Scotland's tribute acts: Paying homage to the greats

An interview with Alan Walker at a performance in Celino's

An evening at Celino’s in Dennistoun, with Alan Walker booked to entertain the crowd. As groups sit with pasta and wine, Fly Me to the Moon plays, and Alan works his charm on the restaurant.

Before he begins singing Ray Charles’ You Don’t Know Me, he tells a story from when he was a child: “My dad used to sing this song, and obviously because my dad was a singer I thought that this was his song” he went on “I heard this song being played, and thought it was my dad singing it, I came tearing up the hallway and into the living room, only to be confronted with the sight of Ray Charles singing my daddy’s song on the telly… it’s not Ray Charles’ song, it’s my dad’s song.”

Alan credits his career to his family: “My dad was a singer, and on my mum’s side of the family, all my uncles were musicians, so I think it was always going to be."

Alan Walker doesn’t just perform swing, he does tribute performances of George Michael, Robbie Williams, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, and does a show called Illusions, which boasts back-to-back rock tributes.

Alan said: “My first ever tribute was my tribute to George Michael, which I did way back in 1995, that came about simply because I was singing in bands at the time, and we would maybe do a Wham! song, and people would come up afterwards and say that it sounded like George Michael, so I tried a few more songs, and it kind of evolved from that.”

There’s a certain misconception people hold regarding tribute acts, an image of some smoked out bar in the 70s, with a poor impersonator of Elvis swaggering around the room, but the reality is far from it. Tribute performers are largely highly trained professional performers, with backgrounds in theatre, acting and of course, music.

Alan said: “I was asked to sing with a Glasgow soul band called Big Vern n the Shootahs over in Kuala Lumpur, years ago I sang with a rock band called Five Past Midnight, and we actually got flown out to the Falkland Islands on a RAF Hercules to do a gig for the troops.”

Alan performs at Celino’s in Dennistoun once a month and has another monthly show in their Partick location. The restaurant had been fully booked weeks in advance. Management had people constantly enquiring about when the next night would be, and in the fifteen minutes before Alan’s performance began, the restaurant filled completely. In Alan’s interactions with the crowd, it was clear that nights like these are beloved by locals, with the end of the night usually seeing people up and dancing around the tables.

Alan Walker entertaining the crowd at Celino's

While it is a tiny venue, Celino’s couldn’t be more of a perfect environment for the show that Alan puts on, the intimacy with the audience allows for a relaxed atmosphere, and backdrop of a little Italian deli for a night of classic swing music makes you feel as though you’ve wandered into a New York bar in the 50s.

Shows like this provide a level of security for these performers. Alan himself says that his performances earn him a good living. While some may be attracted to fame and stardom, for those who simply love to perform and don’t want the hassle of constantly being away from home and relying on a small cut of profits for their paycheque, playing to local crowds is a great alternative.

Robert T Leonard is mostly known as a Tom Jones tribute, he regularly plays theatres and festivals around the UK and also performs at local clubs.

Robert said: “I was in bands from around the age of 14, the tribute thing came when I was in my late 20s, it was something that was starting to take off and then I started the Tom Jones about 12 years ago, and that’s been the most popular one for myself at the moment.”

When it comes to developing a tribute act, for many, the artist they’ll impersonate comes naturally. Speaking on deciding to become a Tom Jones tribute, Robert said: “His music was played in my house anyway, so probably my first influence definitely. His voice, I thought I want to sound something like that, and then I got into rock music, so anyone that had a big voice, I followed that side of things, and then when I went into the tributes, that’s the first one that I thought I could probably do.”

To refine their performance, hours of studying go into each song a tribute artist has in their repertoire. Everything, from the body language to their speaking voice between songs, becomes just as much a part of the performance as the music does.

Alan Walker said: “If you’re a musician, you will learn your instrument, so for me, doing a tribute is the same thing. You have to study the person that you’re going to be the tribute of, mannerisms, how they sing, even how they speak if you want to go down that road, which I always think a true tribute act should. If you’re going to be a tribute, try and be a lookalike, a soundalike.

“I always do my homework and go in depth and go down a rabbit hole with it, find out all the nuances of it, certain hand gestures and how they move on stage, learn everything about the artist that you can.”

Robert said: “You’re always learning, I’ve been to see a couple of Elvis tributes and the way they come across, they do the mannerisms, the hair, the whole act and the voice, but they always remind people that they’re a fan of the original artist, and when you watch something like that you think that’s the right way to do it.

“I’ll put the fake wig on, and I’ll do the mannerisms, and I’ll do the voice, and then I’ll tell people you’ve come to see a Tom Jones tribute.”

Both Robert T Leonard and Alan Walker are represented by Ean Jones, who runs a talent agency, XSP Entertainments, for tributes and all other performers based around Scotland. Other acts represented by XSP include Jim Smart, one of Scotland’s leading Freddie Mercury tributes, and Paul Phillips, a Kenny Rogers tribute who often pairs up with Andrea Pattison, a Dolly Parton tribute, to play shows in theatres across the UK.

Being a tribute does sell, from private performances to ticketed events and nights such as Celino’s. Each performance brings its challenges, and while there’s a big market for those wanting to feel as though they’re really watching their favourite artists on stage, many performers prefer to be themselves.

Alan said: “If you’re doing a tribute thing, you have to get yourself into the right frame of mind for it, and channel whoever that tribute is going to be, but there’s some nights where personally I feel the tribute is better than others, whereas if I’m being me, then I can just relax into it and it flows easier”

Alan Walker performing at Celino's

It might be expected that being a tribute act is a dwindling art, that fewer people are setting their sights on nailing down the perfect performance. However, in the time that Alan has spent performing, he’s found that it’s only become easier to get started.

Alan explained: “When I started performing, it was all live bands, there was no such thing as playing to backing tracks, everything was live, and then with the invention of karaoke, a lot of people started to go out singing with their backing tracks, which I do now as well.”

He said: “What it has done is make it easier for people to go out and sing, you don’t have to rely now on musicians, people can just get a few backing tracks, go out, have a wee go at it and see how good they are and take it from there. Hopefully that’s how it continues, it’s always nice to see new artists and singers come onto the scene.”

The joy that these performers can bring to someone, particularly those who are there to reminisce, is what brings a certain magic to tribute acts. Sure, who wouldn’t dream of being able to go back and watch George Michael at his prime, but when Alan Walker takes to the stage to sing Careless Whisper, you’d be hard pressed to find a closer feeling to the real thing.

On a night such as Alan Walker’s swing performance at Celino’s, the importance of having local performances such as these is evident. Half the restaurant knows each other, the waiters dance around as Alan sings, and the atmosphere is joyous. Who needs a sold-out Hydro performance with overpriced tickets and £7 pints when you can sit and enjoy a meal and a show in such a welcoming corner of the city?