Bjorn Again were told they had no morals but showed naysayers success is the best revenge

When Bjorn Again started at The Tote in Melbourne 30 years ago they were told they were a “copy band” that wouldn’t get anywhere. Now they’ve performed nearly 8000 shows around the world and last Saturday returned to where it all began.

Bjorn Again’s founder John Tyrrell was told he “had no morals” when he began the ABBA tribute act 30 years ago.

“No Melbourne booking agent would touch us. They said ‘Nah! You’re gonna be a copy band’. And that’s what I called us, a copy band.

“We invented the tribute act in Australia. Everyone thought we’d kicked an own goal by only copying one band,” said Tyrrell.

He now looks after other tribute and cover acts Queen Forever, Elton Jack and The Robbie Williams Experience.

“We’ve probably done nearly 8000 shows with Bjorn Again. In the late ‘90s we set up bases in Melbourne, UK and Canada,” he said.

“We did our first gig The Tote in May 1989, it was packed and the place was went nuts. We thought ‘Gee! Is there another gig in this? It was a bit if fun, it wasn’t an entrepreneurial pursuit,” Tyrrell said. We did another show at The Tote that was so packed we were turning people away.

Last Saturday night they went back to where it all began.

Bjorn Again with these name on the board at The Tote.

“We’ve had at least 100 of the front four — easily — and over 100 bass players and drummers.

“The original Bjorn Again members went for four years. They were living in The UK and after a while the girls got sick of it. The guys loved it,” Tyrrell says.

“The best thing is they’re anonymous! They’re playing original venues like they were rockstars. Then they can walk around the streets the next day with total anonymity,” Tyrrell said.

“In general, the girls would prefer they weren’t anonymous, the boys seem to care less.”

Tyrrell and his early 90s Bjorn Again charges got to meet Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.

“We met ABBA in 1992 in Stockholm. They were extremely friendly. They couldn’t work out why these original musos were playing their stuff. ‘Our stuff sucks,’ I said.”

Bjorn Again experienced surges in interest when Muriel’s Wedding (1994), Mamma Mia! (2008) and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018) were all box office smashes.

On New Year’s eve 2006, Bjorn Again achieved a personal best.

“We did seven New Year’s eve shows. We did three here, three in England and one in America. We have understudies for each person. It’s like a touring theatre group. We were getting so many inquiries.”

Bjorn Again at The Tote May 2019.

The phone has barely stopped since.

“We did a private show for Vladimir Putin in Moscow in 2009. The UK band got flown from London to Moscow and drove eight hours in the snow and arrived at a palace and they performed for 6 people ...one of them was Vladimir Putin. It was very strange. Word got out and I had 40 messages on my phone the next day from press asking why we did it. Turns out Putin is a Bjorn Again fan.”

Bjorn Again have also done private shows for Rowan Atkinson, Russell Crowe and Bill Gates. “Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin) turned up to a gig in London, U2 came in Ireland and Nirvana came to a gig here at the Central Club in Richmond.”

Bjorn Again’s ever-changing line-up.

Tyrrell proudly recalls the Seattle grunge kings flexing their muscles on behalf a few months later. “Nirvana asked Bjorn Again to support them at Reading Festival in England. I got a call saying Nirvana called the booker and if you don’t add Bjorn Again then we’re not coming to play Reading.”

READ MORE:

NICK OFFERMAN DOES HIS BEST RON SWANSON

EZRA KOENIG OWES BEYONCE ONE

BUSKERS TOLD TO AUDITION FOR COVETED SPOTS

Bjorn Again went back to the the scuzzy punk rock venue in Collingwood to warm up for their Hamer Hall show on Friday night. The line-up was different but the set list remained very similar with Waterloo, Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!, Knowing Me, Knowing You, SOS and Fernando.

At Hamer Hall the group will play to 2500 people for their 30th anniversary. Their support, Elton Jack is another tribute act ready for a spike in interest now biopic Rocketman has hit cinemas.

SEE: Hamer Hall, the Arts Centre. Fri, 8pm. $79.50/$89.50. artscentremelbourne.com.au

[e-mail]

@joeylightbulb