ABBA's Benny Andersson: 'We don’t know if our new music is any good'

Playing Chess: Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson at press night of the musicaol
Dave Benett

ABBA star Benny Andersson said it was wonderful being back in the studio with his bandmates — but admitted he did not know if the new music was any good.

The songwriter was joined by co-star Björn Ulvaeus at the press night of their hit musical Chess which has returned to the West End 32 years after its stage debut.

He said it was like “no time has passed” when they got back in a studio with their former bandmates, Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, to record two tracks for their digital tour which will see a computer-generated version of the band perform.

He said: “We never said we wouldn’t reunite in the studio, we said we wouldn’t reunite on tour and we have this digital tour and thought it would be nice to have a couple of new songs in there.

“We said, ‘Let’s try and see what happens and if we don’t think it’s good enough we won’t release it and if we think it is good enough we will.’

“We still don’t know if they are good — but we didn’t know when we released the other tracks either.”

The show, which the two wrote with Sir Tim Rice, stars Alexandra Burke and Michael Ball and tells the story of rival chess players competing for Russia and the US during the Cold War. The revival received a standing ovation from the audience at the London Coliseum as Andersson, Ulvaeus and Sir Tim joined the cast at the curtain call. Ulvaeus said it was “emotional” seeing the show again and said its Cold War setting seemed more contemporary than ever, adding: “It is not called the KGB any more but it is still there.”

Chess - In Pictures

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Tim Howar, who plays American chess champion Freddie Trumper in the show, had to leave a preview performance last week during the interval after his wife Jodie Oliver went into labour.

He was on stage last night — and also showed off his new son Hamish Rex.

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