BOLAN LEGACY LIVES ON 40 YEARS AFTER HIS DEATH
IT HAS been 40 years since Glam rock icon Marc Bolan died but his music lives on through renowned tribute band T.Rextasy.
The band have been performing hits including 20th Century Boy, Telegram Sam and Jeepster, for more than 25 years – in a career that out-lives Bolan’s very own.
Having received recognition from Marc’s family, estate, original members of T. Rex and his catalogue management, the group have transformed what it means to be a tribute act.
Lead singer Danielz, has been a fan of the late Marc Bolan from a young age.
“I started it in 1992, after being let down with my own material I decided to play music that I had grown up loving”, he explains.
“We accomplished a lot of my ambitions including getting a record deal, touring Japan and playing in arenas like Wembley.
“Various T.Rex members have joined us since then. We had the original keyboard player Dino Dines, he played with us for quite a long time but he sadly died of a heart attack a few years ago. We’ve had the original conga drummer Mickey Finn and a lot of other people who played with Marc.”
As well as members of the original T.Rex line-up, many bands from the time have shared the stage with the band.
Danielz hopes that the accolade sets them apart from the standard tribute band you would see in any town centre.
He explains: “The nice thing about is that we have got the kudos from his record company and it’s nice that they have endorsed us as a band to promote his music live which is quite an honour really.
“When I first started people’s reaction was ‘what is he doing?’.
“At the time there was no tribute band scene so people didn’t know what to call the band. It wasn’t until the News of the World did a review of us and called us a tribute band. We were kind of really one of the first to set that ball rolling.”
In the years since, the band has been described as going beyond the boundaries of a tribute act – a feat that Danielz puts down to being a die hard fan of Bolan’s music.
It was through listening to his favourite artist that he learned to play guitar, meaning he ended up knowing the songs before the idea of starting a tribute band even crossed his mind.
“I’m lucky that I’m exactly the same height as Marc and I’ve got my hair still.
“I wear clothes that resemble his clothing, I actually own a lot of his original clothing, I play through identical amplification and my guitars are identical to Marc’s – I think that’s what people want to see”.
For their upcoming Glasgow show, T.Rextasy will be bringing their own brand of rock to a theatre environment.
Audiences have be warned, however, that it won’t be a stage show, but a rock concert.
“It’s definitely not a musical and it’s definitely not a stage show.
“It’s a live T.Rextasy gig and I wouldn’t want people to think that they are coming to see a show – they’re coming to see a live rock show.
“The last time we played at the theatre it was with Slade who are a real live ruckus rock band and that’s why they took us on board. Marc wasn’t a little guy with corkscrew hair – he rocked and that’s what we try to do.
“We are really excited for the show. Glasgow is fantastic. It’s one of my favourite places to play in the UK.
“Marc said the exact same thing.”
To mark 40 years since the passing of Marc himself, the commemorative tour will see the band play a bit of everything from the T.Rex back catalogue.
From B-sides for the die hard fans, to the classics, for those there for the hits.
Danielz adds: “The nice thing about this tour is that it gives us scope to play lets of different aspects of Marc’s career.
“What we’re doing this time is that we’ll play for an hour, then we’ll come off for 20 minutes, then we go on for another hour.
“In that whole performance we do not only all the big hits but also a little acoustic session to give it a bit of light and shade.”
As far as the future is concerned, the singer has no plans to give up anytime soon.
T.Rextasy will play the Kings Theatre on February 15.