Post by wingsj0 on Aug 5, 2006 19:29:55 GMT
The Band: Den Pugsley - Bass Guitar/Vocals/Guitar & Harmonica:
Jamie Cook - Guitar /Vocals: Steve Phypers - Drums/Backing Vocals
Chris Skornia - Keyboard/Backing Vocals: Phil Evans - Guitar/Backing Vocal
The Venue: Broxbourne Civic Centre in Hertfordshire: The date: 7th June 2006
The audience was seated, the stage was set. Drums, keyboard and mics were all in place and the guitars lined up. Behind the instruments a large white Screen flanked by two slightly smaller ones, were blank. All that was needed to bring it to life, was the band.
A ripple went round the audience as the house lights dimmed; the strains of Manfred Mann’s 5-4-3-2-1 filled the auditorium as a countdown was simultaneously being projected on the big screen at the back of the stage. On that darkened stage 5 shadowy figures prepared themselves. As we watched and waited, anticipation was high.
The stage lights went up on Den, Steve, Jamie, Chris & Phil and without preamble or comment, they went straight into the classic ‘She Loves You’. Behind them, video footage of The Beatles gazed down upon us and as I looked up at the stage I realised a small dilemma - should I look at the band, the stills or the video!? On this occasion however, I had absolutely no trouble deciding at all because it was the band that had my full attention! Why? Because for this particular show The Overtures came as their alter-ego ‘The Bootleg Sixties’ and were dressed as members of classic 1960’s bands! The effect was wonderful.. Den looked every inch a Ray Davies ‘Kink’ in his stunning red hunting jacket and white frilled shirt; Steve’s white ‘target’ T-shirt emulated Keith Moon of The Who; Jamie in his silver grey collarless suit was the perfect Beatle; Phil looked great in dark blue shirt and large white buttons as Mike Nesmith of The Monkees, and last but not least, Chris, resplendent in black jacket and cream trousers represented Mike Smith of the Dave Clark Five. Watching and listening, I knew right there and then that this show was going to be amazing. And so it proved.
The band finished their faultless performance of ‘She Loves You’ and from then on right through to the end of the show, they performed a succession of 60’s hits with such professionalism and high energy, that it took your breath away. Where else in one show could you hear songs as diverse as When You Walk In The Room, Strawberry Fields; Surfin’ USA, Light My Fire; Mr. Tambourine Man and Pinball Wizard - all sung by the same band? As if this wasn’t enough, appropriate video footage was playing on the centre screen plus the two screens at each side of the stage were flashing up images of adverts and events of the era thus providing a visual spectacle as well as the sound of the Sixties. There were gasps, whispers and muted laughter as people in the audience saw something on screen that they had long forgotten about. The “oh-my-god it can’t be that long ago” was heard on more than one occasion
The Overtures guest singer Ellie had a great stage presence as well as a great voice. She totally looked the part dressed in a Mary Quant black and white mini-dress, white boots and Mod hat for the first half, switching to a paisley dress (with boots of course) for the 2nd. Her first half numbers were Martha & The Vandellas ‘Heatwave’ and Dusty's ‘Son Of A Preacher Man’. She then belted out ‘River Deep Mountain High’ by Ike & Tina as well as Lulu’s 'Shout' in the second half! She was tremendous and went down very well with the audience in both halves of the show.
A comedy moment was provided courtesy of Steve when the band sat down to get themselves ready for a Beach Boys song. There wasn’t a chair for him and what ensued had the audience veering between sympathy and gales of laughter. He milked it for all it was worth and I can honestly say that if ever he got fed up being in a band, he could easily be a stand up comic! ‘In My Room’ was finally performed with Chris swapping his keyboards for an accordion. By now Chris was performing as 'token Beach Boy' in blue & white candy-striped shirt - and the sight of this usually energetic Rock ‘n’ Roll band all sitting down, singing and harmonising so beautifully as they performed this classic song was indeed a highlight of the show.
Another high point for me personally was when they performed ‘You Were On My Mind’ by Crispian St Peters. It’s a song you seldom hear these days - and to hear it played ‘live’ and so brilliantly was for me, magical. The band certainly did the song more than justice.
A couple of poignant moments came in the second half. It opened with footage of the 1966 World Cup being shown on the big screen, whilst The Overtures great new single, “Forever England” accompanied it. With the new tounament only recently underway the collective audience at The Broxbourne Civic Hall was charged with optimism. By the time the footage ended with "2006?" emblazened accross the screen an entire audience could almost believe that football was indeed about to come home! Of course, that wasn't to be ( 'though we can hardly blame the band for that!).
As the 'footie song' faded away Den came on stage, accompanied only by his acoustic guitar and harmonica and sang Bob Dylan’s moving anti-war song ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’. As the cheers, whistles and enthusiastic applause died down, the lights dimmed again and video footage of John F Kennedy with his wife Jackie on their ill fated tour of Texas, flickered into life. As the picture froze on an enigmatic JFK, Den & Jamie walked to their mics and the acoustic intro to Simon & Garfunkel’s poetic ‘Sound of Silence’ filled the air. The sound was crystal clear - once again their voices blending beautifully - and the combination of all these things was so poignant that it was almost too painful to bear. As the last chords faded away, the whole auditorium was totally silent for a few seconds before thundering applause came from every part of the auditorium.
The rest of the band then came back on stage and if anything was designed to lighten the mood, then it was Phil’s jacket!! It was a shiny, red, white & blue, Union Jack (The Who's Pete Townshend circa '66?). Teemed with a bright red and white shirt, he looked Absolutely Fabulous!! After acknowledging the shouts and wolf-whistles with a small bow and a wide grin, he picked up his guitar and joined the band in playing the Kinks wonderfully sardonic ‘Dedicated Follower of Fashion. The show then went up another gear -although it didn’t seem possible that it could - and The Overtures/Bootleg 60’s continued to remind us all just how many great, memorable songs the decade produced. All too soon Den was announcing it was almost time to go – we all groaned, but then he invited the audience to “get up and have a dance with us” for the last section. It was obvious that was what many people were waiting for as no second invitations were needed! The floor quickly filled up and everyone on it happily danced away for the rest of the set. As The Overtures finished with ‘Do You Love Me’, they said goodnight and left the stage - but we weren’t having any of that! We clapped, we stomped, we yelled, we whistled and called for more until thankfully, before we completely lost our voices, they came back on for an encore. After Den thanked the crew, they launched into their own terrific version of Jumpin’ Jack Flash; They have made this Stones classic their own over the years and it has to be seen and heard to be believed. All too soon it was over - and with a spine-tingling flourish, Jumpin' Jack Flash came to an end; Everyone went nuts, the band took a bow and left the stage for the last time, leaving one extremely contented audience behind them.
To sum up a wonderful evening, the content of the show was excellent. It had everything; visual effects (including fireworks during Pinball Wizard – yes really!!) comedy, poignancy, world class musicians, a fabulous set list and last but not least, a band that looked every bit as good as they sounded.
.Their individual talents are amazing - Den on Bass & Jamie on Guitar are first class musicians and their vocal talents are obvious; they have voices that are very different, yet blend together perfectly. Den’s voice is very distinctive and he seems to be able to capture the essence of the original act whichever song he chooses; Jamie’s voice is brilliant too, with more than a ‘bluesy’ quality about it. As someone said to me later, “His voice sounds as big and soulful as a Guinness stout and as seasoned as fine port!” Poetic indeed, but it sums it up beautifully. Chris shone on keyboards on the night, but nowhere more so than when he was playing the fabulous instrumental ‘Green Onions’. We were told that this Booker T & The MG’s instrumental went down a storm with a certain Sir Elton John when The Overtures performed it at his Wedding Reception! Name-dropping?? Why not!!! Also, Steve’s drumming was top notch and this was evident when he performed an extraordinary drum solo on Roy Orbison’s Pretty Woman . I liked the way the band picked up various percussion instruments to accompany him while Steve took the spotlight. Phil is dazzling on guitar – he dreamily closed his eyes from time to time as if to get right into the heart of what he was playing - but when doing a ‘Who’ number or Jumpin’ Jack Flash, he really goes for it big time - jumping around while his arm ‘windmills’ cause the audience to sit up sharp and take notice!!
As already stated, individually, The Overtures/Bootleg Sixties are world class – collectively they are awesome! They somehow capture the essence of whoever they are paying tribute to and then add some! They have this indefinable extra ‘something’ that makes them so special – and they just bowl you over again and again..
Afterwards, they signed copies of their new single - which was great as it gave us a chance to meet them and be able to tell them personally how much we enjoyed the show. They were friendly and natural and chatted away as they signed. I can honestly say, hand on heart, they are as nice as they are talented! I for one will definitely go and see them again. I hope they bring this show somewhere near you. We had a such a wonderful night - I don’t see why Hertfordshire should have all the luck!
Kelly Jermaine
Official Site: www.theovertures.com
Jamie Cook - Guitar /Vocals: Steve Phypers - Drums/Backing Vocals
Chris Skornia - Keyboard/Backing Vocals: Phil Evans - Guitar/Backing Vocal
The Venue: Broxbourne Civic Centre in Hertfordshire: The date: 7th June 2006
The audience was seated, the stage was set. Drums, keyboard and mics were all in place and the guitars lined up. Behind the instruments a large white Screen flanked by two slightly smaller ones, were blank. All that was needed to bring it to life, was the band.
A ripple went round the audience as the house lights dimmed; the strains of Manfred Mann’s 5-4-3-2-1 filled the auditorium as a countdown was simultaneously being projected on the big screen at the back of the stage. On that darkened stage 5 shadowy figures prepared themselves. As we watched and waited, anticipation was high.
The stage lights went up on Den, Steve, Jamie, Chris & Phil and without preamble or comment, they went straight into the classic ‘She Loves You’. Behind them, video footage of The Beatles gazed down upon us and as I looked up at the stage I realised a small dilemma - should I look at the band, the stills or the video!? On this occasion however, I had absolutely no trouble deciding at all because it was the band that had my full attention! Why? Because for this particular show The Overtures came as their alter-ego ‘The Bootleg Sixties’ and were dressed as members of classic 1960’s bands! The effect was wonderful.. Den looked every inch a Ray Davies ‘Kink’ in his stunning red hunting jacket and white frilled shirt; Steve’s white ‘target’ T-shirt emulated Keith Moon of The Who; Jamie in his silver grey collarless suit was the perfect Beatle; Phil looked great in dark blue shirt and large white buttons as Mike Nesmith of The Monkees, and last but not least, Chris, resplendent in black jacket and cream trousers represented Mike Smith of the Dave Clark Five. Watching and listening, I knew right there and then that this show was going to be amazing. And so it proved.
The band finished their faultless performance of ‘She Loves You’ and from then on right through to the end of the show, they performed a succession of 60’s hits with such professionalism and high energy, that it took your breath away. Where else in one show could you hear songs as diverse as When You Walk In The Room, Strawberry Fields; Surfin’ USA, Light My Fire; Mr. Tambourine Man and Pinball Wizard - all sung by the same band? As if this wasn’t enough, appropriate video footage was playing on the centre screen plus the two screens at each side of the stage were flashing up images of adverts and events of the era thus providing a visual spectacle as well as the sound of the Sixties. There were gasps, whispers and muted laughter as people in the audience saw something on screen that they had long forgotten about. The “oh-my-god it can’t be that long ago” was heard on more than one occasion
The Overtures guest singer Ellie had a great stage presence as well as a great voice. She totally looked the part dressed in a Mary Quant black and white mini-dress, white boots and Mod hat for the first half, switching to a paisley dress (with boots of course) for the 2nd. Her first half numbers were Martha & The Vandellas ‘Heatwave’ and Dusty's ‘Son Of A Preacher Man’. She then belted out ‘River Deep Mountain High’ by Ike & Tina as well as Lulu’s 'Shout' in the second half! She was tremendous and went down very well with the audience in both halves of the show.
A comedy moment was provided courtesy of Steve when the band sat down to get themselves ready for a Beach Boys song. There wasn’t a chair for him and what ensued had the audience veering between sympathy and gales of laughter. He milked it for all it was worth and I can honestly say that if ever he got fed up being in a band, he could easily be a stand up comic! ‘In My Room’ was finally performed with Chris swapping his keyboards for an accordion. By now Chris was performing as 'token Beach Boy' in blue & white candy-striped shirt - and the sight of this usually energetic Rock ‘n’ Roll band all sitting down, singing and harmonising so beautifully as they performed this classic song was indeed a highlight of the show.
Another high point for me personally was when they performed ‘You Were On My Mind’ by Crispian St Peters. It’s a song you seldom hear these days - and to hear it played ‘live’ and so brilliantly was for me, magical. The band certainly did the song more than justice.
A couple of poignant moments came in the second half. It opened with footage of the 1966 World Cup being shown on the big screen, whilst The Overtures great new single, “Forever England” accompanied it. With the new tounament only recently underway the collective audience at The Broxbourne Civic Hall was charged with optimism. By the time the footage ended with "2006?" emblazened accross the screen an entire audience could almost believe that football was indeed about to come home! Of course, that wasn't to be ( 'though we can hardly blame the band for that!).
As the 'footie song' faded away Den came on stage, accompanied only by his acoustic guitar and harmonica and sang Bob Dylan’s moving anti-war song ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’. As the cheers, whistles and enthusiastic applause died down, the lights dimmed again and video footage of John F Kennedy with his wife Jackie on their ill fated tour of Texas, flickered into life. As the picture froze on an enigmatic JFK, Den & Jamie walked to their mics and the acoustic intro to Simon & Garfunkel’s poetic ‘Sound of Silence’ filled the air. The sound was crystal clear - once again their voices blending beautifully - and the combination of all these things was so poignant that it was almost too painful to bear. As the last chords faded away, the whole auditorium was totally silent for a few seconds before thundering applause came from every part of the auditorium.
The rest of the band then came back on stage and if anything was designed to lighten the mood, then it was Phil’s jacket!! It was a shiny, red, white & blue, Union Jack (The Who's Pete Townshend circa '66?). Teemed with a bright red and white shirt, he looked Absolutely Fabulous!! After acknowledging the shouts and wolf-whistles with a small bow and a wide grin, he picked up his guitar and joined the band in playing the Kinks wonderfully sardonic ‘Dedicated Follower of Fashion. The show then went up another gear -although it didn’t seem possible that it could - and The Overtures/Bootleg 60’s continued to remind us all just how many great, memorable songs the decade produced. All too soon Den was announcing it was almost time to go – we all groaned, but then he invited the audience to “get up and have a dance with us” for the last section. It was obvious that was what many people were waiting for as no second invitations were needed! The floor quickly filled up and everyone on it happily danced away for the rest of the set. As The Overtures finished with ‘Do You Love Me’, they said goodnight and left the stage - but we weren’t having any of that! We clapped, we stomped, we yelled, we whistled and called for more until thankfully, before we completely lost our voices, they came back on for an encore. After Den thanked the crew, they launched into their own terrific version of Jumpin’ Jack Flash; They have made this Stones classic their own over the years and it has to be seen and heard to be believed. All too soon it was over - and with a spine-tingling flourish, Jumpin' Jack Flash came to an end; Everyone went nuts, the band took a bow and left the stage for the last time, leaving one extremely contented audience behind them.
To sum up a wonderful evening, the content of the show was excellent. It had everything; visual effects (including fireworks during Pinball Wizard – yes really!!) comedy, poignancy, world class musicians, a fabulous set list and last but not least, a band that looked every bit as good as they sounded.
.Their individual talents are amazing - Den on Bass & Jamie on Guitar are first class musicians and their vocal talents are obvious; they have voices that are very different, yet blend together perfectly. Den’s voice is very distinctive and he seems to be able to capture the essence of the original act whichever song he chooses; Jamie’s voice is brilliant too, with more than a ‘bluesy’ quality about it. As someone said to me later, “His voice sounds as big and soulful as a Guinness stout and as seasoned as fine port!” Poetic indeed, but it sums it up beautifully. Chris shone on keyboards on the night, but nowhere more so than when he was playing the fabulous instrumental ‘Green Onions’. We were told that this Booker T & The MG’s instrumental went down a storm with a certain Sir Elton John when The Overtures performed it at his Wedding Reception! Name-dropping?? Why not!!! Also, Steve’s drumming was top notch and this was evident when he performed an extraordinary drum solo on Roy Orbison’s Pretty Woman . I liked the way the band picked up various percussion instruments to accompany him while Steve took the spotlight. Phil is dazzling on guitar – he dreamily closed his eyes from time to time as if to get right into the heart of what he was playing - but when doing a ‘Who’ number or Jumpin’ Jack Flash, he really goes for it big time - jumping around while his arm ‘windmills’ cause the audience to sit up sharp and take notice!!
As already stated, individually, The Overtures/Bootleg Sixties are world class – collectively they are awesome! They somehow capture the essence of whoever they are paying tribute to and then add some! They have this indefinable extra ‘something’ that makes them so special – and they just bowl you over again and again..
Afterwards, they signed copies of their new single - which was great as it gave us a chance to meet them and be able to tell them personally how much we enjoyed the show. They were friendly and natural and chatted away as they signed. I can honestly say, hand on heart, they are as nice as they are talented! I for one will definitely go and see them again. I hope they bring this show somewhere near you. We had a such a wonderful night - I don’t see why Hertfordshire should have all the luck!
Kelly Jermaine
Official Site: www.theovertures.com