PLANET TRIBUTE - FAQs - Choosing a Band

Choosing an Abba Tribute Band for your event:

This guide has been written with the experience that comes from working 30 years in the entertainment industry and 20 years in Abba Tribute bands and I hope you will find some of the tips useful especially if this is your first time booking a band which can be quite daunting!

Here are some of the things I would check if I was booking an act:

How established are they?

You can tell this by things like – how many Facebook likes have they achieved? How many views have their videos got on Youtube? Sometimes they state this on their websites although the newer acts often claim to have started earlier!

Longevity has many advantages

1. They are obviously making a success of things to last a long time in a business where acts often come and go
2. They will be slick and confident on stage from years of experience
3. Their show is more likely to be as authentic as possible to the real thing
4. They will have invested more into their equipment / costumes etc over time
5. They will have many contacts in the industry so if one of the team is ill at the last minute for example they will know many other pro performers who can fill in at the drop of a hat
6. They will have experienced all of the things that could go wrong at any event and have built all that experience into making sure those things don’t go wrong at your event!

What do other people think of them?

How many reviews do they have on their website? While it’s easy for anyone to write a fake testimonial, it’s much harder to write 50 fake reviews and even harder to fake video testimonials – look out for these / or ask for some previous client you can contact for a reference. See what agent websites they are listed on also as this indicates a long term good relationship with that agent - If you just put the band name into a Google search you can easily see which agency sites are featuring them under their own name

Do you like the look / sound of them?

Never book a band without seeing a video – no professional Abba Tribute would not have a video. How good a quality is the video? High quality production shows they are investing money in their business, but I would always prefer to see some live video as well as just a studio one.
Whether you like the look of an act comes down to personal preference with some bands marketing themselves more on looks and others on sound. Do the costumes look high quality hand-made replicas or do they look like you could buy them on Ebay?!? Do they have several costume changes? – makes more a much more visually exciting show if they do. Do they sing with a Swedish accent for a truly authentic sound or not?

Does their set up fit your event?

Eg there are some Abba Tributes who specialise in Theatre tours / Festivals with full live band options and may not be as suited to private parties where a 4 Piece or Duo with smaller PA set up may be more suitable. Similarly if you are running a small festival you might want to consider a 5 or 6 piece band

Do their demos / videos sound a bit TOO like Abba?

We have noticed some Abba Tributes mixing in real Abba tracks with their own recordings lately so do beware of any sounding too like the real thing – maybe it is! Obviously then the live performance won’t sound as good as their demos

Can they perform anything other than just Abba?

Some bands offer only Abba but others have other set options you can combine – ideal for when not all your guests might be huge Abba fans perhaps

What is the style of their show?

Some Abba Tributes are done in a tongue in cheek cabaret style with a lot of humour / talking, some are more about recreating it exactly as Abba did it ... and some are in between ... some can be more interactive with audience participation etc if you require that also – something worth thinking about.

Is it a professional set up – can you rely on these people?

Is your enquiry answered quickly and efficiently? Do they require a contract / deposit? Is the person on the end of the phone personable and helpful? Have they got full public liability insurance (essential at most venues) and PAT tested equipment? – these would all reflect the signs of a professional operation. Remember slow response to your enquiry could mean difficulty getting hold of them when you really need to / if anything goes wrong.
We hear of several people being let down at the last minute when a band gets a better offer / or has double booked themselves due to not being very organised so ALWAYS get a legally binding contract

Are they flexible to your needs?

Some bands can get a bit diva-like sometimes! Find out how flexible they are to your requirements – eg what if your event dinner overruns and they have to go on later? What if you want to get up and sing a certain Abba song with them etc – can they accommodate all those sorts of things easily? You are the customer and they are a service provider, not Maria Carey with kittens on her rider!  So if anyone makes you feel they are doing YOU a favour then move on quickly!

Where are they based?

While most bands will travel if the budget is right, it does pay to go reasonably local if you can – within 1-2 hours drive say – it keeps the cost down to you and also reduces the risks of traffic hold ups / breakdowns etc on the way

How much do they charge and what’s included?

Obviously an important point – do check what’s included though so you are not comparing apples and pears! Also it’s always worth going back to your favourite act and asking for a discount if you have a more competitive offer from an equivalent act.
If they seem very cheap compared to other acts you have got quotes from, it could be that they are what we call “semi – pro” ie working 9-5 day jobs all week and then doing the odd Abba show at the weekend / now and then. Obviously you do get what you pay for and most professional (ie full time) Abba Tributes have been able to make music their careers as they are very good and in demand for what they do for a reason.

Do they play and sing live?

Most Abba Tributes do sing lead vocals live (although we did hear of one a while ago who made their girls sing to pre recorded tracks!) but not all play live – worth asking – do Bjorn and Benny play live guitar & keyboards?

Can you see them live before your event?

While most acts have so many videos this isn’t really necessary, there should at least be an option there if you do want to, although sometimes it’s hard to hold dates waiting for people to view without contracts / deposits.

THINGS NOT TO GET TOO HUNG UP ON:

What claims do they make?

There are acts that make a lot out of things like “Winner of such and such Tribute Awards” for example but do be aware, some of these competitions were not well publicised / took place several years ago so are not a true reflection that they are really the best of every Abba Tribute act in the UK!
Virtually every Abba Tribute says they are the no. 1 in the UK / Europe ( the world even! ) but again there is no way of substantiating that ...  Some are better known as they do more public shows eg theatre tours, others do more shows / year but under the radar of publicity ...
Personally I would ignore most of these claims and see what you think from the videos and the other points above.

How well they rank on Google

This is really just a reflection of how good their website designer is at Search Engine Optimisation rather than how good the act is so don’t let this influence you. Although most of the acts on the first page of google search results for “abba tribute band” have been around a reasonable amount of time.

I hope this guide has been helpful.