Access Abba: One Week in Brighton

First Gallery

Frida and Agnetha sit on Benny and Björn’s shoulders for a photo in front of Brighton Dome
April 1974

The largest frame on the South wall in Gallery 1 is the first print in the first section. The black frame is about 74cm High by 54 cm wide and is mounted in portrait orientation. The black and white image is about 25cm across and is set within a white mount.

The exterior photograph is of the four members of the Swedish pop group ABBA. Frida and Benny are on the left and Agnetha and Bjorn are on the right. They are at a photoshoot in the Pavilion Gardens, with the Dome concert hall in the background. In the hazy spring sunlight, the image is jolly and has a playful mood.

Frida is sitting on Benny’s shoulders. She is a slender woman in her late twenties. Her mid-toned, shoulder-length hair tumbles from a large, dark, brimmed hat. Around her neck is a short, large-beaded, silvery necklace. She is wearing a tight-fitting, checked cowboy shirt and tight, dark trousers that are flared at the bottom of the leg. A pair of paler, round-toed boots complete the look. Frida’s smile beams unselfconsciously as she balances on Benny. She is resting her right arm on his head, and her body is leaning towards Agnetha. The girls have one arm around each other’s shoulders.

Agnetha is sitting on Bjorn’s shoulders. She is smiling, though appears to be sitting less comfortably than Frida, holding her left arm straight down, with her palm pressed against Bjorn’s shoulder for support. Agnetha is a slim woman in her mid twenties. Her longer blonde hair has a windswept fringe, parted on the left. She is wearing a mid-toned, polo-neck jumper in a thick, lightly ribbed jersey fabric. A delicate, metallic pendant hangs from a short chain around her neck. Her flared denim jeans are decorated with a double line of white stitching running centrally from the pocket to the hem. The stitching is curved at the top, forming a border around the outer edge of the trouser leg. Sprigs of small, embroidered flowers fill the panel. She wears chunky, dark leather boots with thick soles, rounded toes and a piping detail over the top.

Benny is looking very relaxed, on the bottom left of the image. His right hand is gently supporting Frida’s knee, and his left hand hangs loosely by his side. Benny is in his late twenties, has a rounded, smiling face with a full beard. His mid-toned, collar length hair has a parting on his right side and a layered fringe sweeps to his left eye. His body is turned slightly to face Bjorn. He is wearing a pale, floral patterned cotton shirt with a large, open collar, paired with pale trousers, underneath a dark, double-breasted ‘donkey-style’ jacket.

Bjorn on the lower right of the image is holding on to Agnetha’s thighs. He is clean-shaven and in his late twenties. He has tousled, mid-toned, collar-length hair and an impish grin! Bjorn is wearing dark trousers and a thick, woollen polo neck, slightly darker than Agnetha’s. The image is cropped at the men’s knees.

The background of the image reveals the minarets and decorative architecture of the Dome concert hall. The Domed roof is on the right side of the image, behind the branches of a tree. A large crane is parked outside the building. A grass lawn, hedge and flower border stand between the Dome and the performers.

A few of the band’s belongings are strewn on the grass behind them, adding to the informal nature of the shot.

Olivia Newton-John with ABBA’s Benny Andersson
6 April 1974

On the North wall in Gallery 1 hangs the third frame in the third section. The black frame is about 60cm High by 40 cm wide and is mounted in portrait orientation. The black and white image is about 25cm high and 22cm across and is set within a white mount.

The main subjects are Benny from ABBA and the singer Olivia Newton John. Benny is on the left of the image and Olivia is on the right. The image has been cropped at waist level. This appears to be an interior photograph, taken at an event, with a white, boxy door frame visible in the background. The photograph texture is soft focus and grainy. The overall feel of the photograph is slightly forced, as if there has been an obligatory interruption.

Benny is in his late 20s. His neat, mid-toned hair is collar length and is in a typically 70s style. He has a layered fringe sweeping diagonally down from a parting on his right, towards his left eye. Benny is looking straight at the viewer. His kind-looking face is oval, he has a broad forehead, high, rounded cheekbones, with a full, neatly clipped beard. His eyes are twinkly, his nose, although not large, is prominent and rounded. He is smiling but he keeps his lips closed. Benny is smartly dressed with a pale coloured checked shirt with a large triangular collar. The neckline is unbuttoned, creating a sharp V. Over the shirt Benny is wearing a dark coloured woollen double-breasted jacket. It is fastened with at least 4 visible brass buttons. He holds a small glass in his right hand and his left arm is behind Olivia’s back.

Olivia also faces directly front. She is a young-looking woman in her mid-twenties. Olivia’s wavy, shoulder length blonde hair falls around her face from a centre parting. She has large eyes, a small, rounded nose and a small but expressive face. She is smiling, showing a row of white teeth.

Around her neck Olivia is wearing a delicate, choker style necklace with a butterfly motif at the front centre. Her white shirt has on it a squared polka dot pattern and a large, decorative, triangular pointed collar. The points extend beyond the collar of the lightweight, pale coloured, cotton sports blazer that she is wearing over the top. There is a small sporting emblem on her left side blazer breast pocket. Olivia holds a glass with both hands at waist level.

The moment captured here by the photographer is sociable, but just a little shy.

Second Gallery

Frida adjusts Benny’s collar before they leave the hotel
6 April 1974

Alamy Stock Photo

On the North wall in Gallery 2 hangs the second frame in the fifth section. The black frame is about 74cm High by 54 cm wide and is mounted in portrait orientation. The black and white image is about 40cm high and 23cm across and is set within a white mount.

This interior photograph has been taken in the foyer of the Grand hotel in Brighton. The mood in this photograph is of quiet anticipation. It has an opulent feel.
It is a full length portrait of Frida, nervously adjusting Benny’s costume. The couple stand facing each other, side on to the viewer, with Frida on the left and Benny on the right.

Frida is a slim woman in her late twenties. She has mid coloured, curly hair that has been hair-sprayed to a “buffont” style, making it look fuller and rounder. Only her right side is visible and her face is a side profile. He right eye is defined but also obscured with dramatic make up and she is wearing lipstick. A beauty spot high on her cheek peeks out from under her curly hair.

Frida is wearing a close fitting, white long-sleeved jacket in crushed stretch-velvet. It has an elastic waistband on the bottom edge and the two bottom Popper buttons can be seen. The collar and cuffs of the jacket are obscured by a mid-coloured material with a flowing, white graphic pattern that resembles clover leaves. The jacket is adorned with draped chains, stars and badges.

Frida’s skirt is almost floor-length and is made out of tiered panels of different fabrics. The waist and hip part is made of two horizontal bands of embroidered stretch-velvet, that joins to another panel of the clover-leaf fabric. The longer part of the skirt is more flared, made with vertical panels but the fabric is very dark in this image. Only a white flash of one of the front vertical panels is visible down the front.

Facing Frida is Benny. Only his left side profile can be seen. Benny is a man in his early thirties with mid brown shoulder length hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He faces Frida with a calm, resigned expression, as he lets her fiddle with his white collar. He too is wearing a stretch-velvet jacket but his is much shinier than Fridas and appears to be a silvery pale colour. It too is adorned with draped chains, badges and patches. It has a striped waistband with matching cuffs, from which protrude white frilly shirt cuffs.
Benny’s trousers are of a dark, silky fabric and are tight enough to fit into his shiny, knee-lentgh, silver platform boots. The boots have a high heel and the left boot sports two dark ‘cross’ motifs cut into the leather – one long one down the outer- lower leg and a smaller, squarer one on the upper part of the shoe.

The foyer in the background is filled with people milling around. The architecture of the foyer is impressive with fancy plasterwork and mirrors. A decorative balcony leads to a staircase, viewed from its underneath. Two, black decorative columns on the balcony centrally frame the chandelier light fitting, which hangs at the top of the image, illuminating the balcony. At foyer level, a man is sitting some distance behind Benny, in a more contemporary seating area lit with side lamps. A tall, decorative vase of pale flowers is placed on some furniture behind Frida. The hallway carpet stretches back and has a mottled floral pattern. The hotel lobby feels busy, but subdued.

Drum kit, used by ABBA for their Eurovision 1974 performance
Lent by Zachary Adams

As you enter Gallery 2 there is a low plinth, about 30cms off the floor in the centre. On it is a drum kit, in front of a projection screen.

The kit consists of 3 drums and 3 x cymbal towers. The drums are cylindrical and are in three sizes: a ‘tom tom’ drum on the viewer’s right, a bass ‘kick drum’ in the centre and a mid-sized ‘floor-tom’ drum on the left.

The body or shell of all three drums in the kit are a highly lacquered glossy, maroon coloured wood. The drum skins are made of cream vellum-like material, stretched tightly to the edge of the circular metal frames. They all have shiny, chrome metal frames, stands and fittings.

The largest drum is the kick drum at floor level. The circular drum face is about 50cm and the body of the drum is about 42cm deep. It stands on its side, with the front skin facing the viewer. It stands vertically, supported either side by a pair of thin, chromed metal feet that stick out diagonally. The front drum skin has a large hole cut into it making it possible to see through the drum to the complete skin on the far side. The back drumskin is discoloured and has heavy dark, brown staining, particularly towards the centre and bottom, suggesting frequent use. Around the maroon body of the kick drum are two, creamy white bands. They are raised and create a lip, over which the highly polished chrome metal tighteners and fittings sit.

The front skin sports a logo near the top, next to which it says ‘Sonor’ in thick black capital letters at about 1.5cm high. The black logo is simple. It consists of two black coin-sized dots with a straight black line coming out of each of them. They look like two black lollipops, positioned top to tail, with the left one pointing down and the right one pointing up. This logo is repeated on a small, metallic, rectangular label on the top of the drum body.

On top of the kick drum and on the viewers right side, is a tom tom drum. At about 35cm wide and 22cm deep, The tom tom is a much smaller drum than the kick drum.
The tom tom is mounted face up and attached to the kick drum by a silvery metal pole, about the thickness of a adult’s thumb. It sticks out at a slight angle and is tilted towards the would-be drummer.

The Sonor metal logo plate is riveted onto the front of the tom tom drum body. Underneath the logo is a separate metal plate which states ‘Made in Western Germany’.
The third drum known as a floor tom is freestanding at the back of the kit and stands about 70cm high in total. At about 45cm wide and 40cm deep, it looks like an elongated version of the tom tom drum. The floor tom is placed face up and completely flat, raised up on a circular chrome stand, supported by three thin metal rods.

At the front of the drum kit stand two, tall cymbal towers, roughly 115cm in height. These two large circular cymbals are each about 45cm wide. They are made from thin but ridged sheets of an unpolished brass-coloured metal and have a slightly domed shape. They rise above the drumkit on either side and are mounted centrally on their stands. Like the tom tom drum, they are angled towards the would-be drummer. Each cymbal stand consists of an upright, adjustable rod on three rod-shaped legs that splay out from the base, with black rubber feet on the end.

On the viewers right side, the drum kit is completed by a pedal operated ‘hi hat’ cymbal tower. It is positioned next to the snare drum, completing the semi-circle arrangement in which the drummer would sit. The hi hat is smaller than the two other cymbal towers. It actually consists of two cymbals about 35 across, mounted flat, one above the other, with the lower one upside down. The pedal is a small black footplate mounted at a slight angle on to one of the tripod legs.

Blue Björn Again tribute band outfit, 1998

At the end of Gallery 2 there is a low plinth, about 30cms off the floor in the centre. On it are a pair of dressed mannequins, in front of a projection screen.

The costume being described here is a blue outfit on the mannequin on the viewer’s left.
The full body mannequin is life-size and stands at about 1.7metres (or approximately 5 foot 8). It is pale beige in colour and its head has no defined facial features or hair. It has a smooth finish and is posed with it’s left arm holding up a microphone to its face. The other arm is straight down, with the hand positioned so it sticks out slightly.

On the head is a sparkly blue, sequinned hat in a skull cap style. The mannequin is wearing an electric blue shirt, with a pointed collar and long sleeves. The body of the shirt as well as the collar and cuffs are in a satin finish, with the sleeves being made of a slightly see-through, shimmering organza fabric, gathered in at the cuff.

The shirt is fitted but not tight. The hemline is curved and shaped to raise slightly over the hips on either side. Under the shirt, the mannequin wears a pair of electric blue, shiny satin trousers that end just below the knee. They are fitted tight at the top around the pelvis, but flare out into a balloon shape, like pantaloons. They are gathered and each leg is finished off with a narrow cuff, which is band of the same blue fabric that is tucked into a pair of shiny silver platform boots.