They started out with a generic island-y tune, as is expected with the instrument. Throughout the night, they performed many classic songs, infused with a ukulele twist. From a small ukulele only several inches long, to a bass ukulele the size of a guitar, they were able to produce a harmonious blend of sound. Each person had a different size instrument, building layers of tones. Combining all eight ukuleles created a delightful euphony that filled the entire auditorium. The eight-person group has performed for thirty years now, and their experience shows. The main reason why I was so excited? It just looked pretty darn cool. I don’t have any strong connection to playing the ukulele I’ve dabbled in it, but never really got hooked. Now, I’m not entirely sure why, but I was inappropriately excited for this performance. When exploring the 2015/2016 schedule brochure for Eisenhower Auditorium, one show in particular caught my eye: The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. The Ukulele Orchestra Live in London #1 is out tomorrow and you can order it and listen to clips on their website.As a freshman, you are constantly bombarded with brochures and lists of events trying to get you involved. Standout tracks: Running Wild, Misirlou, Hot Tamales, Pinball Wizard, Wuthering Heights, Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll. For everyone else, it’s the perfect stopgap until they next roll into town. If you don’t own a Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain album, then this album is absolutely essential. They even sound great when they put down their ukes for an unaccompanied rendition of Pinball Wizard which sounds like Blue Murder Sing The Who (which is an album that doesn’t exist but definitely should ).īut tongues never stray very far from cheeks and this is one of the most grin-tastic albums I have ever heard. It’s much easier to have sympathy for their introspective, world-weary satan than it is the preening knobhead of the original (making it a bit of a shame they’re singing half a dozen other songs at the same time on the track Melange). But on some of the tracks The Ukes give the song a whole new perspective as with their take on Sympathy for the Devil. Not that there aren’t any gimmicky songs on there – Anarchy for the UK is too flimsy a song to be anything else. Listening to the musicianship on that track, they raise themselves way above the ‘novelty act’ tag they’re sometimes pinned with. They then lean back into a sedate and elegant version of Misirlou, closer to the traditional version than Dick Dale’s. Live in London kicks of with that energy bursting out of the speakers on spirited versions of Running Wild and Born to be Wild. Best of all, the recordings are packed with the energy that you can never really get from a studio album. As you’d expect from a group having spent the last 164 years touring together, the playing is tight as a Christmas waistband and the arrangements are more fully developed than their studio counterparts. And that aspect of their playing is very much in evidence on their latest album Live in London #1.Īnd it’s about time they got round to making a live album because this is the best album they’ve ever made. All the ukes add something musically and texturally. Their arrangements go far beyond just bashing out the chords. Despite all the ukulele orchestras and ensembles that have started up since their inception, The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain are still the best around. With the ever increasing number of ukulele groups scattered around the globe, it’s difficult to remember that once upon a time the idea of a whole bunch of people playing only ukuleles seemed absolutely ridiculous.
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