Killer Queen: Guaranteed to Blow Your Mind (Part 2 of 2)

Continued from Part One…

How did that lead to the band getting going?

The idea of tribute bands was really only just starting then. At the time there was this one Band called Bjorn Again that played the music of ABBA; they weren’t even called a tribute band. But I went back to university and said, “Maybe we should do a concert” of Queen’s music. So we got ourselves together, and we rehearsed and rehearsed. A friend of ours called Amanda said she wanted to make costumes for us.

And then bizarrely, we got offered this headline spot in the middle of London for our first ever show. I wasn’t sure were ready, but someone had passed a photograph of me to the venue’s entertainments officer. He’d forgotten to renew his entertainment license, so he couldn’t put on a major band like Nirvana or the Pixies or Blur or whoever was big at the time. So the only thing he could put on was a student band.

And I said, “Well, no one’s going to come to a ball to see a student band!” He said, “They will do if it’s a tribute band.” But I said no. I didn’t think were ready. I was scared. And I wasn’t sure people would like the idea of [a band] pretending to be Queen: Was it sacrilegious?

And then he said, “No, go on. I’ve got faith in you. Please give this some thought.” So I gave some thought and said, “Yes, let’s just do it, because I’m never going to get an opportunity like this again.” I thought, “Even if we do one show, wouldn’t it be great to do that one brilliant show in front of loads of students as opposed to trying to get a gig in a pub or something?” So that’s what happened.

How did that show go?

That first gig took off, and the entertainments officer said, “I want to manage you.” He booked us into big clubs like the Marquee, and he handled our marketing. He was very clever and savvy. And we were just shell shocked! This was like an abstract project, and it suddenly went from an abstract to “Oh, right, this is happening!”

Within about a year, we were in the West End; we had the first-ever tribute to anyone in the West End. There were musical shows – jukebox shows – but there wasn’t a tribute band having their own evening where there was a concert. Then we were on national TV, and we started getting loads of work abroad.
But you were all students at the time; how did that work?

Right. And the students that I was with all had to go back to university, because it was too much to do [both]. But I had already taken a year off to do a theater show, which fell through. I was footloose and fancy free for a year, so I carried on.

Where did you find new musicians?

At first I recruited some Notting Hill musicians who were a lot older than me; it was like being invaded by a bunch of pirates! It was really awkward, because they didn’t understand tributes. They weren’t that bothered about Queen. And it was like, “Oh, no, this music is really tricky.” Whereas before, we were all students and we were all getting on the same side. Now suddenly I am with people that are going, “Why do we have to play exactly like another band? I want to express myself, man.” So we had quite a few teething troubles for a while, finding the right bunch of people.

But it kept on. It kept on growing and growing, and we started winning awards. And then, when the internet came along, I started marketing the band. At the time, Queen weren’t touring, and it looked like they might not tour again. Suddenly the arenas got in touch and said, “Would you like to come and play some arenas?” And again, my first reaction was, “Bloody hell, no!” And then I thought, “Well, if we get them to put all the big lights on, and we insist on the big Queen experience, if that’s what they’re offering, it could work.”

Again, I was in the same position as that first-ever show. I thought, “I’ve got to do it, because at least if this is the last gig we ever do, this is a daydream that became real overnight.” I know it doesn’t sound like a daydream, because were rehearsing and marketing ourselves. But I didn’t seriously expect it. So I just said yes.

And then America got in touch. We played Red Rocks and places like that, and different arenas all over the world. And we still do arenas every couple of years, depending on our touring schedule. We play prestigious places like Austin City Limits.
I’ve “just said yes” at strategic times in my life, and it seems to have worked out all right.

What makes Queen and their music special for you?

The lovely thing is to share all this with audiences that love the music. They’re beautiful songs.
I think a lot about Queen as a band; not just Freddie. I think of their musicality, their personality and their sense of humor. I’ve never met them, and I don’t know whether I ever will or not. But I’ve spent so much time in the company of their songs that those songs feel like friends.