So, What's This All About?

Queen... always a very popular tribute act

First of all, hello! My name is Matt and I have recently got into this blogging thing. Why? Well, because I can basically prattle on and have a bit of a break from working. My job is pretty full-on and so it can be hard to find distractions. However, live music and live bands have always been a massive passion and so I figure that as I can't always get to actually go and see them (cash flow, time, other commitments etc.) I might as well write a bit about what I have seen, will be seeing and who has affected me in past years....

But....

I am only going to write about tribute bands and cover bands. Why? Well, there are a lot of reasons. First of all, these kind of bands and performers can be seen pretty inexpensively and also locally. I reckon that unless a massive effort to book accommodation (unless you live close to a venue) and travel a bit I could put money on the fact that the best nights out YOU have ever had that have involved live music have been with these kind of bands. Am I right?

It's pretty amazing to go and see a band like Bon Jovi or to witness the spectacle that is Lady Gaga, but the cost, normally pretty crappy seats, massively expensive drink prices, in-the-middle-of-nowhere locations, and queues to get in and out of the venue can make it all a bit of a buzz-killing experience.

Don't get me wrong, I love going to these kind of gigs. But, compared to a local venue where you can get to the venue on foot after having a couple of nice drinks locally, pay a reasonable price to help support live music and a local venue, buy competitively priced grog all night and then listen and watch a group of guys and girls who work really hard to give you a great night's entertainment. It can't be beat.

Specifically, I've seen some amazing tribute bands over the last few years and I've been witness to awesome cover bands* as well. And, whilst there have been some pretty dross ones I don't want to concentrate on them, positivity breeds positivity and so I will only be blogging about the good, the great and the colossal.

Now I don't claim to be a writer in any sense of the word so sometimes you may catch me rambling. I'll try to reign myself in as much as I can, but if I lose track, then I apologise now.

I want to support live music and live bands as much as I possibly can, and if I can do that by talking about it and encouraging you lovely folk to turn the X-Factor off, get up and get out I reckon we may just have a chance.

So, on with the show...

*Incidentally, by cover bands I mean bands that play other peoples songs and not their own compositions. A tribute band by comparison would be somebody who play a specific artist's music. For example, an Elvis tribute would perform only Elvis songs, whereas a cover band may play the odd Elvis song, but would also play tracks by The Beatles, The Killers etc. In addition, and more often than not, a band or performer dubbing themselves as a tribute band will also go that extra mile to try to look like the artist being mimicked and also do everything to sound as close to them as possible. Just to clarify :)