The Queen Extravaganza

I am a musical snob. Despite others telling me that much fun can be had at the hands of tribute bands, it's not really something I've explored. A live act has somehow always seemed more genuine if they're being themselves. For a while, when growing up, I held a kind of magical respect for Queen and I still have their 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' in seven inch! That respect seemed to fade in the 1980's when they became a parody of themselves and made some frankly dubious decisions about venues they should play. So, quite why I'm here in Leicester on a wet and windy Saturday night (when I could be watching the X factor) waiting for The Queen Extravaganza, the official Queen Tribute Show, I'm not entirely clear. "You will try to enjoy yourself won't you?" whispers my gig companion. "Of course", I smile back, far from convinced.

It would be churlish of me not to observe that I'm probably in a minority of one here in this sizeable hall. I look around at a sea of Queen related memorabilia. It's clear that many of the punters in this room are fanatical. Mums, Dads, Sons and Daughters are all adorned in gig T-shirts from when Freddie was alive. It strikes me that this probably isn't your typical tribute night. Produced by Roger Taylor and endorsed by Brian May, this perhaps has an authenticity that's missing from Oasish, Antarctic Monkeys, J'Amy Winehouse and their ilk.

A buzz starts to build and at 8.45, on the dot, a stereo-surround soundtrack of Freddie-based vocals from 'The Prophet Song' plays from speakers around this hall. It's a grand, pompous opening and I'm quite impressed. The curtain masking the stage drops to the floor and, from behind it, musicians blast into a raucous, speedy and rocky version of 'We Will Rock You'. Vocals for this opener are provided by the drummer, Tyler Warren. The light show is a frenzy and the harmonies in this band are spot on but where is Freddie we wonder? At least guitarist, Brian Gresh, has poodle-curls almost as impressive as Brian May's to distract us from this thought when he shows off his talent on guitar.

Freddie Mercury (aka Marc Martel) bounds to the stage for the next song, 'Killer Queen'. There's no doubting that he looks a bit like Freddie and he definitely sounds very much like him (indeed, Marc is note perfect throughout the show) but I can't help thinking I want a bit more of a flamboyant strut on the stage. As the show progresses it becomes clear that Martel's role is not to mimic Mercury but rather to recognise his talents. True tribute rather than play-acting I guess and it's a line that this extravaganza follows well.

There's a second lead vocalist that forms part of this show. Jennifer Espinosa takes to the stage to sing 'Dragon Attack'. It's not that she's anything less than competent in what she does. Somebody needs to take the Bowie part in 'Under Pressure' but she feels like something of a spare part for much of this show. The audience certainly don't seem to warm to Jennifer as much as they do to Marc.

John Deacon, Queen's bass guitarist, is from Leicester. This fact is acknowledged on stage when Marc introduces us to bassist, Francois-Olivier Doyon, in perhaps the only diversion from an otherwise well-rehearsed script. When Martel tells the Leicester crowd that they are the best he's experienced so far on this tour I find myself wondering if this is something he repeats every night. At times, this show feels so staged it almost becomes a piece of theatre rather than a gig. This is no bad thing when the band are playing such recognisable hits though what they might do if a persistent audience member was to request obscure songs from the 1975 'A Night At The Opera' album is anybody's guess.

Actually, they'd probably play them. In a break from the rock we've so far experienced, Martel shows off his keyboard skills and operatic range when he delivers a fine rendition of the ballad 'Love Of My Life'. Later, he gives us his take on Mercury's vaudeville as the band play quirky ditty 'Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon' which then breaks out into the heavier guitar led sounds of 'I'm In Love With My Car'. It's definitely a refreshing part of this extravaganza that they're not afraid to take a less obvious route at times.

There are a number of video screens at the back of the stage projecting all manner of seen and previously unseen clips of Queen. These add to the professional values of the show and are used to best effect in that difficult to play live part of 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. The lights dim on stage and our focus is drawn to the screens. Let's face it, Bohemian Rhapsody is a pretty complex piece of recording and the fact that this band can perform the bulk of it so accurately is a testament to their considerable skill.

"You were clapping your hands in the air there Sean," shouts my gig companion as the audience cheers after 'Radio GaGa' die down. And I have to confess that I was. There's been a run of completely captivating numbers and my initial cynicism feels like a thing of the past. From now until the end of the set, I throw my inhibitions aside and decide to have fun. I sing along as loudly as I can to 'Fat Bottomed Girls' and a really superb version of 'Somebody To Love' that brings the set to a close. There's time for my voice to get really raw during an encore of 'Tie Your Mother Down', a reprise of 'We Will Rock You' and an epic 'We Are The Champions'.

The band tell us that they're keen to return to the UK next year (they're all from North America). Such is my conversion that I'd make the effort to go and watch them again. It might take a brave festival promoter to book an act such as The Queen Extravaganza over and above the next bright and trendy things (unless of course you're specialising in a tribute festival) but I find myself wondering as I leave the O2 Academy if this is a gamble that could ultimately pay off.

FUTURE GIGS

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