Witchwood, Ashton-under-Lyne Tribute Bands

The Witchwood in Ashton-under-Lyne (7 miles from Manchester city centre) was always known as a breeding ground for up and coming bands, both local and national. From the late 80s and through the 90s I saw countless bands here. Some very good, others were average. The hit and miss nature of seeing an unsigned band was all part of the interest as you never knew what to expect.

Around the mid 90s a new phenomenon took hold in the shape of tribute bands. The first band of this nature that I remember to make a real success of it in the UK were, of course, The Bootleg Beatles. I've never seen them but their remarkable success opened the floodgates to a plethora of tribute acts across the musical genres.

It wasn't long before The Witchwood got in on the act and these bands started appearing more often than new bands playing their own songs. I was resistant to it at first as I viewed it as nothing more than Karaoke.  My opinion changed, however, when I saw the LA Doors. "Jim Morrison" was superb. His voice was spot on and they were note perfect. I'm not even a massive Doors fan but they really impressed me. Soon I was seeing Nearvana; Think Floyd; Stipe; The Jamm etc etc. Most were very good.

One Saturday night I went along with a mate to see Led Zebedee. They were OK but not overly impressive. Robert Plant's voice is virtually impossible to replicate, which the singer didn't. "Jimmy Page" was probably the best part of the band as his riffs were nearer the mark. However, his ill-fitting wig left a lot to be desired.

The following Saturday I went with someone else to see AC/DC My Arse. The lead singer was playing the Brian Johnston role rather than the late Bon Scott so he was wearing a flat cap. However, it was the "Angus Young" guitarist who really grabbed my attention. Around 4 songs in I moved nearer to the stage to get a closer look at him. He was sporting the trademark schoolboy uniform but he looked familiar. It suddenly dawned on me. This Angus Young was the Jimmy Page from the previous week but with a different, slightly better fitting wig.

I felt cheated and after this I became a lot more selective in which tribute bands I chose to see. However, if the Chinese Adam & The Ants tribute band called "Prince Chow Mein" ever play anywhere near me I would probably go along just for the quality of their name. I've heard their singer calls himself  "Adam Pants".