By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times
Killer Queen
There are cover bands and tribute bands galore these days.
Some are really bad, some are acceptable, and some are good.
Many simply play their versions of classic songs straight up. Some attempt to look like the band they’re covering but usually fail – like guys flailing around stage trying to imitate Mick Jagger while the band tries to recreate the music.
Only a few attempt to look and sound like their targets – often with mediocre results.
However, there are a rare few that hit the nail on the head – bands that look and sound like the originals.
One of the best is Killer Queen.
Killer Queen has the visuals nailed.
Simon Small looks like Queen guitarist Brian May. Jon Howells looks like Queen drummer Roger Taylor. Gordon Davis looks like Queen bassist John Deacon and Patrick Myers has an uncanny resemblance to the late great Queen vocalist Freddie Mercury.
More importantly, Killer Queen does an amazing job at recreating the sound of Queen live onstage.
Seeing Killer Queen perform live is as close as you’ll come to hearing a performance by Queen.
On September 27, Killer Queen will visit the area for a show at the Lansdowne Theater (31 North Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, www.lansdownetheater.org).
“We started in 1993,” said Myers, during a recent phone interview from his home in Brighton, England.
“We were one of the first tribute bands in the world. It should be noted that we’re a tribute band not a cover band.
“We were in London at university. I was studying drama at London University. At that time, Queen had kids dressing up as them.”
Killer Queen’s first public shows were at London University, following in the footsteps of the real Queen who had played their first shows there 22 years earlier.
“We were the first Queen tribute band to get a lot of press and coverage,” said Myers.
By 1995, Killer Queen’s U.K. popularity had grown to such an extent they secured a residency in London’s Strand Theatre attracting nationwide BBC coverage — the first tribute to have a show in the West End.
“We were the first Queen tribute band to play venues like the Marquee and the West End,” said Myers. “And we were all over national TV.”
Even though the band never had any connection to Queen officially, their reputation continued to grow both in the U.K. and abroad.
In 1999, they returned from a tour of Europe and Russia for an awards ceremony in Leicester Square, hosted by Suggs from Madness. He announced they had won the award for “Worldwide Best Tribute Band.”
“America got in touch in 2016,” said Myers. “Our first show in the states was at Red Rocks in Colorado. That was a huge draw.”
Myers explained the reason for Killer Queen’s popularity.
“Killer Queen is not a Queen cover band,” said Myers. “We’re a tribute band. We have costumes. We dress like them. We have huge shoes to fill.
“We play the music like Queen which is difficult because they were such a talented band. They were brilliant.”
Queen started in the early 70s. Their first show was at Bedford College in 1972 with six people in the audience.
That changed quickly.
The band’s popularity exploded with their sophomore album, “Queen II,” in 1974 followed by “Sheer Heart Attack” in 1974.
Their “Night at the Opera” album in 1975 yielded “Bohemian Rhapsody,”
“Bohemian Rhapsody” topped the U.K. Singles Chart for nine weeks (plus another five weeks following Mercury’s death in 1991) and is the UK’s third best-selling single of all time.
It also topped the charts in countries including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and the Netherlands, and has sold over six million copies worldwide.
In the United States, the song peaked at number nine in 1976 but reached a new peak of number two after appearing in the 1992 film “Wayne’s World.”
In 1977, Queen’s “News of the World” album featured “We Are the Champions” and “We Will Rock You,” which became all-time worldwide favorites and perpetual staples at athletic events.
Queen, which has sold more than 300 million albums, reached another peak with its performance at “Live Aid.”
But everything screeched to a halt on November 24, 1991, with the death of Freddie Mercury, who was born 45 years earlier in Zanzibar as Farrokh Bulsara.
Mercury died of bronchial pneumonia. His last concert with Queen was in February 1990.
“I never got to see Queen perform live,” said Myers. “I wanted to see their Magic Tour in 1986, but I missed it. I was 14. I was too young, and my parents didn’t want to take me. I figured I’d see them next time.”
There never was a next time. The Magic Tour was Mercury’s final tour with Queen.
“Not seeing them was a sore point,” said Myers.
Seven years later, Myers and his mates were onstage bringing the magic of Mercury, May, Taylor and Deacon back to life.
Killer Queen captures the power of Queen’s live shows and serves up the songs and the shows with amazing accuracy – even down to physical resemblance.
“We do our best to look like them,” said Myers. “We all look very different offstage. Most people don’t recognize us offstage.”
Killer Queen has spent more than three decades performing the music of Queen.
Myers captures Mercury’s stage aura, and his study of Mercury is an ongoing process.
“I watch videos of Freddie all the time,” said Myers. “I still see new things. The amazing thing is that I still find them fascinating.”
Killer Queen keeps things fresh.
“Our set list has evolved over the years,” said Myers. “We mix up the chronology of the songs. We play around 20 songs and it’s more a musical journey than a chronological journey.
“We play a lot of stuff you want to hear – including some deep cuts. You can’t just do the hits. One thing doesn’t change. We always close with ‘We Will Rock You.’”
Video link for Killer Queen — https://youtu.be/0qucQhBd2WY.
The show at the Lansdowne Theater on September 27 will start at 8 p.m.
Ticket prices start at $49.25.
On September 26, Windish Studios (4 West Prescott Alley, West Chester, https://www.windishentertainment.com) will host the Gusten Rudolph Quartet.The show, which presents a veteran jazz ensemble featuring John Petrucelli, Neil Podgurski, Jeffery Dingler and Gusten Rudolph, will start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25.
Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http://www.kennettflash.org) is hosting Kitchen Sink on September 25.
Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, www.uptownwestchester.org) is presenting “A Chorus Line” through September 28.
The Candlelight Theatre (2208 Millers Road, Arden, Delaware, 302- 475-2313, www.candlelighttheatredelaware.org) is in the first full weekend of its latest run – “Ragtime: The Musical.” The show is running now through October 26.
Jamey’s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, 215-477-9985, www.jameyshouseofmusic.com) is presenting the Nick Moss band with Dennis Gruenling and AC Steel 7 the Perpetrators on September 25, Meghan Cary Trio and Miss Emily on September 26, Blues People on September 27 and The Philly Blues Kings with Clarence Spady on September 28.
Elkton Music Hall (107 North Street, Elkton, Maryland, www.elktonmusichall.com) will have Sonny Landreth and Cindy Cashdollar on September 25, Splintered Sunlight on September 26 and Yasmin Williams on October 1.
