Killer musical theatre
Killer Queen, live at the Villa Marina
A TRIBUTE band is what it is and some are better than others.
Killer Queen won the accolade of being World’s Best Tribute Band (in 1999) and were presented with the award by none other than Suggs.
They have played all over the world and are admired and feted with their own fan club of dedicated followers. This was their second visit to the island and they arrived on stage last Thursday night as if the Villa Marina was Wembley or Shea Stadium.
Having seen Queen twice (once at the lost and lamented Lido) I was a little bit sceptical. I knows mah Freddie and mourn him.
They say there is nothing new under the sun and so when a true original comes along, it is recognised, adored and appreciated and beware any false imitators. These upstarts to think they recreate such genius! How dare they!
They dared and they did actually recreate the majesty that was Queen in it’s hey day. It was not a rock concert, it was not rock; it was musical theatre with actors playing their parts, playing their instruments, delivering in their voices, singing their harmonies, striking the poses, wearing the clothes and being an almost uncanny replica of Queen. At times it was unnerving.
Brian May looked and acted like Brian May, all curls, leather waistcoat and multi-stringed soaring solos, Roger Taylor drummed his heart out with a striped t-shirt and a rubbish wig and John Deacon (no wig but a Freddie ate my Hamster T-shirt) bassed his way through all the hits, together faultlessly reproducing one of the most original and unmistakeable sounds of the last 30 years.
Freddie however. Freddie the front man, the voice, personality, stage presence, the one who gave Queen their focal point. He was played with extraordinary adroitness by Patrick Myers, who is possibly one of the world’s best Freddie impersonators. His movements were spot on, every twitch, strut, kick, every movement imaginable was identical to Freddie.
Each song, each note, each nuance, each moment with the audience was as exact as it could be. He made great use of the stage to hold out his imposter’s hand to an audience that so wanted to believe it was all true. He talked about stadiums, of touring and I can imagine that whilst on stage he really does believe he is Freddie Mercury.
My only argument is his costumes. They were big and baggy. Freddie never wore anything big and baggy in his life. Freddie’s white vests clung to his pigeon chest, every rib, every sinew, every wiry gym honed muscle outlined. This vest was draped and tucked in like a blouson. Freddie didn’t do draped. Freddie did sprayed on. The white trousers hung rather than clung. Another thing was the faux leather trousers. Freddie did not do faux. It was a dead giveaway.
A fun evening though.
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Weather for Isle of Man
Friday 24 May 2013
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 6 C to 13 C
Wind Speed: 30 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 7 C to 13 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South
