ABBA exhibition to highlight rise to fame in 'bleak' 1970s

An exhibition celebrating the rise of pop sensation ABBA will open at the Southbank Centre.

It will feature unseen archive material including original costumes, handwritten notes and sketches and personal photographs.

The exhibition will show the socio-political situation in the 1970s and how ABBA rose to fame during "quite a grim time for the UK", producers say.

ABBA Super Troupers will run from 14 December to 29 April.

Paul Denton, producer at the Southbank Centre, said: "We're looking at what was special about ABBA and why they rose to prominence.

"During the 1970s there was a three-day working week, a hung parliament and economically Britain was quite poor. ABBA were seen as quite exotic creatures from Sweden.

"Obviously their music is what carried them through, their music caught the hearts and imagination of people."