Review Centre: Covers Bands

"An absolute revelation - such a tight band with standout performances from all the musicians - and where did they find that vocalist?!"

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"Iris was absolutely fantastic, my guests at the party loved her singing voice! A great addition and she's so friendly and accommodating! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Rating 5/6 : Very Enjoyable Absolute Mayhem The Horse & Chains, Bushey on Saturday 30 September 2023 It's a rare thing to go into a local pub and hear a keyboard player who has been described as a musical "genius" by none other than David Bowie. This is no tall story either. The musician Billy Ritchie was the first player in rock music to give keyboards a prominent role -- and that was before Keith Emerson (ELP) and Rick Wakeman came on the scene. Billy told me that he remained good friends with the Thin White Duke until his death in 2016. Lanark-born Mr Ritchie now provides the skilful and fancy keyboards and records backing tracks for his latest incarnation Mayhem with talented female singer Carol Leslie. Carol is a really strong vocalist with a gutsy style. This dynamic duo started their first set at the cosy Sebright Arms with Elvis's late sixties' classic Suspicious Minds. The second song was a surprise -- Kirsty MacColl's comedy number There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears His Elvis. It was a perfect choice after the first song. Carol and Billy select their material wisely and give their audience something very different from the predictable Mustang Sally, Brown Eyed Girl and I Saw Her Standing There, churned out by so many pub bands. So it was great to hear Georgio Moroder and Phil Oakey's electro smash Together In Electric Dreams, Matchbox's catchy rocker Rockabilly Rebel, Starship's uplifting We Built This City (on which Billy demonstrated his keyboard dexterity) and Solomon Burke's gospel-ish Cry To Me. And that was just the first half. Carol is happy to tackle songs usually associated with male vocalists and she started part two with a raucous version of Bryan Adams' rocker Summer Of 69. If you have never seen Mayhem, ask Billy to perform Light My Fire, the Doors rock classic from 1967. This was a sheer musical masterclass as he re-created both vocally and instrumentally this great song. Billy has a rich, tuneful voice and this was a stunning performance. Other highlights in the second half included Journey's rock anthem Don't Stop Believing, Carol's gritty interpretation if Shania Twain's Man I Feel Like A Woman and a fine performance of Bon Jovi's Living On A Prayer A total of 24 songs and I cannot wait to see this duo again. My only concern is their name. I think many club and pubgoers might think Mayhem are a heavy metal band rather than an all-round, top class duo. COLIN FENN, DJ, Freelance Journalist Colin Fenn, DJ - Freelance Journalist, Thursday 5 October 2023"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Astonishing Vocals, Loved them!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We were lucky enough to have booked Steelosophical for our wedding and they were fantastic. We are off on a Caribbean cruise for our honeymoon and having Steelosophical there made it very real! All our guests loved the band. We had them playing throughout the drinks reception and the wedding breakfast and they played so well. If you get the chance to have these guys at your wedding or party, we would 100% recommend them."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Davie, At last I am getting a minute to thank you and the guys for an excellent evening playing at our Silver Wedding at Meldrum House. The music was fabulous, everything we expected and more! All our guests have been telling us how much they enjoyed the band, even those not energetic enough to dance say that they very much enjoyed listening to you play. We were well and truly shoogled and I know I wasn’t the only one with aching muscles the next day! Great fun, thanks for helping to make our special occasion a huge success, we all had a fantastic time. The only complaint we had was that the party finished too soon!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"These guys were exactly what I was looking for to make my dad’s 60th surprise party as special as it could be! Insane, sophisticated musicianship - thanks so much to you all!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Fantastic night watching these guys in Bierly Hill last weekend - the setlist was hit after hit of pure 90/00's nostalgia that had everyone dancing. Great performance and a great night!! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I just wanted to thank the Bright Light String Quartet for playing at our wedding ceremony, it was absolutely wonderful and made the wedding even more special. You were so professional and helpful to work with leading up to the big day, we couldn’t have hoped for a friendlier quartet!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We liked Mick and his band whose music was excellent, inspiring an evening of thoroughly enjoyable barn dancing. We would recommend them!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I had the pleasure of recording and filming the guys at their show in Middlesbrough last night. What a great bunch of guys. A real tight band, a brilliant set list that’s guaranteed to get you on the dance floor and Michelle, the lead singer is phenomenal. They made my job easy and not feel like a job at all. Thoroughly enjoyed them and would totally recommend anyone to go see them. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Josh what a fab night on Saturday. You guys went down really well. Everyone was talking about how good the group was. You made Christines night very special. Thank you both. Mark"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Uptown Groove were brilliant, very fun and friendly, but well organised and professional too, they got set up with a minimum of fuss and their performance was a blast, one of the highlights of our special day. I would definitely recommend them."

Reply by Uptown Groove
Hi Calum, Thanks for the fab feedback, we loved playing at your wedding. Best Regards, Geoff

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"The best decision we made for the Evening Reception of our wedding yesterday was hiring these guys! Brilliant band, so fun and yet so professional. They really made the night what it was... We would highly recommend them to anyone having an event in the future. Thanks so much for all your help and communication Paul. We LOVED our first dance xxxxx"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Hi Das Brass crew! Tom and I just wanted to say MASSIVE THANK YOU for playing the most awesome gig at our wedding!! We loved every second and all of our guests have been raving about how amazing you all were, thank you so much. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: