The acclaimed Classic Rock Show will return to venues around the county at the beginning of 2013 with a brand new live show: 'The Ten Best Selling Rock Albums Of All Time'. It has been billed as a rock fans jukebox and we can expect to hear songs from Led Zeppelin IV, The Dark Side of the Moon, and Born To Run. 'The show will feature a track from each best selling album and the best of the rest...Steely Dan, The Who, The Eagles, Joe Cocker, ELO, Boston, the list goes on and on.' lead guitarist and vocalist, Damian Darlington says. 'We cover a lot of ground under the umbrella of classic rock!'
The Classic Rock Show burst onto the scene about two and a half years ago when Damien was on tour with Brit Floyd. Damien and the shows manager/producer, Chas Cole realised that with the success of Brit Floyd, there would be a demand for a purely classic rock themed musical show. 'There wasn't really a show out there touring UK theatres that was putting on this range of music for people... There were tribute acts concentrating on one act or 80s rock but nothing catering for the classic 70's period of rock music.'
Damian who is also musical director for the show, comes from a musical family has been playing guitar since he was 13. He has played all around the world with The Australian Pink Floyd Show, so he so no stranger to the rock world. His musical background is as varied as his influences encompassing everything from Jimmy Page and Pat Metheny to Al Di Meola and John Martyn. So how does his background help with the tough role of being musical director for the show? 'It's a challenge, but it's a challenge I enjoy...It helps working with such good musicians...it makes being a musical director a lot easier.'
TheClassic Rock Show requires the group of talented musicians in the band to play different types of rock music which calls for different styles and techniques. 'We try to apply the same attention to detail as if we were focussing on one artist.' Vocally Damian tells me that it is also a demanding show as the cross section of music they play calls for a variety of vocal styles. Luckily the band members who can play their instruments and do lead vocals are able to cover all the range of voices needed.
So for those of you who like your music loud, play air guitar to your favourite tunes and head bang along to Bohemian Rhapsody à la Wayne’s World, thenThe Classic Rock Show is for you.