If you have ever seen a live Phil Collins concert performance you will know that it is quite a spectacle, both musically and visually. It is not a straightforward task therefore to recreate that experience with any degree of accuracy. Complex rhythms and searing guitar solos over a range of diverse keyboard sounds, a tight horn section and moving harmonies from a team of backing vocalists. In every respect, it’s a dynamic show. And then there’s that voice, those mannerisms and the self-deprecating humour from the man himself….
It’s easy for a group of people to form a band, decide to play some songs by one artist and instantly call themselves a tribute band. That is not what you have here. No Jacket Required are, first and foremost, a close group of friends who share a love of creating music and a genuine and warm appreciation of the work of Phil Collins. They have seen him perform over 30 times between them, over a period of almost 40 years. They have all the albums, the live recordings and the DVDs. In short, they know their stuff – and it shows.
The band formed back in 2002 and since then have performed all over the UK and overseas to large and appreciative audiences. While other tributes have come and gone, No Jacket Required have built themselves a reputation as the best and most established Phil Collins tribute in the country. Many who have attended their shows have given higher praise than that. “If you close your eyes, you can’t tell the difference between No Jacket Required and Phil Collins himself” – it sounds like an invented promotional sound bite but that’s exactly how many have described their show over the years.
What you are about to witness is a tribute in every sense of the word. A concert lasting over two hours which brings together not only the famous Phil Collins hits but also some of those often overlooked album tracks. On your way home you’ll realise that actually you know almost all of the songs which are played tonight – and that there aren’t many artists of whom that can be said. If you’re nice to them, they will even throw in a little Genesis for you....
Phil Collins has written some of the most popular and successful songs of all time. If you were lucky enough to catch him on his last tour, you will know that he can still put on a show - but No Jacket Required really are the next best thing...