Review Centre: Tribute Bands & Soundalikes

"It’s March and still raining. I’ve trawled through some serious procrastination to decide where I’m going tonight; at least three decent live music offerings in Chester that I know of. And I’m sure the others were brilliant. The Original 90’s Britpop Experience are, in their own words, a “tribute to the British Britpop music scene” and a “powerful combination of passion and quality.” A tribute band, to me, equals lunatic professionalism. To tribute a whole scene is a big ask. Good covers bands are rare enough, taking that enormous and unlikely step beyond random amateur recreation. But these guys really do tick the box of perfectionists, professional curators though. Friday night was time travel night with a set list that captured the point where British alt-rock got (largely) happy and popular (in a good way). A guitar-dominated, looping and lurching opener with Ocean Colour Scene and The Riverboat Song; polished and convincing. The second song in and I’m braving the dance floor with the pointy-shooed brigade. A few songs further and they offer me proof of their professionalism. A very-very-very long time ago I was lucky enough to make it into Brixton Academy and unfortunate enough to catch James on a sincerely off night. And I’ve heard James and Sit Down many times since: at home, on the radio, in DJ sets and covered more than it should be. It's one of those beautiful songs that gets tired through overuse. And on this particular Friday night I heard it come alive; all vitality restored. There were the things I expected; a good dose of Blur and Oasis both, Stereophonics, Bluetones and more, then some referencing back to foundation stones with The Who and The Jam. The Original 90’s Britpop Experience switched between styles and musical voices with conviction; into acoustic things and seamlessly back out again. The magic of seeing grown men dance without a pint in hand happened repeatedly through the two sets. On any given set you pray for that one song you don’t see coming; the track you might flick through on the album that becomes something else entirely live. So it was with Blur’s Charmless Man. That perfect Blur poetry, is simple, direct and delivered with energy. The Original 90’s Britpop Experience are a good distance from being charmless. They are careful collectors and curators of songs; fine musicians and performers!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"The birthday party was absolutely a success and this is also thanks to the band and Ciro's fantastic energy. Hit after hit, her vocal range and stage presence "chained" us to the dance floor and made us dance for the rest of the evening. Highly recommended if you are looking for high-quality entertainment for your next party!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Hayley is a popular vocalist/entertainer at the Hotel, the guests always compliment her great vocals and her stage presence. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Fantastic, first time watching you "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Big thank you to The AirWaves for playing at our opening event in October! Second time we’ve booked them, outstanding at both! So many people commenting on how good they were!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Booking The Dynamos was exceptional from start to finish. Making the booking was very easy and hassle free and when they arrived they set up their equipment in no time at all. The three of them are incredible singers and the students all loved the show. Will definitely recommend to future years. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Lewis and I just wanted to extend a huge thank you to you and the sound guy for such a great evening's entertainment. So many of our guests remarked on how well you interacted with the audience - wandering around the room and out on to the terrace when the dance floor was quiet... very unusual and worked wonderfully well. Also can you apologise to your sound guy as I believe my dad asked if he could stay on past 1 thinking he was a friend of ours as opposed to a supplier so sorry about that as I'm sure he'd had just about enough by 1am! Thanks again Paul, Tiffany"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We had a selections of bands playing at our wedding, I was most looking forward to this one and they did not disappoint!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Gemma was a great asset to our wedding day, she went absolutely above and beyond to recreate an iconic scene from love actually for us, we couldn’t have asked for more, our guests were absolutely amazed and it was such a memorable moment. Gemma also played piano for us throughout our wedding breakfast which was amazing, it made our meal so special and our guests enjoyed it so much. From the moment we met Gemma at a wedding fayre all the way to our wedding day, she was so professional and accommodating, we had to change our date 3 times due to covid and she was so understanding and accommodating with it all. I recommend her so highly and anyone who has the pleasure of her being a part of their wedding will truly enjoy every moment. Thank-you Gemma. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"It was a fabulous evening and Alexa were excellent and kept the dance floor busy all night."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Hi Shaun, Would just like to thank you again for playing our wedding in St Ives. We had a great night & everyone enjoyed dancing to your show I particularly enjoyed your UB40 tribute set and your reggae set was a real crowd pleaser. You were everything we wanted and we will recommend you to anyone else that requires a live act for their wedding, Thanks again"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"The Upbeats Duo were amazing and made my Party Complete from start to finish they kept in contact and there music choices along with mine were brilliant and even did a DJ set can not recommend them highly enough in fact we paid a bit more for them to stay longer Book Book Book"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"The group was brilliant!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Great band, great music, multiple compliments from our guests. Would hire again."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"The Triple A’s are an amazing band to work with. The singer, Anna, has a very beautiful voice, very professional, great in communication and so accommodating. The band's performance was even better than we could expect for. We had a lot of compliments from our guests regarding the band. We would definitely recommend them to everyone. They were brilliant from the start till the end of their performance. Thanks a lot for making our special day even more special!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: