The Ukulele Orchestra
Incredible string band:Sick of symphony orchestras? Fed up with the philharmonic? Perhaps you need a new type of orchestra, one that eschews the easy option of violins, cellos, trumpets and all that other tat. You need The Ukulele Orchesta of Great Britain, a fun-loving, finger-plucking ensemble who will happily play any kind of music of any genre, from classical to jazz to punk to heavy metal - as long as it's played on the ukulele. Like any other orchestra, the UOGB dress up in tie and tails and demurely take their positions before a seated audience for the evening's recital. But then they start on their "bonsai guitars" and things often get a little crazy, and management cannot be responsible for spontaneous outbreaks of laughing, chortling, guffawing, moshing and morris-dancing.
Small wonder:The ukulele is said to have come from Hawaii in the 19th century, and its name is thought to mean "dancing flea". The instrument was popularised in wartime Britain by George Formby, whose hit song, When I'm Cleaning Windows, was the Anarchy in the UK of its day. In the 1960s, a tall, lank-haired chap called Tiny Tim took the uke to a worldwide audience via Tiptoe Through the Tulips, but such frivolities are not part of The UOGB's brief. Their mission is to show the range and virtuosity of this tiny, four-stringed yoke, and use it to bring out the best in every tune, whether it be David Bowie's Life on Mars (with added snatches of My Way), Ms Dynamite's Dy-Na-Mi-Tee or Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit. Their version of Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights prompted the Independent's Howard Jacobson to demand an immediate knighthood for the orchestra's members.
Uke special:The line-up of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain includes Peter Brooke-Turner, a former Eurovision finalist; Dave Suich, a compere at Glastonbury; and George Hinchliffe, who once played 100 songs from 100 years in 100 minutes. The orchestra started out as a bit of a joke, the members getting together back in 1985 to "jam out" some tunes on the uke. When their first gig sold out, they realised that discerning listeners liked nothing better than to hear classic and contemporary music played on an instrument that looked like it had shrunk in the wash and sounded like it was coming from the other end of a hosepipe.
Carry uke:The UOGB have played such prestigious venues as Ronnie Scott's and the Royal Festival Hall, blown away the festival crowds at Glastonbury and the Big Chill, and appeared on Jools Holland's Hootenanny, Blue Peter and Richard & Judy. They took their "hand luggage" on tour to the US, Canada, Europe and Japan, including two sold-out shows at Dublin's Project in July. They return to our shores next Tuesday for a concert in Galway's Town Hall Theatre. They promise not to play anything by George Formby.
