One of Britain’s top tribute bands – the Harborough-based Stereosonics – are playing a rare home-town gig

One of Britain’s top tribute bands – the Market Harborough-based Stereosonics – are playing a rare home-town gig next month (February).

The five-man band, which brilliantly captures the sound of famous Welsh rockers Stereophonics, are at the town’s Enigma club on Saturday, February 5.

It’s the first gig of a (so far) 22-date tour for the soundalikes, scheduled to take them all over the country this year, taking in venues from Cumbria to Colchester, and including a prestigious date at Cardiff Castle.

But band bassist Craig Wolverson said: “We haven’t played a public gig in the town for years, so we’re really looking forward to this one, and to seeing friends and family there.

“And, yes, we’re aiming to have Stereophonics’ new single ‘Do Ya Feel My Love?’ (only released this month) in the set!”

Other Stereophonics / Stereosonics favourites include ‘Dakota’, ‘Have a Nice Day’, ‘Handbags and Gladrags’ and ‘Maybe Tomorrow’. The gig looks certain to be a sell-out.

The town tribute band has been going since 2000, when front man Shane Cross incorporated Stereophonics songs into his then cover band’s repertoire, and discovered he could sound uncannily like the Welsh band’s front man Kelly Jones.

Today the Harborough tribute band consists of Shane, Craig, drummer Wayne Blyth, keyboard player Leigh Dunning and guitarist Lewis Orton.

And fans of the tribute band include the Stereophonics themselves. The Welsh band’s bassist Richard Jones and original drummer Stuart Cable have both joined Stereosonics on stage.

Kelly Jones joked: “The Stereosonics, I think they learn our new songs before we get a chance!”

And Richard Jones says: “If you can’t get to see the real thing, they’re the next best thing!”

It’s a bit more intimate – and cheaper – than the real thing too. Seeing the originals at London’s vast, 20,000 capacity O2 arena this year will cost you at least £84 per ticket!

So does the Harborough band really aim to copy every note of the originals, or do they perform their own versions of the well-known songs?

Craig said: “People come to see as close to the real thing as they can get, so we trawl through every studio version, every live version, to try to get everything absolutely note perfect.”