Ultimate Bowie gig

[dmccombe7]

Not sure if this is the correct sect to post but thought i should mention how good these guys are.
8 piece band incl Bowie. 2 guitarists, bass, drums, 2 kys and sax/gtr player.
They covered songs right across Bowie's career from Space Oddity to Blackstar all done to absolute perfection.
I've never seen a tribute band get such a warm welcome and they had the audience on their feet dancing almost the full 2nd set.

Bass player (Joe Hope) was really good with an interesting style varying between normal fingerstyle and using finger & thumb to a few pick songs and some slap thrown in for good measure. Nothing overkill just good clean bass playing that IMO showed a true competent bassist.
Some nice fretless work on some songs.
I think he was using a Squire PJ and his fretless looked like a custom Warwick but not sure with TC BH series amp.
He had a great sound thru the PA so not sure what his own stage sound was like. Deep low end with clear mids and highs. Fantastic bass runs covering a huge array of Bowie styles. Very versatile. He had a very light touch playing style too and just seemed so relaxed.
He was also the main backing vocalist and covered quite a wide vocal range.

All in all a great band. Ed Blaney doing the Bowie act was 1st class and i've seen a few of the Bowie tribute acts over last few years but think these guys nailed it all.

Well worth a look if you get the chance.

Dave

Edited March 12, 2017 by dmccombe7

[SisterAbdullahX]

Yes, Joe is a great player and a lovely bloke. He's also an amazing artist!

[SpondonBassed]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWSlqCGThJ4

Yup.

Hiram's band isn't bad from what I've seen of the promo material either. I'd pay to see either band in the flesh.

The only time I saw Bowie live was at Slane Castle on the Glass Spider tour in 1987.

[BrunoBass]

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1489323227' post='3255990']


Very kind of you to say so sir.
[/quote]

What's the name of your band?

We've had Timmy Stardust play in town recently, and Hunky Davie are playing locally soon.

[SpondonBassed]

[quote name='PaulGibsonBass' timestamp='1489323548' post='3255994']
What's the name of your band?

We've had Timmy Stardust play in town recently, and Hunky Davie are playing locally soon.
[/quote]

Hiram's band name is just above your post. It is hypertext linked.

[RhysP]

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1489316971' post='3255925']
The only time I saw Bowie live was at Slane Castle on the Glass Spider tour in 1987.
[/quote]

I hope he was better than he was in Cardiff on the same tour. One of the worst gigs I've ever been to.

[dmccombe7]

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1489325124' post='3256014']
The name of our band is ChangesTwoBowie (www.changestwobowie.co.uk)

This is our singer on Stars In Their Eyes....

[media]http://youtu.be/jp7ZqJg3NWM[/media]

....and this is a track from one of our recent gigs....

[url="http://soundcloud.com/warren-byatt/absolute-beginners-final-mix"]http://soundcloud.co...nners-final-mix[/url]

There are other tracks in the same SoundCloud stream.
[/quote]

Any gigs in Scotland. ? If not there are a few around.

Lanark Memorial Hall
Motherwell Concert or Theatre hall

Dave

[dmccombe7]

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1489316971' post='3255925']
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWSlqCGThJ4[/media]

Yup.

Hiram's band isn't bad from what I've seen of the promo material either. I'd pay to see either band in the flesh.

The only time I saw Bowie live was at Slane Castle on the Glass Spider tour in 1987.
[/quote]

Saw him at Sunderland on that tour. It was OK Peter Frampton on guitar was a surprise.

Dave

[BrunoBass]

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1489324828' post='3256012']


Hiram's band name is just above your post. It is hypertext linked.
[/quote]

Thanks, I can't see that on the mobile version

[SpondonBassed]

[quote name='PaulGibsonBass' timestamp='1489396926' post='3256495']
Thanks, I can't see that on the mobile version
[/quote]

Aw, soz. I hope I didn't come across as being overly patronising. I'll never understand how folk get on doing everything through a pocket sized screen.

[spectoremg]

The Thin White Duke's put on some weight hasn't he?

[BrunoBass]

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1489425745' post='3256816']


Aw, soz. I hope I didn't come across as being overly patronising. I'll never understand how folk get on doing everything through a pocket sized screen.
[/quote]

Not at all! I appreciate you pointing me in the right direction 😊

I access Basschat from my phone or iPad 99% of the time.

[SpondonBassed]

[quote name='PaulGibsonBass' timestamp='1489427315' post='3256834']
Not at all! I appreciate you pointing me in the right direction

I access Basschat from my phone or iPad 99% of the time.
[/quote]

Cheers!

Bless your eyesight. I lost touch with a lot of hobbies from my youth like model making and detail work generally because I have to wear bins. Even with them I struggle with things like fine print. Ah well, it discourages me from staring at my fretboard I suppose.

[BrunoBass]

Hiram, I see you're playing in Leamington in a couple of weeks? Great venue, and only twenty minutes away from me, I'll try and make it out to see you.

[SpondonBassed]

At the risk of upsetting the OP I feel I must say that Ultimate Bowie does not do it for me like ChangesTwoBowie does. Based on the promos alone I feel that the latter has caught the essence of Bowie's sound. Although the former seems to put effort into the glam look it seems to be a case of style over substance.

It is the bass playing in Ultimate Bowie that I don't like. It is overdone. The bassist is fine technically but those lines are more than they need to be. They give the impression of someone who is showing off. It actually lets the rest of the band down in their efforts to look and sound faithful to the artist that they pay tribute to.

Choosing which of the two I'd pay to see if I could only afford one night out it would be ChangesTwoBowie.

[leftyhook]

Spondon Bass,

I am the current bassist ( Joe Hope) in Ultimate Bowie. If you are judging the bass playing in the promo video posted on this thread, it shows the [b]previous bassist.[/b]

There have been several line up changes since the early video from around 8 years ago ! The drummer, saxophonist and myself have been with UB for around 4 years now.

So, it is NOT me in that video. I try to remain as true as possible to the original recordings. I would not dream of overplaying in an 8-piece band !

Hope that has cleared up the confusion.

Many thanks to the OP for the nice words.

[leftyhook]

Thanks Dave! But it would appear there may have been a case of mistaken identity with that promo video. It contains the previous bassist and a fellow Basschat member further down this thread seems to disagree with your kind comments about me, due to the fact that it is not me..

Edited June 4, 2017 by leftyhook

[SpondonBassed]

[quote name='dmccombe7' timestamp='1489306866' post='3255812']
Not sure if this is the correct sect to post but thought i should mention how good these guys are.
8 piece band incl Bowie. 2 guitarists, bass, drums, 2 kys and sax/gtr player.
They covered songs right across Bowie's career from Space Oddity to Blackstar all done to absolute perfection.
I've never seen a tribute band get such a warm welcome and they had the audience on their feet dancing almost the full 2nd set.

Bass player (Joe Hope) was really good with an interesting style varying between normal fingerstyle and using finger & thumb to a few pick songs and some slap thrown in for good measure. Nothing overkill just good clean bass playing that IMO showed a true competent bassist.
Some nice fretless work on some songs.
I think he was using a Squire PJ and his fretless looked like a custom Warwick but not sure with TC BH series amp.
He had a great sound thru the PA so not sure what his own stage sound was like. Deep low end with clear mids and highs. Fantastic bass runs covering a huge array of Bowie styles. Very versatile. He had a very light touch playing style too and just seemed so relaxed.
He was also the main backing vocalist and covered quite a wide vocal range.

All in all a great band. Ed Blaney doing the Bowie act was 1st class and i've seen a few of the Bowie tribute acts over last few years but think these guys nailed it all.

Well worth a look if you get the chance.

Dave
[/quote]
[quote name='leftyhook' timestamp='1496566291' post='3312282']
Spondon Bass,

I am the current bassist ( Joe Hope) in Ultimate Bowie. If you are judging the bass playing in the promo video posted on this thread, it shows the [b]previous bassist.[/b]

There have been several line up changes since the early video from around 8 years ago ! The drummer, saxophonist and myself have been with UB for around 4 years now.

So, it is NOT me in that video. I try to remain as true as possible to the original recordings. I would not dream of overplaying in an 8-piece band !

Hope that has cleared up the confusion.

Many thanks to the OP for the nice words.
[/quote]


Thank you for the update. It appears I was in a state of "confusion" but didn't know it.

Dave says "Nothing overkill just good clean bass playing". If you look at the clip, the bass playing is competent but it is definitely a case of overkill, in my opinion, because it is more elaborate than was heard on Bowie's releases of the same tunes.

It was a while back but I just realised that I was the one who put up the clip that my criticism was based upon because Dave had not provided a link. For that you deserve an apology. I am sorry.

It was honest criticism on my part however so I understand how you might feel slighted given the circumstances. Would you care to put up a link to an example of the band with you in it please?

If there is anything else bothering you I am always willing to discuss things.

Edited June 4, 2017 by SpondonBassed

[Bassmonkey]

Leftyhook. I was at the Brudenell gig on Friday. Was a great show. The band sound huge. Couldn't fault any of it. Especially enjoyed Blackstar. Ed and the band do a great job. Bowie fans are often proper anoraks, know every word, every nuance of every song and are hard to please but I've yet to meet one who didn't really rate UB. Another stand out moment was the guitar solo in Moorage Daydream, your man nailed it. Not lots of room for 8 of you on that stage though! See ya next time you're in Leeds. Andy

[ProfJames]

I saw Holy Holy twice in April, well worth going to see. I intend on seeing both of the tribute bands in this thread

[GarethFlatlands]

Did Ultimate Bowie play Sheffield in the last year or so? A few of the people from the Bowie covers band I play in went to see another tribute band and the name sounds familiar.

[SpondonBassed]

I reckon we need a battle of the Bowie tribute bands. Maybe the winner could go through to a round of contests between Elvis and Bowie impersonators. The glitter industry is assured a bright future.

[SpondonBassed]

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1497338280' post='3317333']
You would probably enjoy the annual Bowie Con then. Not my cup of Darjeeling, but each to their own.

Talking of Elvis tributes, ChangesTwoBowie are playing the Sounds of Summer Festival at Hylands Park, Chelmsford this year and Pete Storm is doing the night after us. Elvis tributes get a bit of stick as basically most blokes can put on the white suit and a wig and blag their way through it if they can sing a bit, but Pete takes it to another level. Here he is performing one of my favourites, Polk Salad Annie (which includes a bass solo).

[media]http://youtu.be/JCaETQEbFR4[/media]
[/quote]

https://www.evensi.uk/david-bowie-convention-2017-boom-bar-hull/190924171

I wasn't sure if you were pulling my leg or not. Don't know why I should be surprised really.

I have a childhood recollection of a performance by Elvis of Polk Salad Annie that my juvenile mind registered as "Poke Sally". Even now I have to double check. The performance I heard sounded like the entire brass section had been at the Columbian marching powder! Cracking tune, in many ways. Cheers.

[KevB]

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1489426264' post='3256823']
The Thin White Duke's put on some weight hasn't he?
[/quote]

If it's a chubby Bowie you're after, look no further than the trib band based near my neck of the woods...
http://www.rebelrebelband.co.uk/Photos.htm

[dmccombe7]

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1496572587' post='3312333']
Thank you for the update. It appears I was in a state of "confusion" but didn't know it.

Dave says "Nothing overkill just good clean bass playing". If you look at the clip, the bass playing is competent but it is definitely a case of overkill, in my opinion, because it is more elaborate than was heard on Bowie's releases of the same tunes.

It was a while back but I just realised that I was the one who put up the clip that my criticism was based upon because Dave had not provided a link. For that you deserve an apology. I am sorry.

It was honest criticism on my part however so I understand how you might feel slighted given the circumstances. Would you care to put up a link to an example of the band with you in it please?

If there is anything else bothering you I am always willing to discuss things.
[/quote]

Only just catching up on this guys. Someone else posted the promo VID on the thread. Having just listened to it now it is not my idea of a tribute bassist and as pointed out more like someone showing off .......badly. Time and place for that kind of thing and its not a tribute band trying to portray Bowie in all his glory. I wouldn't have been impressed by that at all.

Joe's bass playing was in fact perfect for me. Just the right amount of playing as and when needed. Nothing overkill at all. Maybe if i had listened to the promo VID when it was posted i might have picked up on that.
I honestly could not fault the band. They nailed every single song and being a huge Bowie fan myself i like to hear as close to the original as possible. The band were that good that the audience at Motherwell were on their feet for the full 2nd set. I've never seen that kind of response for any tribute act anywhere.

I would like to reiterate that if you get a chance to see these guys with this line up then go for it. I don't think you will be disappointed.
I went to the gig having never heard the band before with some doubts as to how good or accurate they would be. I was completely blown away with every song. Not a bad song in the set IMHO and i was driving and completely sober so no outside influences to make the atmosphere "better".

I've seen other Bowie tributes and they have been good but not this good.

NB : Joe has since completed an amazing Bowie portrait for me which has pride of place in our dining room. One very talented bassist, singer and artist and add to that a very nice guy too same as Ed.

Dave