Tribute

I have never really understood the demand for "Tribute" acts, which seem to fill the schedules of most small to medium sized music venues of late.

I go to the Brook in Southampton occasionally and a quick glance at what they are hosting for the next few months, shows a good percentage of the acts are tributes to former favourites who are either no longer with us or too old/scared to play live.

I have seen a couple. Gaga, a Queen tribute band who sound just like their heroes used to and look a bit like them. Freddie and Brian are represented by one overly talented guy who you can’t help thinking should maybe be trying to emulate Matt Bellamy, with original material in his own name.

I’ve also seen U2UK who do sound and look like the originals, but although enjoyable enough only really made me want to see the real U2!

Last week however I went to see the Australian Pink Floyd and they changed everything! They made me realise that for some bands/genres the live experience is just that and who actually is delivering that experience is less important.

APF reproduced Floyd at their finest, with the full on stage show, including the huge circular screen at the centre of the stage with lights all around it. They had lasers, inflatable pigs, inflatable school masters and best of all, a twelve foot tall, bouncing, inflatable bright pink kangaroo!!!! The musicianship was of the highest standard and they nailed song after song, to the point that the real band being on stage, in aural terms, would have been only slightly better. Clearly they didn’t write a note of the music and the original stage show was designed by others too, but they therefore also don’t have the record royalties to fund such a special evening.

I have therefore changed my view on some Tribute acts. These days most classical concerts are in some way a tribute act evening. Beethoven is long gone so the chances of his conducting his own 5th Symphoney is unlikely. So when the BBC concert orchestra perform it live, it is no more than a tribute act, albeit on a bigger scale.

APF are no different, they reproduce "classic" rock music in a way that reflects exactly how the writers would do so and that, to me, makes this type of Tribute act completely justified.