Rumour has it this band offer an authentic taste of Fleetwood Mac
It was a proud and inspirational moment for drummer and musical director Allan Cosgrove when one rather special person gave the thumbs up to his Rumours of Fleetwood Mac tribute band.
That first golden seal of approval, from none other than Mick Fleetwood himself, came 15 years ago, paving the way for Allan and his bandmates to establish themselves as excellent purveyors of the Anglo-American supergroup's extraordinary back catalogue.
On stage they strive to replicate perfectly the power and subtlety of Fleetwood Mac at their brilliant best, delivering timeless classics spanning the breadth of the group's heyday – songs like Albatross, Go Your Own Way, Dreams, Gypsy, Say You Love Me and, Alan's personal favourite, Sara.
Their attention to quality and detail has also helped to set a high standard for a major tribute trend which is now more popular than ever; if you can't see the real thing, a mighty fine imitation fills the void.
Business Cards From Only £10.95 Delivered www.myprint-247.co.uk
View detailsOur heavyweight cards have FREE UV silk coating, FREE next day delivery & VAT included. Choose from 1000's of pre-designed templates or upload your own artwork. Orders dispatched within 24hrs.
Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery. www.myprint-247.co.uk
Contact: 01858 468192
Valid until: Sunday, June 30 2013
Rumours of Fleetwood Mac are no strangers to the Westcountry, but they launch their extensive UK tour next month with their debut at Plymouth Pavilions, followed by shows at the more familiar Hall for Cornwall and the Queen's Theatre in Barnstaple.
"It is humbling to know that the audience embrace what we do," says Allan, a seasoned session drummer. "What is cool about it is that the whole thing came about more by chance than design.
"The girls and guys in the show were all on a recording session; we had to try to sound like Heart on an arrangement for a root beer advert. On the playback we sounded much more like Fleetwood Mac; tribute acts were just beginning to take off, having started in Australia where major artists were rarely willing to tour, and I thought it would be a great thing to celebrate Fleetwood Mac's music," he adds.
Allan had crossed paths with Mick Fleetwood when he and guitarist Dave were in a 1970s band called Liverpool Express and signed to Warner Brothers – the same label as Fleetwood Mac.
"So, we recorded some stuff and sent it to Mick and he gave us the thumbs up – otherwise we wouldn't have done it," he says.
"Now Mick has even appeared in the show a couple times."
To this day Allan takes to the stage alongside Louise Rogan (performing as Stevie Nicks on vocals); Amanda Kostadinov (as Christine McVie on vocals and keyboards); Alan Hughes (as Lindsey Buckingham on lead guitar and vocals) and Dave Goldberg (as Peter Green on keyboards, guitars and vocals).
Ironically, these imitators have managed to stick together more consistently than the originals. And now there are the two young guns recruited from Paul McCartney's Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts – James Harrison (performing as John McVie on bass) and Ben Hughes (on guitars, keys and vocals as Danny Kirwin).
The wide scope of Fleetwood Mac's material, encompassing everything from blues through to US-style FM pop, was the real temptation.
"With Fleetwood Mac there are four points of focus both sonically and emotionally, with the four great songwriters in the band – the soul-searching blues of Peter Green in the early days, Stevie Nicks's country rock, the 80s reinvention with Lyndsey Buckingham and Christine McVie, who writes all the great pop songs," says Allan.
"We don't get poetic licence when playing the songs; the challenge is to get it absolutely right – we don't want audiences to be disappointed."
This particular tour celebrates the Rumours album, released in 1977 – which Alan describes as "a great emotional snapshot" – by playing it in its entirety.
"I'm a 50-something and Rumours was a big part of my growing up and there's a sonic testament there on that piece of vinyl," adds Allan.
Rumours of Fleetwood Mac play Plymouth Pavilions on Wednesday, February 6, Hall for Cornwall, Truro on Thursday, February 7 and Queen's Theatre, Barnstaple on Friday, February 8.
Comments