future,” says Randel Bryan, MD of SXSW London.

“SXSW London will build on Austin’s incredible legacy, presenting an event that underpins why SXSW is the go-to destination for professionals and creatives seeking meaningful connections, unexpected experiences and ideas that can help shape the world.

“SXSW London will also provide a platform for the next generation of creative talent and we will be working hard to ensure that opportunities for learning, employment and community uplift are at the heart of everything we do.”

“This is an incredible new opportunity to highlight the elements that make SXSW unique in one of the most vibrant cities in Europe”

More details about the SXSW London 2025 programme will be announced in the coming months, with badges due to go on sale in October 2024.

“We couldn’t be more excited to bring the SXSW experience to London,” says Jann Baskett, SXSW co-president and chief brand officer. “Following the success of SXSW Sydney, this is an incredible new opportunity to highlight the elements that make SXSW unique in one of the most vibrant cities in Europe. We look forward to forming deeper connections with our overseas community and bringing the conversations that start in Austin all the way to London.”

In addition to keynotes, music showcases, and innovations in tech, gaming and screen, SXSW London will introduce boundary pushing visual arts, design and fashion programming, with exhibitions and interactive and immersive experiences in public spaces across its east London campus.

SXSW London is produced under licence from SXSW LLC by Panarise, a live entertainment company established and owned by private investment firm Panarae. As SXSW’s European edition, SXSW London will have a particular emphasis on creative talent from across Europe and will also continue to develop Austin’s focus on climate action and sustainability.

“I am delighted to welcome SXSW to London for the first time ever – confirming our place at the heart of Europe’s tech and creative sectors and as a global capital of culture,” adds London mayor Sadiq Khan. “When I was part of SXSW in Austin in 2018, I saw first-hand the electric atmosphere of innovation SXSW creates and I can’t wait to be part of it again. This is a historic opportunity for London to once again bring the world’s most exciting talent together as part of our mission to build a better and more prosperous London for everyone.”

SXSW 2024 ran in Austin from 8-16 March, while SXSW Sydney is due to return from 14-20 October.

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