Nothing is sacred to the Brits
The «United Kingdom Ukulele Orchestra» combined British humour with musical finesse at the „Alte Oper“ in Frankfurt.
One would think that the musicians must have small fingers to be able to play this instrument, but even if the frets are smaller than those on the guitar, what really counts is the precision work – and in that sense the six gentlemen and the two ladies are masters of their profession. There are distinctions between baritone, tenor, concert and soprano ukulele, as with other instruments too. In this octet all are represented, and every musician is a virtuoso on his or her instrument. But the main focus in the presentation of the British is not technical discipline or the art of interpretation, not to mention classical reverence; it is almost musical cabaret.
From pop to rock, from German to English hits and even hard rock, all integrated, satirised and made fun of, so that one has to wipe away one’s tears of laughter while listening. But Kytsun Wolfe, who does most of the – ludicrous – announcements, and Tony Young are also good singers. As are the two perfect lady ukulele musicians Sarah Dale and Lesley Cunningham. Together with Doug Henning, Andy Wild, Alan Sweeney and Peter Baynes they go poaching through three decades of rock and pop history and bend the hits until one can hardly recognise them anymore.
After «My Generation» from «The Who» follow the kitsch fairy-tale queen «Heidi», pieces by «The Beatles», «The Pretenders» and even punk from «The Clash» and sudden excursions into film scores such as Alexis Sorbas or Monty Python. An excellent evening.
Article from the „Frankfurter Neue Presse“, March 21st, 2011
Under the title: The ukulele rocks
The United Kingdom Ukulele Orchestra doesn’t dig deep into folklore – the ukulele, the „jumping flea“ (which is supposed to be the literal English translation of the Hawaiian) and its nimble, flitting, cheeky, sometimes dreamy sound, lends itself well to popular music.
So the audience in the ‘Mozartsaal’ of the Liederhalle in Stuttgart experienced on Saturday how well pacific serenity and dry British humour go together. Five gentlemen and two ladies with ukuleles plus one gentleman with a ukulele bass played pieces by Paul McCartney, the Bee Gees, The Clash, Queen, Rossini and Monty Python with sunny strumming strings. They sang and danced as well, jumped, put on sunglasses and occasionally pretended to be Bob Dylan. The music of the Orchestra is pleasing, but above all foolish, attractive and accomplished. In a joyful, non-serious way the ukuleles stole the show from James Blunt two days before his guest performance in Stuttgart by pinching his greatest song. ‘Did you have a nice break?’ asked one ukulele player after the interval. ‘Are you drunk?’ That’s how it should be.
‘Stuttgarter Nachrichten’, 21. 3. 2011
At the end the audience and the musicians could hardly bear to part
The United Kingdom Ukulele Orchestra started its tour at the Harres in St. Leon Rot and enthused with wit and musicality
With the Sabre Dance by Khachaturian the band opened the concert in brilliant fashion. (…)
During the evening the players didn’t only use their small instruments on stage but also their melodious voices. In doing so it seemed there were no style boundaries which would have been insurmountable for the British band. (…) Especially interesting was a quodlibet of the songs ‘You’re beautiful’, ‘Let it be’, ‘I come from a land down under’, ‘Do you really want to hurt me’ and ‘Forever Young’, at first sung as a medley, one after the other, then all simultaneously in wondrous harmony. (…)
By Maria Bierwald ‘Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung’, 21. 3. 2011
TUKUO IN KARLSRUHE
Karlsruhe (bb). During their tour through Germany the Ukulele Orchestra from London made a halt in the the „Fan-City“ Karlsruhe. The ensemble, consisting of two ladies and six gentlemen, gave its first guest performance in the Konzerthaus. >From the opening number, the breakneck classical piece “Sabre Dance” by Khachaturian, everyone in the audience realised that these are absolute ukulele professionals at work. And it is astonishing what kind of sounds they elicit from this not very elaborate-looking miniature guitar. And what is even more important is that one can tell how much fun they have, which immediately spreads throughout the whole auditorium. After a brilliant, groovy rendition of „My Generation“ (The Who) it’s the turn of Sarah Dale, one of the two female ukulele players. With her excellent singing voice she pitches in with the signature tune of the ancient television series „Heidi“ and there is no more holding back. The audience provides the alpine echo.
Then they go right through the rock and pop history of the last thirty years and everyone has lots of fun. Furthermore it sounds extremely good due to the diverse voices of Anthony Young, Andy Wild and Kytsun Wolfe. The young Scottish musician Alan Sweeney is an excellent master of the soprano ukulele. Lesley Cunnigham, a great ukulele player originally from New Zealand, becomes the front woman and rocks the piece „Brass in Pocket“. And then one listens to classical music again: A Rossini overture or Sarah Dale and Anthony Young’s highly original opera-swing-version of „O mio babbino caro“.
One can hardly stop being astonished by what these musicians elicit from their voices and their instruments. With the interspersion of bizarre dialogue and funny ideas the orchestra also delivers an entertaining show. This is somewhat in contrast to the well-known Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, which has also played in Karlsruhe before. This is a presentation one could call musical cabaret and it is simply funnier and more informal.
Eight professionals, who are equally at home in jazz, classical, rock and pop music, offer a diverse programme of the best musical quality. An evening which the audience won’t forget. Here is hoping that the United Kingdom Ukulele Orchestra will perform in the Konzerthaus again soon. Standing ovations, intense applause and parquet floor drumming, with which the audience got three encores, will then surely happen again.
BOULEVARD BADEN, Karlsruhe 22. 3. 2011
Fun with mini guitars
This selection of music and performance offers something for every taste, but is suited to a German audience. A wonderfully interpreted Beatles song (‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’) or a clapalong hit such as „Rote Lippen“ sung by the Cliff Richard double Kytsun Wolfe. One should understand some English however to be able to understand the announcements and jokes but one can relax when Sarah Dale or Peter Baynes tell the story about the song in very good German. The humour is not especially dry, but typically English is the extreme inclination to self-mockery, the relaxed playing with diverse styles of music and the way of involving the audience. After a certain time of acclimatisation the audience was very taken with TUKUO and whistled the Monty Python hit ‘Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life’ by itself during the break. And furthermore they didn’t want to let the orchestra leave without several encores.
By Anneke Brüning, ‘Badische Neueste Nachrichten’
( BNN – Karlsruhe ), 23. 3. 2011
Punchy String Force from the Island
Mannheim. The United Kingdom Ukulele Orchestra aroused enthusiasm in a sold-out Capitol with the huge versatility of the little guitar.
“Before we came on stage I was able to take a peek to see what the average age of the audience was this evening: 25!” With these words Kytsun Wolfe greets the full rows of spectators in the Mannheim Capitol. “Of course, I wear glasses!” From the word go the endearing, acerbic humour which we so appreciate in our island neighbours underscores the concert by the eight musicians of the United Kingdom Ukulele Orchestra.
This is fundamentally built into the composition of the orchestra. What else are we to expect when eight adults sit on a stage with these wonderfully chirpy children’s guitars and play right through the history of music? We do not want to do an injustice to the small guitar in this place, for one can no longer imagine our musical world without this instrument, which came originally from Portugal and became known as the ukulele in Hawaii. From Marilyn Monroe’s performance in “Some Like it Hot” to Amanda Palmer’s newly released CD of cover versions of Radiohead, all of which are accompanied by the ukulele. However with all due respect we should not forget that ukulele translated means “jumping flea”. That very name conveys the wink of the eye by which everything is driven this evening on those short strings, for two hours, from the Beatles to the Radetsky March. Doug Henning, Tony Young, Sarah Dale, Andy Wild, Lesley Cunningham, Alan Sweeney, Peter Baynes and Kytsun Wolfe not only show themselves to be precise experts on their instruments but also brilliant performers of musical cabaret. Despite having the old court jester deep in their veins they never completely lose respect for their musical ‘victims’. No matter whether it’s the Who’s “My Generation”, which is sweetly plucked, or the Clash’s “London Calling” experiencing a most attractive rejuvenation, there is lots of fun. “This song is dedicated to all the men in the audience,” announces Sarah Dale before bending her plaits upwards and fervently starting to sing “Heidi”. No matter whether it’s McCartney’s “Urban Spaceman”, Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots are made for Walking” or Abba’s “Mamma Mia”, the ladies and gentlemen are just as convincing vocally as they are with the stringed instruments in their hands. So it is no wonder if at the end of this powerful excursion no-one in the audience really wants to take leave of their eight new friends on the stage. But one can be sure that this will not be the last visit to Mannheim of these ladies and gentlemen.
Bernd Mand, Mannheimer Morgen, 27.3.2011
Four stringed versatility
The United Kingdom Ukulele Orchestra in the Wiesbaden Kurhaus
(…) In the Kurhaus TUKUO, not to be confused, of course, with the somewhat elderly Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain (UOGB), gave a sample of what can be dismantled with the mini-battle-axe baptised on Hawaii, be it rock, pop, punk or classical. The United Kingdom Ukulele Orchestra, then, consists of two delightful ladies and six gentlemen in tuxedos who, after a supposedly dead-serious opening with Kachaturian’s “Sabre Dance”, very quickly make it clear that TUKUO stands for a kind of no-holds-barred musical cabaret in the tradition of Monty Python. (…) And the more-than-wilful mix works tremendously well, reaching a climax with a wonderfully harmonious medley composed of “You’re Beautiful” (James Blunt), “Let It Be” (Beatles), “Down Under” (Men At Work), “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me” (Culture Club) and Alphaville’s “Forever Young”. At the end of the invigoratingly playful sitting of the little orchestra, which supports, through the
project “Ukuleles for Peace”, new growth between Israelis and Palestinians by means of the four strings, there is a standing ovation.
Peter Müller, Wiesbadener Kurier, 29.3.2011
The United Kingdom Ukulele Orchestra in “The Harmonie”
(…) And that is the small but telling difference between the countless ukulele formations that are travelling through the land: at times it’s the instrument that is in the foreground, at others it’s the eccentricity of the performers. Cunning. The musicians of the United Kingdom Ukulele Orchestra are all about comedy. With them the ukulele often takes a back seat until one almost forgets what shrewd musicians one is facing. With Sarah Dale, the soprano who scales the highest notes of the schmaltzy “Heidi”, Peter Baynes, who mimicks a passable Bob Dylan and Andy Wild, who pokes fun at the Bee Gees in a squeaky voice. And then we finally come to the point: first the self-appointed Ukes throw themselves into action, then comes the big moment for Felix, Max und Werner, three amateur musicians from the audience. For “Muss i denn” they are invited onto the stage, armed with their ukuleles. Huge fun.
Michaela Adick, “Heilbronner Stimme”, 2.4.2011
Plinky-plop through classical and pop
The United Kingdom Ukulele Orchestra conjured up a smile on the faces of visitors to the City Hall
Musically highbrow and so comic as to make you roar with laughter. For over two hours on Sunday evening the United Kingdom Ukulele Orchestra made a gigantic charm offensive for a tiny string instrument.
(…) Plink and plop go the fishingline-thin nylon strings of the ukulele. Chords can be heard for just long enough to distinguish major from minor. Anyone who, given these conditions, goes on stage with Kachaturian’s “Sabre Dance” definitely wants to make a point: ‘Listen up to what our pocket size instrumentation has to offer!’ However minimal the tonal yield of the ukulele may be, it is an enormously percussive piece of equipment, and indeed the United Kingdom Ukulele Orchestra summons up a large part of its precise dynamic from the rhythmical fine-workings of the arrangements by Peter Moss. Kytsun Wolfe, visually a Cliff Richard clone, sits at the centre of this strummed charm offensive and comperes the show of the octet, whose repertoire ploughs a furrow between operatic arias and the Clash. That alone would already be first class entertainment, but a TUKUO evening becomes totally and hugely fun through small, finely placed comic elements and big voices, so typically British that the waving of Union Jacks brought along by some members of the audience didn’t once look out of place. The young Alan Sweeney, Peter Baynes next to him, Sarah Dale, Tony Young, Lesley Cunningham and Andy Wild all have their great vocal moments, inciting their audience to clap to the “Heidi” melody and Bee Gees numbers alike. A lot happens between stage and auditorium, and there is yet more: strengthened by two visitors to the City Hall the orchestra becomes a ten-piece for “Muss i denn.” Only one person remains silent, smiling. That bass players are, per se, cool dudes is well known. That Doug Henning, together with the legendary Jim Marshall, developed the first valve amplifier what feels like a hundred years ago, since when the British pop and music scene could not be imagined without him, that, on the other hand, is very little known, at least in Germany. But no need to imagine: Big Daddy smiles and plucks the strings with clockwork timing, reggae or Radetski March, and provides the volume of the deep tones for the orchestra. So in the end monster numbers like “Bohemian Rhapsody” succeed with complete effortlessness; or a multilayered vocal medley of James Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful”, “No Woman No Cry”, “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me”, “Let it Be” and “Down Under”. All of this comes over with large amounts of self-mocking understatement and it comes so lithely from the hips. Perhaps it is precisely that which could provide cult status for one German mandolin orchestra or another.
Carsten Beckmann, Oberhessische Presse Marburg, 12.4.2011
( translated by Annette Bungers )
