The Wedding Singer Podcast: A tribute to tribute bands

The world is a vampire, but fear not, this week Daz and Steve from The Smashed in Pumpkins join us to discuss all things The Smashing Pumpkins.  Daz talks cassocks, perfect hair and scaring the audience, and the brutal feedback of Smashing Pumpkins fans and the reality of being fully authentic vs being a good tribute band.  We get into the weeds of tech, spec and equipment, plus the...

Fancy a trip to Wales? If so, get yourself down to Romilly Park in Barry for an action-packed weekend of tribute acts, wrestling and juggling at the superbly named GlastonBARRY. This week, we chat to the festival's founder, Matt Blumberg. Matt talks about the origins of the festival that has been on the go since 2013 and how it has grown to include a junior's day and two days of tribute action. We...

Bar snacks at the ready for this week’s episode as we’re joined by Tommy McGuinness, our chum and General Manager of the infamous The Marquis pub in Covent Garden. We get nostalgic for The Limelight in Crewe in its tribute band heyday, discover the secret to a good podcast and talk real barnets (no wigs needed). Tommy tells us a Green Day anecdote for the ages and Nathan remembers that New York Ci...

Sextape! No, not a podcast scandal, this week Medwyn from Deftones tribute act Deftunes joins us.  Medwyn discusses his skateboard skills, how he fell down a rabbit hole into the world of Deftones and plans to start an Eiffel 65 tribute.  We stress the importance of wearing a belt onstage, how dressing in period appropriate clothing can be unsettlingly contemporary and find out if octoge...

So may I introduce to you, the (tribute) act you've known for all these years: this week we’re joined by the Mersey Beatles, specifically Craig who performs as George Harrison. Craig talks about the space in the Beatles tribute universe for niche and unusual acts, adding period specific visuals to Mersey Beatles and being vetoed on lighting incense during gigs. We chat about the benefits of being...

Hey now, hey now…it’s a Crowded House tribute band from Liverpool, no, not Chocka Gaff, this week we’re joined by Mark from Crowded Scouse.  Mark tells us about the band’s brief foray into matching suits, a strict no wig position, and the endlessly rotating setlist and the wealth of material from Split Endz to Finn Brothers. We talk about the importance of sandwiches, staircases in Rhyl and a...

Black holes and revelations galore this week as Alex from the superbly named Plug in Maybe joins us to discuss all things Muse. Nath and Alex get into the weeds discussing guitar building and the endless need to buy more stuff.  We discuss the pros and cons of the band being split between Pembrokeshire and West Yorkshire, crowd assisted vocal support and hours of time spent programming lights...

It’s a perfect ten this week as Nathan and Will are joined by Ed Faulkner, the founder and organiser of Tribfest, one of the UK’s leading tribute festivals. Ed also masquerades as Paul Heaton in The Beautiful Couch, a tribute to The Beautiful South and The Housemartins. We discuss the challenges of starting up a tribute festival, the balancing act of booking bands and the importance of offering so...

On The Beach? Why not join Nathan and Will as they talk all things ol' Shakey with Alex from Nottingham-based Neil Young tribute, Rust For Glory. Alex offers advice on how to find a drummer, and how the idea of getting paid to play music and receiving positive feedback was the catalyst for starting a tribute band.   15 years in we talk about Rust For Glory’s busiest year yet, and the goo...

Podcast vibes in the area! Oasiz vibes in the area! This week, we’re joined by Steve and Gaz from the biblical Oasis tribute band Oasiz, who have been paying homage to Burnage’s finest for a madferrit 21 years.  Steve tells us how Oasis saved him from a world of Whigfield (the only mention of wigs this week). Gaz the Andy Bell / Guigsy of the band and social media guru discusses Southend's pl...

Take off your pants and jacket! This week, Nathan and Will chat with Jason and Jonny from Swansea-based Blink 182 tribute One Eighty Two.  A love of Blink, a Travis Barker lookalike and a Dad’s surprise intervention led to the formation of One Eighty Two in 2011. We talk about the early days of spamming venues for gigs, making contacts on the road and the slog of getting established as a trib...

Nathan and Will are joined by Gareth (aka G) and Cat from Mardy Bums, a Surrey-based Arctic Monkeys tribute band. Formed in 2019 through their mutual love of Sheffield’s finest, we chat about playing to 2,000 people in a sweaty tent in Jersey, about bring an in-demand tribute band, and carrying on after the departure of their original Alex Turner.  New ‘Alex’ Gareth discusses being thrown in...

Double Dog? We can offer Double Nathan, because this week Nathan and Will are joined by Nathan and Shane from Ziggy Pop, a Midlands-based Iggy and The Stooges tribute band. Armed with a name and decades of playing in original and covers bands, Nathan had the idea of starting Ziggy Pop – a David Bowie and Iggy Pop covers band – before dropping Bowie to focus on the Godfather of Punk and his shirtle...

This week, Nathan and Will are joined by Andy Macleod: promotor, author and ‘Godfather of Goth’ Robert Smith in London-based The InCureables, a tribute to The Cure. A lightbulb moment on Parliament Hill and musician spotting at the local lido led to the fastest ever – and perhaps only – lido-formed tribute band.  Andy talks about avoiding the cliches when performing as someone else, his grand...

This week Nathan and Will are joined by John and Richie from North East-based Weezer tribute band, Wheezer. A “let’s get the band back together” meet up to cover early nineties grunge indie classics led to the only rational conclusion: to form a tribute band.  John and Richie talk about the lifespan of tribute bands, whether the bubble will burst, and the challenges of being called Wheezer wi...

1, 2, 3, 4! This week, Nathan and Will are joined by Dave and Si from London-based Ramones tribute act I Wanna Be Sedated, who channel the timeless punk rock energy of the legendary Ramones. Dave discusses how tribute band dynamics are often the same as original bands, how he stepped up to vocals after realising the original singer wasn’t up to scratch and falling outs with band members over names...

On this week’s episode, Nathan and Will are joined by Carly and Neil, who form two-fifths of North East-based The B-Hives: a homage to The Hives. They’re about to become your new favourite tribute band. Carly's obsession with the sonic bombast of Swedish garage rockers The Hives led her to step into the rather stylish suit of Howlin’ Pelle back in 2014, and over a decade later, they now find thems...

On this week’s episode, Nathan and Will are joined by the finest guitar slinger in Norfolk: Mark aka Richie Sambora in Wrong Jovi. Is Tommy still working on the docks? We’re about to find out. Founding member and manager of Wrong Jovi, Mark has been working in the music industry since the age of 16. He’s performed across the UK with various artists as well as working as a session guitarist from hi...

On this week’s episode, Nathan and Will are joined by the very talented Laurence Knight aka The Bowie Experience. Laurence has performed as David Bowie for over 25 years and has played at the Royal Albert Hall, featured on Armando Iannucci's Time Trumpet, and entertained thousands of people in the UK and around the world. Laurence chats about his journey in music, how he became David Bowie, whethe...

Tribute bands have long been a source of ridicule, in part for their lighthearted pun names such as Hi-On Maiden and Wrong Jovi, and for their outlandish costumes and mop-top wigs, but have perceptions changed? Each week we’ll be joined by some of the  best tributes around. We’ll dig deep to find out what it’s like, why they do it, whether they’re worried about the stigma, and, of course...