salomeU2000
The Fly
[SIMG]http://bonovox.interference.com/tribute/u2ukthumb.jpg[/SIMG]
Interference.com meets?U2: UK
By Erica ?Wild Honey? Stante
?So, where are you guys from?? Well, it makes for one less question that I had to ask, and no one could?ve been happier about it than the members of U2: UK because I absolutely inundated the poor guys with question after inane question. Why? Hey, I?m inquisitive and that?s my job! Nevertheless, it is pretty clever to be able to sum up who you are and where you?re from with the clipped precision of four little letters. Plus, there?s two U?s! TWO!! It kind of got me thinking about other possibilities?U2: Uganda, U2: Utah-the potential is truly endless!! Well, ok?not endless, obviously?what was I on about again? Oh, yeah! U2: UK. All right, I?m focused now?
[ALIGN=CENTER]?The Midlands based U2: UK tribute band will take you back to the early days of U2 with great songs such as New Years? Day and I Will Follow, and then catapult you forward to today with songs like Elevation and Beautiful Day, passing through the unbelievable period of the Joshua Tree, with Where the Streets Have No Name and With or Without You.? U2: UK website.[/ALIGN]
U2: UK is pretty well booked , so they must be doing something right. Their website, www.u2uktribute.com , welcomes its guest with a slightly altered, yet all-too familiar image of the great ?War? album. Once inside, you can satiate your curiosity by accessing the convincing performance photos, the music samples, the gig guide and the standard, overly effusive fan commentary. U2: UK also supply their devotees with personal bios, which include vital tidbits of information like Simon?s favorite movie (?Back to the Future?), the other Simon?s zodiac sign (Gemini), Paul?s day job (social worker) and Ady?s favorite U2 song (?Until the End of the World?)!
And that is one important thing to remember: these guys are bona-fide U2 fanatics and, gosh darn it, that?s why we love them! Interference.com recently sat down with Paul (who plays the awesome god, Bono) and discussed what it?s like to mimic their idols from U2 and what it means to be member of U2: UK.
U2: UK is?
Paul as Bono (yep, his name is Paul, too! Some people go all out, eh?)
Ady as Adam (Jeez, that?s also pretty close?)
Simon as The Edge
Simon as Larry (Not a typo?there?s two of them! What are the odds?)
So, who came up with the name? It?s cute.
Paul: As cute as the girl who came up with the name (a friends? girlfriend). We started life as ELEVATION, the NU2 (pronounced: New Two), then U2POP (but we were getting booked as a pop group). And finally, U2: UK.
Let?s get the formalities out of the way, shall we? What are the origins of the band? How did you find each other? What was going on in your life when you did?
P: Simon and I (Larry and Bono) placed an advert in a Midlands-based paper called the AD-MAG. It read: ?Bono and Larry looking for Edge and Adam.? We received just ONE reply and that was from the other two guys now in the band. They had tried to start a U2 tribute band about 18 months previous to us but without any joy. When they saw our advert, they couldn?t believe it. They instantly got in touch and the rest is history, as they say.
What does a typical gig night with U2: UK consist of for you guys (with regard specifically to preparation)?
P: Being squashed into a transit van with all the gear, lost of lumping heavy stuff-can?t afford to pay roadies yet.
Do you feel as though your work as a U2 tribute band is a microcosm of what U2 really goes through?
P: Yes, in the sense that the emotion is there?and we earn a microcosm of what U2 does.
Do you prefer the term ?tribute band?? Do you get upset at anyone who calls you a ?cover band??
P: We?ve never been called a cover band that we can recall. Would we get upset if someone did? No?but just don?t bring it up again!!!
How do you get gigs? Where do you get your wicked costumes?
P: We are registered with agents and we get our own gigs by sending a pack to venues along with a demo. We started off by adapting clothes from High Street?s charity shops. Now we go to a place called STAGEWEAR in Rotherham for made-to-measure stuff. They do a great job.
What?s it like to be at a U2: UK show? What can an audience expect?
P: Well, our sell is that we take all the live versions of U2?s greatest hits and we combine those with most visual, theatrical parts of the three big tours: ZOO TV; POPMART and ELEVATION. We love what we do and we?re told that comes across-there?s a lot of energy too!
Has U2: UK ever experienced hard times? Anything ? la ?VH-1: Behind the Scenes?? Any crying like a diva? C?mon, you can tell me?
P: Hard times? I suppose you could say it?s hard now because there is a bit more pressure to find the gigs and pay the bills but we don?t really see it that way. Just a few months back we were doing jobs in life that we weren?t so happy doing. We?re happy now. As for the behind the scenes, we don?t really do the diva stuff, we?ve all been grounded in real life drudgery, so to be making money doing this is great. Not so behind the scenes was an argument I had with Simon (Edge) in the middle of a store in Birmingham about costumes. He would have had us dress in drag if he had his way because it ?makes for a better show.? Well, maybe, but not U2 style. It?s cool now though-he dresses in drag on his own time.
What?s the worst technical glitch you ever experienced?
P: For one particular gig we walked on to the ?Elevation? intro (as in the Elevation Tour), cracked into ?Elevation?-but no drums. For the first few months we started off using an electronic kit and on this night the drummer just couldn?t figure out what was wrong. A minute without drums is a long time when people know you?ve F****D UP and you haven?t planned on a speech to fill the gap. A little time dedicated to final checks by the drummer before we started, would have prompted him to plug the bloody thing in!
What song would you at all costs avoid performing live? Why?
P: The only thing that springs to mind is when we played ?Sunday Bloody Sunday? at an army barracks?the tri-color [flag] stayed in its bag.
What song would you say you?ve mastered by U2?
P: ?Where the Streets Have No Name.?
How far would you go or have you gone to be more like U2?
P: On a more extreme note, I always wanted a nose job, not for the sake of having a hooter like Bono?s, but if I ever had it done, I would probably ask for a scaled down version.
Do you ever get tired of doing this? (Remember: this is a U2 fan magazine!) Would you ever want to branch out and perform your own original music?
P: I can?t imagine that we?ll ever get tired of it, no. We are going to work on our own sounds in the New Year, though. A deal with U2?s label would be cool.
U2 is known for reinventing themselves. The next album promises to bring yet another whole new sound to U2. Does that make you nervous?
P: Bring it on.
What aspirations do you have for U2: UK?
P: To be playing big stadiums and perhaps supporting some big names, recognition by U2 fans for being the best tribute?and the pinnacle has to be to meet U2 for a beer.
If you couldn?t cover U2 anymore, whom would you cover?
P: We wouldn?t. That?s the truth.
What characteristics do you share with the people you impersonate?
P: Judging by a picture of Mr. Clayton on the cover of ?Achtung Baby? Ady (Adam) shares little comparison with his counterpart (I?ve seen photos before you jump to conclusions!). Mr. Edge?s (Simon) goatee is only drawn on. None of us own a hotel and we?re all penniless. So not many comparisons, no, but hey, we do put on a fantastic show too!
Are you very much in a role when you perform or do you feel like yourself on stage?
P: We have commented amongst ourselves before that it feels like we?re doing our own songs.
What?s the craziest thing a fan has ever done at your show or (ahem) after the show?
P: Well you know, Erica, the trials of being in a rock band. We don?t profess to being as holy as the original but up to now just some breast and butt signings is as rock ?n roll as it?s been. Do you fancy being a U2: UK groupie?
As tempting as that may be, Paul?
What?s the wildest thing that you ever did on stage?
P: It?s usually a case of weird things other people do to us at our gigs for some reason. Someone threatened to punch Ady (Adam) if he didn?t take his mask off (the one Adam wore for the Popmart Tour). He said it ?was an insult to the Irish.? He didn?t explain why.
What would you eliminate from the show if you could get away with it?
P: The groupies. They could at least wait until after the show, eh.
Yeah, that must be annoying!
If you had a battle of the U2 tribute bands, how would U2: UK fare?
P: If you guys arrange it, we?ll let Interference.com decide.
What would you do if Bono walked in on you playing their stuff?
P: It could?ve happened. We had a gig at the Dorchester Hotel, London. It was a corporate event for an Irish building firm. Whilst we were setting up, one of the security guys said that Bono was going to be at the hotel. We thought he was just winding us up and we thought nothing more of it, but at the end of the night a singer from another event in the hotel said that Bono was due to be there for an American-Irish fund occasion, but for whatever reason hadn?t been there. But had he been there and walked in on us, well?absolutely dumbstruck comes to mind-but proud too.
Where?s the best place you?ve ever played? Where you could swear you literally blew the roof off?
P: The Dorchester was a great gig and also a wedding for an Irish family was really special. This bride and her best friend had been U2 fans since they were fourteen and Lisa (the bride) had booked us but kept it a secret. Her friend was in tears of joy.
Are you Even Better Than The Real Thing?
P: I appeared on ?Stars in the Eyes? as Bono on March 30th 2002. I had a feature in Q magazine afterwards and ?Even Better Than The Real Thing? was the caption under my picture.
Very cool-especially seeing as how Q magazine?s editor is clinically obsessed with Bono?for which we, at Interference.com, are truly grateful.
________________
Check out U2:UK's website for upcoming performances.
[ALIGN=CENTER]Thank you Paul and U2:UK![/ALIGN]
Interference.com meets?U2: UK
By Erica ?Wild Honey? Stante
?So, where are you guys from?? Well, it makes for one less question that I had to ask, and no one could?ve been happier about it than the members of U2: UK because I absolutely inundated the poor guys with question after inane question. Why? Hey, I?m inquisitive and that?s my job! Nevertheless, it is pretty clever to be able to sum up who you are and where you?re from with the clipped precision of four little letters. Plus, there?s two U?s! TWO!! It kind of got me thinking about other possibilities?U2: Uganda, U2: Utah-the potential is truly endless!! Well, ok?not endless, obviously?what was I on about again? Oh, yeah! U2: UK. All right, I?m focused now?
[ALIGN=CENTER]?The Midlands based U2: UK tribute band will take you back to the early days of U2 with great songs such as New Years? Day and I Will Follow, and then catapult you forward to today with songs like Elevation and Beautiful Day, passing through the unbelievable period of the Joshua Tree, with Where the Streets Have No Name and With or Without You.? U2: UK website.[/ALIGN]
U2: UK is pretty well booked , so they must be doing something right. Their website, www.u2uktribute.com , welcomes its guest with a slightly altered, yet all-too familiar image of the great ?War? album. Once inside, you can satiate your curiosity by accessing the convincing performance photos, the music samples, the gig guide and the standard, overly effusive fan commentary. U2: UK also supply their devotees with personal bios, which include vital tidbits of information like Simon?s favorite movie (?Back to the Future?), the other Simon?s zodiac sign (Gemini), Paul?s day job (social worker) and Ady?s favorite U2 song (?Until the End of the World?)!
And that is one important thing to remember: these guys are bona-fide U2 fanatics and, gosh darn it, that?s why we love them! Interference.com recently sat down with Paul (who plays the awesome god, Bono) and discussed what it?s like to mimic their idols from U2 and what it means to be member of U2: UK.
U2: UK is?
Paul as Bono (yep, his name is Paul, too! Some people go all out, eh?)
Ady as Adam (Jeez, that?s also pretty close?)
Simon as The Edge
Simon as Larry (Not a typo?there?s two of them! What are the odds?)
So, who came up with the name? It?s cute.
Paul: As cute as the girl who came up with the name (a friends? girlfriend). We started life as ELEVATION, the NU2 (pronounced: New Two), then U2POP (but we were getting booked as a pop group). And finally, U2: UK.
Let?s get the formalities out of the way, shall we? What are the origins of the band? How did you find each other? What was going on in your life when you did?
P: Simon and I (Larry and Bono) placed an advert in a Midlands-based paper called the AD-MAG. It read: ?Bono and Larry looking for Edge and Adam.? We received just ONE reply and that was from the other two guys now in the band. They had tried to start a U2 tribute band about 18 months previous to us but without any joy. When they saw our advert, they couldn?t believe it. They instantly got in touch and the rest is history, as they say.
What does a typical gig night with U2: UK consist of for you guys (with regard specifically to preparation)?
P: Being squashed into a transit van with all the gear, lost of lumping heavy stuff-can?t afford to pay roadies yet.
Do you feel as though your work as a U2 tribute band is a microcosm of what U2 really goes through?
P: Yes, in the sense that the emotion is there?and we earn a microcosm of what U2 does.
Do you prefer the term ?tribute band?? Do you get upset at anyone who calls you a ?cover band??
P: We?ve never been called a cover band that we can recall. Would we get upset if someone did? No?but just don?t bring it up again!!!
How do you get gigs? Where do you get your wicked costumes?
P: We are registered with agents and we get our own gigs by sending a pack to venues along with a demo. We started off by adapting clothes from High Street?s charity shops. Now we go to a place called STAGEWEAR in Rotherham for made-to-measure stuff. They do a great job.
What?s it like to be at a U2: UK show? What can an audience expect?
P: Well, our sell is that we take all the live versions of U2?s greatest hits and we combine those with most visual, theatrical parts of the three big tours: ZOO TV; POPMART and ELEVATION. We love what we do and we?re told that comes across-there?s a lot of energy too!
Has U2: UK ever experienced hard times? Anything ? la ?VH-1: Behind the Scenes?? Any crying like a diva? C?mon, you can tell me?
P: Hard times? I suppose you could say it?s hard now because there is a bit more pressure to find the gigs and pay the bills but we don?t really see it that way. Just a few months back we were doing jobs in life that we weren?t so happy doing. We?re happy now. As for the behind the scenes, we don?t really do the diva stuff, we?ve all been grounded in real life drudgery, so to be making money doing this is great. Not so behind the scenes was an argument I had with Simon (Edge) in the middle of a store in Birmingham about costumes. He would have had us dress in drag if he had his way because it ?makes for a better show.? Well, maybe, but not U2 style. It?s cool now though-he dresses in drag on his own time.
What?s the worst technical glitch you ever experienced?
P: For one particular gig we walked on to the ?Elevation? intro (as in the Elevation Tour), cracked into ?Elevation?-but no drums. For the first few months we started off using an electronic kit and on this night the drummer just couldn?t figure out what was wrong. A minute without drums is a long time when people know you?ve F****D UP and you haven?t planned on a speech to fill the gap. A little time dedicated to final checks by the drummer before we started, would have prompted him to plug the bloody thing in!
What song would you at all costs avoid performing live? Why?
P: The only thing that springs to mind is when we played ?Sunday Bloody Sunday? at an army barracks?the tri-color [flag] stayed in its bag.
What song would you say you?ve mastered by U2?
P: ?Where the Streets Have No Name.?
How far would you go or have you gone to be more like U2?
P: On a more extreme note, I always wanted a nose job, not for the sake of having a hooter like Bono?s, but if I ever had it done, I would probably ask for a scaled down version.
Do you ever get tired of doing this? (Remember: this is a U2 fan magazine!) Would you ever want to branch out and perform your own original music?
P: I can?t imagine that we?ll ever get tired of it, no. We are going to work on our own sounds in the New Year, though. A deal with U2?s label would be cool.
U2 is known for reinventing themselves. The next album promises to bring yet another whole new sound to U2. Does that make you nervous?
P: Bring it on.
What aspirations do you have for U2: UK?
P: To be playing big stadiums and perhaps supporting some big names, recognition by U2 fans for being the best tribute?and the pinnacle has to be to meet U2 for a beer.
If you couldn?t cover U2 anymore, whom would you cover?
P: We wouldn?t. That?s the truth.
What characteristics do you share with the people you impersonate?
P: Judging by a picture of Mr. Clayton on the cover of ?Achtung Baby? Ady (Adam) shares little comparison with his counterpart (I?ve seen photos before you jump to conclusions!). Mr. Edge?s (Simon) goatee is only drawn on. None of us own a hotel and we?re all penniless. So not many comparisons, no, but hey, we do put on a fantastic show too!
Are you very much in a role when you perform or do you feel like yourself on stage?
P: We have commented amongst ourselves before that it feels like we?re doing our own songs.
What?s the craziest thing a fan has ever done at your show or (ahem) after the show?
P: Well you know, Erica, the trials of being in a rock band. We don?t profess to being as holy as the original but up to now just some breast and butt signings is as rock ?n roll as it?s been. Do you fancy being a U2: UK groupie?
As tempting as that may be, Paul?
What?s the wildest thing that you ever did on stage?
P: It?s usually a case of weird things other people do to us at our gigs for some reason. Someone threatened to punch Ady (Adam) if he didn?t take his mask off (the one Adam wore for the Popmart Tour). He said it ?was an insult to the Irish.? He didn?t explain why.
What would you eliminate from the show if you could get away with it?
P: The groupies. They could at least wait until after the show, eh.
Yeah, that must be annoying!
If you had a battle of the U2 tribute bands, how would U2: UK fare?
P: If you guys arrange it, we?ll let Interference.com decide.
What would you do if Bono walked in on you playing their stuff?
P: It could?ve happened. We had a gig at the Dorchester Hotel, London. It was a corporate event for an Irish building firm. Whilst we were setting up, one of the security guys said that Bono was going to be at the hotel. We thought he was just winding us up and we thought nothing more of it, but at the end of the night a singer from another event in the hotel said that Bono was due to be there for an American-Irish fund occasion, but for whatever reason hadn?t been there. But had he been there and walked in on us, well?absolutely dumbstruck comes to mind-but proud too.
Where?s the best place you?ve ever played? Where you could swear you literally blew the roof off?
P: The Dorchester was a great gig and also a wedding for an Irish family was really special. This bride and her best friend had been U2 fans since they were fourteen and Lisa (the bride) had booked us but kept it a secret. Her friend was in tears of joy.
Are you Even Better Than The Real Thing?
P: I appeared on ?Stars in the Eyes? as Bono on March 30th 2002. I had a feature in Q magazine afterwards and ?Even Better Than The Real Thing? was the caption under my picture.
Very cool-especially seeing as how Q magazine?s editor is clinically obsessed with Bono?for which we, at Interference.com, are truly grateful.
________________
Check out U2:UK's website for upcoming performances.
[ALIGN=CENTER]Thank you Paul and U2:UK![/ALIGN]
