Paying Tribute to the Playing Tributes

Wish We Were Pink Floyd, Chichester Assembly Rooms, 9.11.19

A relative gig holiday for me for a few weeks so time to catch up on a gig I missed a Blog on – Wish We Were Pink Floyd at Chichester Assembly Rooms. This may look like an excuse to delve into a host of tribute acts I’ve seen…it is.

There was a time I was a bit dismissive of tribute bands but they seem to have come into their own. Particularly useful where seeing the real deal would involve a time machine, a miracle or a long shot at a £150 for an awful view in some distant venue.

Mr Kyps, Poole

Every town seems to have a tribute band haven where they head for. Posters announce a fabulous array of mis-spelled and pun-tastic names, or just famous names with a UK or similar suffix…how lame. I was so disappointed to see the end of Poole’s Mr Kyps venue in Ashley Cross – yes Mr Kyps still promotes many of the tribute favourites at other venues around the area but we still miss Mr Kyps…we could walk there.

At Kyps I blew my ears out with The Four Fighters, and enjoyed the likes of Green Bay and other eyebrow raising names such as The Fillers and Sgt Pepper’s Only Dartboard Band (!). Fleetwood Bac to me, having never seen or likely to see the real thing, provided an excellent alternative for a tenner. Particular Kyps highlights were U2 Baby and The Sex Pistols Experience – I never did catch the all girl Pistols tribute alternative: the wonderfully named Sex Pissed Dolls (!! Yes really).

Oasiss, Foo Fighters GB and The Stereoiromics are memorable tributes (for the right reasons) that have graced the Poole harbourside summer music festivals I’ve been to in recent years.

Oasiss were put on by Kyps at one his new alternatives: Parkstone Trades and Labour Club earlier this year. Really good but not many there.

The Bowie Experience performances at Mr Kyps were the most memorable. A great night and a full house to celebrate Bowie’s 70th birthday but shortly after Bowie died and two further memorial gigs were put on. People queued right down the road. I went on the first of the two nights. The place was rammed. The bar ran out of beer and emergency trips by staff to the supermarket for extra supplies kept things going. A fine tribute tribute to the great man. Absolute Bowie, who I saw at The Brook, Southampton in January, is another really good Bowie tribute, especially in the early Bowie era.

Just like being there

The Smyths are one of the better ‘it’s like seeing the real thing’ tributes – once at Glastonbury in a tent and later at Bournemouth Old Fire Station. Also Speak ‘n’ Spell delivered a greatest hits alternative to Depeche Mode, again at Glastonbury 2017.

One that fulfilled the need to see a now impossible to see band is Laughing Stock, Talk Talk fakers. They played a captivating set in Brighton last year which finished promptly enough to allow a rare opportunity to see two gigs in one night.

Genuine tribute?

I don’t know if tribute bands with an original band member really count as a tribute – From the Jam with Bruce Foxton is something of a hybrid.

Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg at The Fleece, Bristol was about as good as it gets for a quasi-tribute act, and I did catch Ritchie Ramone at Fibber Magees in Dublin a few years back.

The full tribute Ramones option comes in the form of all girl tribute The Ramonas who can recreate the real Ramones excitement – seen them three times in 2019, including their original material set on the introducing stage at Butlins Minehead Alternative Music Festival.

Plastic Letters

Earlier this year I saw Blondie tribute Bootleg Blondie, with Blondie’s original drummer Clem Burke on drums, in Wimborne. How did they pull that off?

The tribute act night out is still something special. It probably doesn’t need watering down with genuine original band members sneaking in to the act, and bumping the ticket price up.

After being hopelessly side tracked into some of my tribute band experiences I will get to the latest one, Wish We Were Pink Floyd, but not before a shout for Blondie tribute Blonde E Lux, playing mainly in Cornwall with some welcome and nostalgic additions to a pure Blondie set – Transvision Vamp, Lightning Seeds, Primitives and more – Bridget and Andy also play occasionally as a duo which is how they were when I caught up with them at the Dorset Soldier pub in Sandford, near Wareham, Dorset this summer.

https://blondeelux.weebly.com/ for more.

Wish We Were Pink Floyd

So a Pink Floyd tribute act. Historically not my bag but in recent years I have come to appreciate Floyd, after much mocking of prog rock school mates in the punk filled late 70s.

The recent Chichester Wish We Were Pink Floyd was a good excuse to base a night out with musically appreciative friends on. I still wondered if I should have grown my hair longer – tribute prog rock so maybe a wig even – and sewn some flare bits into my jeans; a cape, a mousey ‘tash. I needn’t have worried.

There are of course some big name Floyd tributes that I have heard people rave about. The likes of Australian Pink Floyd are half way to full price fakes. Our lot though are still great musicians and I couldn’t fault it. I’d recommend to any Floyd fan. Perhaps I’ll catch the Aussie tribute sometime to compare. The Brit Floyd one maybe better I’ve heard.

Very much a welcome greatest hits selection at this gig. The seated table lay out to the gig was a bit weird but we enjoyed our seats in a back corner. The venue was welcoming and full.

I did get the chance to see the real Floyd’s Dave Gilmore last year when he came on as a guest at the final Pretty Things gig in the Indigo O2, Greenwich. He didn’t hog their limelight – quite special to see.

I once had a paper round and delivered to his house in Sunbury-on-Thames, down by the river, but I don’t recall him being there then. There is a Floyd mural on the garden wall- my mum took that photo.

I look forward to more tribute bands in future years. One day maybe I’ll be booking then in a day centre for old rockers somewhere . No time to be sniffy about tribute bands. Value entertainment with some very fine musicians (eh Joe Duke).