We went for a look inside Blackpool's two day metal and rock tribute festival - Rock The Gardens.
Festival promoter, Rab Curran, explains why tribute acts are so popular, and we speak with the fans, Sophie Lancaster Foundation, and a local band who were talent-spotted to open the show.
Festival promoter, Rab Curran, explains why tribute acts are so popular, and we speak with the fans, Sophie Lancaster Foundation, and a local band who were talent-spotted to open the show.
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MusicTranscript
00:00 [MUSIC]
00:10 There's nothing like music to bring people together.
00:13 It's a good family, there's such a family spirit.
00:17 To see it in Blackpool, after all the things I've seen in this building,
00:21 you do ballroom dancing, they have pigeon festivals, a punk festival.
00:25 To go and see a Rammstein tribute and a Marlon Manson tribute last year,
00:30 it's just surreal, but I love it, I absolutely love it.
00:34 The ones that I choose, I do look up and try and get them as authentic sounding
00:40 at least, and that's why I chose the guys.
00:44 Tonight, Angry Hair and Pearl Scam, the Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains tributes,
00:48 the authentic sounding tributes.
00:51 They admit themselves, they don't look like them, but they hella sound like them,
00:55 and they're so good.
00:56 The first thing that really got me into tribute bands is I went to the Waterloo
01:00 in Blackpool and I seen the Spooky Kids, a Marlon Manson tribute.
01:04 I was a huge Marlon Manson fan as a kid, and then when I seen these guys,
01:08 I was like, they're just as good as the real thing, better than the real thing's
01:11 been in a long time, as much as I love them.
01:15 But these guys paid proper tribute to it, and I thought, there's such a market
01:19 for these guys, this type of music, and I just got totally invested in researching
01:25 them, going to see tribute bands, going to rock press and stuff like that.
01:29 Quite often people don't realise that they were into the same music as someone else,
01:42 so coming here is great because they're able to discover that and then enjoy it
01:47 in an environment where they can completely be themselves and dress however they
01:51 want to dress. We've seen some amazing outfits here so far, and hairdos and all
01:55 kinds of stuff, and it's just a really welcoming and wonderful environment,
02:00 and a lot of fun. I mean, there's 800-odd people in the room jumping up and down
02:04 to their favourite songs. I mean, it doesn't get much better than that for people.
02:07 It's a very unique, open environment, things like Rock the Gardens, where
02:13 everyone's in the same boat and everyone shares a very similar interest, so people
02:18 can be a lot more relaxed in what they're thinking and feeling. So we hear a lot of
02:22 stories about people's personal dealings with receiving prejudice.
02:28 I like it. It's the first time I've been. I didn't come last year, but it's good
02:33 this year, like. I was a bit disappointed that Pantera pulled out, but mainly I came
02:37 for that, but aye, it's been cunny. I like it.
02:40 The weekend. I mean, last night, Colin again, were amazing. They're always amazing.
02:46 They always properly get the crowd going. Rob Zombie as well, they were so good.
02:50 They properly get the crowd, you know, fans get the crowd going, you know.
02:53 Colin. Just brilliant. I just love Cote d'Ivoire. I love Cote d'Ivoire anyway, but
02:58 yeah. Today, yeah, in essence, the first one to come on, because that's a tough,
03:03 that's very tough to come on at one o'clock in the afternoon when everyone's just
03:06 starting to come in. That's tough that. And they done really well, to be fair, and
03:11 they were so tight, so surprisingly, I'm not a Kiss fan, but visually they were
03:16 incredible. The fans are slightly better this year, to be fair. Unfortunately,
03:20 Pantera's just pulled out, but apart from that, that's a bit of a shame. But apart
03:24 from that, yeah, it's been pretty good. I mean, last year was a trial event. Long
03:27 may it continue, so yeah.
03:28 Rob Zombie, yes, they were very good. Very, very, very nice time. I haven't seen any
03:33 today, but I'm going to go and see Alice in Chains in a bit. And everyone's very
03:39 friendly, and we sold a lot of things. It's been a very nice event, actually, yes.
04:01 It's mad. Like, the sheer size of the stage. Like, I've got all that freedom to
04:06 go up and down on it. It's insane.
04:09 Is it a bit bigger than what you're used to then?
04:11 Yeah, definitely. It was insane when we played here last year as well. It's just,
04:15 I was so excited all year to play here again. The energy was great in the crowd.
04:20 Like, it's just awesome. It's, like, fills you with so much adrenaline when you're
04:25 on stage.
04:27 We've got covers from Anthrax, we've got Madhouse, we've got Creeping Death by
04:33 Metallica, and we've got The Time as well, which is a new one that we've been
04:37 working on.
04:38 Well, I'm hoping it's going to, like, boost my confidence a bit more because it's
04:42 more people than we usually, like, play in front of, and I'm just hoping it's going
04:48 to be a very good performance, and I'm hoping the audience is going to join in,
04:52 if you know what I mean.
04:53 So, Upbeat Rock Academy is run by Ian Hooper, and it's a Poulton on the
04:58 industrial estate. He actually noticed them at the Waterloo and gave them the
05:02 opportunity last year to come and play. So, I think he, they must have done okay
05:08 because he's asked them back again this year, which is really good.
05:10 They've put them all together and they just gelled, and they've all got a similar
05:14 interest in music. And, like I say, I think it's just unusual to see kids of that age
05:19 actually doing that music again and reliving it and bringing it back.
05:23 Because I think at the Waterloo, I think a lot of the crowd, you know, they're an
05:28 older generation, so I think they enjoy it. They're, like, reliving their youth again,
05:33 and I think it's just, it's like a walk down memory lane for them. But to see kids
05:38 doing it, it's just like, wow, they're bringing it back again, you know.
05:41 [Music]
05:54 [Music]