the lineup
UK-wide, 12 June to 7 October
The touring musical celebrating the seminal music of rock ’n’ roll’s early golden era reaches a milestone decade this year and will be touring the UK to celebrate. We spoke to lead guitarist and actor Jay Osborne about his experience with the show as a guitarist performing classics by the likes of The Everly Brothers, Eddie Cochran, Roy Orbison and The Shadows.
What’s your role in the show? “I play a character called Richard; he’s the lead guitarist of the show’s live onstage band The Conquests. As well as playing all the music, The Conquests are very much part of the show. We’re all professional musicians and actors and get a really good chance to do both. Everyone in the band has their own character and Richard is the mediator of the group, trying to keep the peace.”
Were you already familiar with music from the late 50s and early 60s as a guitarist before you joined the cast? “Definitely, I’ve always been into rock ’n’ roll since a young age. I used to listen to Elvis and Chuck Berry before I even started teaching myself the guitar at age seven, so it was my main source of inspiration. Before I joined Dreamboats And Petticoats I played for other various rock ’n’ roll, 50s and 60s bands and shows so was very familiar with a lot of the material.”
What is your rig for the shows and do you have any secret weapons that are vital for those classic tones? “I am very, very particular about my tone and have spent a long time over the years getting that right 50s balance – making sure the sound was right for this show was definitely one of my main priorities. I play an American Fender Stratocaster (3-Tone Sunburst), so it stays nice and true to the time and is perfect for getting those 12-bar chugs and cutthrough solo lines. I play through a Fender Blues Junior, which gets mic’d through the house PA. I couldn’t bear to be going straight through the PA or DI’d; I find it completely sucks the tone. My pedalboard includes an Ibanez Tube Screamer TS808 for overdrive and solos, just the best, and a Noble Pre-1 as a preamp boast pedal – a nice, basic no-fuss old faithful. I couldn’t live without reverb and the Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail Max hits the spot. I use it for my plate reverb. Such a rich thick kickback – solid! I use a Holy Stain for my spring reverb – a soft underlining wash that’s very understated but sits beautifully with the Strat.
“My secret weapon would be my 1961 WEM Watkins Copicat tape delay machine. My most treasured piece of equipment. Not just the only way to get that 100 per cent authentic 50s and 60s slapback delay sound, but it’s a piece of history! Playing through this little gem live on stage every night is nothing but a privilege.”
What have you learned as a player from your experiences with shows so far? “Working with different musicians in different styles and shows is always an amazing way to learn new things, especially how different people work, so I always pick things up along the way. We also have some actors that play brass intermittently throughout the show, so having a chance to play along with an array of brass instruments live on stage is a really nice angle to the show.”