The amount of excitement surrounding Queen’s upcoming national tour of Australia is insane, the reformed band taking to our shores for a string of stadium shows in August/September with the talented Adam Lambert standing-in for the late and great Freddie Mercury.
Before this incredible event takes place, the Northcote Social Club is hosting a special Queen Tribute Night on Friday 22nd August that will see one-off super-group The Stormtroopers In Stilettos, comprising of Davey Lane, Nick Thayer, Stephen Hadley, Brett Wolfenden and Matty Vehl belt out two sets in honour of this iconic band.
The big names don’t stop there, with Vika & Linda Bull, Joel Silbersher, Georgia Fields and Laura Davidson all lending their vocals for what should be one hell of an evening.
Amidst all the hype, we had a chat to Davey Lane, Vika Bull and Nick Thayer, who selected what they believe to be the best Queen tracks and why.
‘The March Of The Black Queen’
(From Queen, 1973 – Selected by Davey Lane)
“This is one of the many reasons why Freddie Mercury was a fuckin’ genius. What an insane song. Chords and choirs coming at ya from all over the place, each one coming as a complete surprise. I like music to have that constant sense of surprise. Amazing!”
‘Bohemian Rhapsody’
(From A Night At The Opera, 1975 – Selected by Vika Bull)
“Of course! How can anyone not love this song. One of the greatest. All the different sections makes this a very interesting song – the ballad, the guitar solo, the operatic bit and the hard rock. I just love it and I love the clip.”
‘All Dead, All Dead’
(From News Of The World, 1977 – Selected by Davey Lane)
“I mentioned this in the short video on News Of The World. This is a ballad by written and sung Brian May (joined by Freddie in the choruses) written about the passing of his pet cat. Songs about losing ones pets really get me. Dig the beautiful guitar choir from 1:44, all Brian on his homemade Red Special guitar.”
‘We Are The Champions’
(From News Of The World, 1977 – Selected by Vika Bull)
“God I wish I had written this song. The power ballad from hell! Freddie again nails it! I especially love the footage of Queen doing this live at Live Aid at Wembley Stadium in 1985. That massive crowd, Freddie has them in the palm of his hand.”
‘One Vision’
(From One Vision Single Release, 1985 – Selected by Nick Thayer)
The intro is so full of tension and then it just BURSTS into such a classic Brian riff. And or course Freddie is in full effect too. For anyone who has only ever heard ‘Rhapsody’ or ‘Another One Bites…’ this song shows just how hard Queen can rock out.”
‘Death On Two Legs’
(From A Night At The Opera, 1975 – Selected by Davey Lane)
“Everyone has a perverse love for a nasty ‘diss’ song, and I ain’t no exception, written one or two myself (ahem). This is my favourite, dedicated to their ex-manager at the time. As with a few on this list, it’s mid ‘70s overblown pomposity at it’s glorious best. Punk happened for a reason, but this is just so fuckin’ good.”
‘Somebody To Love’
(From A Day At The Races, 1976 – Selected by Vika Bull)
“Those harmonies again, very gospel, I love it. Freddie is a freakin’ genius. I love the vocal arrangement, the layering of the vocal tracks. It sounds like a massive choir.”
‘Was It All Worth It’
(From The Miracle, 1989 – Selected by Davey Lane)
“Had to pick something to prove I’m not a ‘70s-Queen-only snob. The ‘80s records, while at times, a little patchy (but then again, who escaped the ‘80s unscathed?), still have some amazing moments.This, from The Miracle, is one of those.
Some of the synth sounds are very of their time, but sounds remarkably dry and heavy for a late ‘80s production. Maybe lyrically Freddie was trying to say something, but it’s always easy to read into these things in retrospect.”
‘Don’t Stop Me Now’
(From Jazz, 1978 – Selected by Vika Bull)
“I love Freddie’s piano playing but mostly it’s Freddie’s voice and the vocal harmonies that just blow my mind. I love the lyrics, they make me feel happy. There’s a lot of them and it all just seems to roll off the tip of his tongue and I can understand every word. Everything Freddie sings I love. I think he is one of the greatest singers ever – his range, his power, his passion.”
‘Orge Battle’
(From Queen, 1973 – Selected by Davey Lane)
“This is heavy metal. I’m not a huge Muse fan I must say, but people who like that band are shocked when they hear this. Queen drew up the template. Well duh! The lyrics, as with most of this and the previous records, get a bit goblins and fairies sometimes, but who cares!”
Queen Tribute Night Date
Friday 22nd August
Northcote Social Club
More info visit www.northcotesocialclub.com
