Music

Simply Dylan take their Bob Dylan tribute back on the road

Following the success of Simply Dylan’s debut UK tour last year, the band are returning to the road this September.

No strangers to selling out venues up and down the country, Simply Dylan will stop at Gateshead, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bath, London, Birmingham, Southport, Manchester and Liverpool later this year.

We caught up with founding member John O’Connell to talk more about the band and their 2015 plans. Read the full interview here…

How did Simply Dylan originally come about?

“A good friend of mine has asked me for years to do a Dylan-only set and when it came round to Bob Dylan’s 70th birthday, I did exactly that and pulled some fantastic musicians together to perform a one-off gig at the Cavern. Since then I’ve never looked back, as it sold out and the subsequent shows did too. The success of the project has allowed us to secure more gigs further afield including The Troubadour in London, where Bob first played some 50 years ago, a tour of Spain back in 2011 and our debut UK tour last year.”

How would you describe yourself to new listeners?

“Simply Dylan is not a sound alike and look alike Bob Dylan tribute band; we explore some of his more challenging songs and endeavour to shine a light on his lyrics. The band at its maximum is an eight-piece including violin and electric guitar and 2 backing singers. This allows us to cover certain albums such as Street Legal and Desire.

How’re you planning to spend summer before the tour in September?

“Some sunshine in Spain, discovering new songs to cover and a couple of prep gigs!”

Which are your favourite songs to play live currently?

“With the band, Changing of the Guards and Precious Angel, but solo it has to be You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go. To be honest, there are so many to choose from and learn, as I think Dylan has written somewhere in the region of 700 songs now.”

What’s your go-to soundtrack when touring?

Saved by Dylan or After the Gold Rush by Neil Young.

And are there any venues you’re particularly excited to play on this run?

“We loved every venue last year and the response from the audience was always special. New theatres are always exciting to play but then revisiting places like Oran Mor in Glasgow, which was a sell-out last time, is one I’m going to be looking forward to. Playing Liverpool has to be up there too as it is my home crowd. All of them really, it’s just lovely to be playing to Dylan fans!”

Simply Dylan will tour the UK this September, get full dates and tickets at Ticketmaster.co.uk.