The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
HITTING THE RIGHT NOTE
American singer-songwriter Anastacia – and winning. In 2011 she decided to try her hand at Tina Turner.
“I settled on Tina mainly because I sounded like her, and so it was a natural progression for me,” says Justine.
“It took a few years to get off the ground and build our audience, and we pushed like mad to have a theatre show that was actually making money. But we believed in the show and the material we were putting forward.
“As far as we were concerned, we were paying tribute to Tina by playing her music to her fans,” she adds.
“There’s only one Tina Turner. I’m not there to replace her – there’s no way that I could. It’s about celebrating her musical life.”
Totally Tina is Justine’s full stage show that can see the entourage playing 170 gigs per year across the world, and to festivals with tens of thousands of people.
“We’re pretty full on. Not only are there musicians on stage, there are 28 costume changes and thousands of routines to put together. It’s hard work but definitely worth it.”
Justine recalls: “When I was on Stars in their Eyes, Matthew Kelly said: ‘If you’re going to impersonate a legend, by God you’d better get it right.’ That, for me, is the key line – we have to get it right.”
So what is in the forefront of her mind during a performance?
“A mixture – making sure I move similar to her, and facial mannerisms,” she says. “Being able to connect to the crowd – waving and smiling and pointing and making them feel part of the show.
“I’m thinking about the next costume and when I have to change, where the rest of my dancers are, looking at my musicians... It’s a thing that’s constantly evolving. I’m never just standing there singing songs. With Tina I am constantly watching the clock.”
TINA TRANSFORMATION
Surprisingly, switching on “Tina” is not as much effort as you would think.
“The physical transformation is nothing,” says Justine. “I stick a little bit of make-up on, I put tights on and the dress. I’m pretty similar to how she looks.
“I can put the whole outfit on but it’s not until I actually put the heels on... And any woman knows what it’s like. It throws your whole body into a different shape; you stand differently, you walk differently, move differently.
“I wear five-inch heels. Tina’s aren’t actually that high but it makes me feel better when I’m in a higher shoe. Once you get giant heels on, that’s when you look in the mirror and think: ‘OK, it’s all there now.’
“I could be stood backstage eating a pasty in the whole outfit before the show, and in three seconds of the music starting, I’m in Tina mode. I can switch it on and switch it off.”
Having just played the Granite City and Inverness, Totally Tina will be back in Scotland early next year and in Aberdeen towards the end of 2023, and Justine is looking forward to it.
“For me there are places that feel like a Liverpool audience – one of them is Scotland, and the north-east, and Newcastle. We’ve all sort of got the same mindset – let’s go and have a real party!
“I love being able to chat with the audience and hear how we affected them. There are
so many different aspects that make you so happy to do what you do.
“And it’s because we’re paying tribute to Tina that it’s so big and that we affect so many people. For me it’s a great responsibility but it’s also a great honour and privilege to be able to do it.”
Find out more about Justine and her upcoming gigs at totallytina.co.uk
DAN GREAVEY (DEAN MARTIN)
Aberdeen’s very own Rat Pack, Oceans 3, have been making waves since 2005. Together, they bring the smooth sounds of legendary crooners Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr directly to parties and events across Aberdeen, the shire and further afield, armed only with tuxedos, mics, smooth voices – and a dash of wit.
“A good suit and the willingness to be the butt of the jokes. That’s the main thing,” says Dan “Dean Martin” Greavey, 46, “the elder statesman of the group”.
“You need to have a thick skin if you’re going to be a tribute act,” he says. “No matter how much you love the thing that you’re doing, there’s probably someone out there who loves it even more than you.
“And if they come to see you, you have to be prepared for the fact that they’ll know more about it than you. And they’ll tell you, too!”
Hailing from Inverurie, Dan has performed as an actor in TV and musicals such as the West End production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and appeared with Stephen Gately, Lee Mead and Darren Day among others.
However, he regularly performs as Dean Martin along with his friends – and fellow actors and singers – Steve Worsley (Frank Sinatra) and secondary school drama teacher Ryan Peacock (Sammy Davis Jr), appearing “in character” together.
“We try to play the character as we sing each song,” he says. “We’ll meet up, set up
the equipment, and as soon as the suits go on, immediately the American accent comes on.”
Without a full production team behind the act, Dan admits there are few places to hide on stage.
“We don’t tour a lighting rig. We rely on the room and, hopefully, let the music do all the work for us.
“That’s what we embrace. We can take it to a function room in a hotel, we can take it on stage, and we’ve even performed in someone’s kitchen. It gives us that freedom to chop and change.”
Despite the Transatlantic flavour of their act, the group appreciate the Aberdeen audience and what they bring to shows.
Dan says: “As much as we are a city, anyone from Aberdeen will always describe it as a village. So there’s a real community sense here, and when we pull together for something, we really do pull collectively. That comes across in almost every gig we do, and it’s great.”
Dan never tires of The Rat Pack – the act, or the songs.
“The reason we love them is because they are songs that tell real stories,” he says.
“I am extraordinarily lucky. It’s not as demanding as someone who has to sing and dance for two whole hours on stage.
“But when I come away from the gig, I always think, when’s the next one? That’s the feeling I get. That buzz comes right back and I want to keep going.
“I’m a huge fan of Dean, Frank and Sammy, but Sammy Davis Jr could do everything. He could dance, he could play drums, he could play trumpet, he could sing, he was a great actor and a really funny comedian. And all of this while being a black man in a white man’s world.
“But all those guys, they’re great storytellers, and I think if you can tell the story – and make the audience believe the story – then you know you have really done your job.”
WE’RE PRETTY FULL ON. NOT ONLY ARE THERE THE MUSICIANS ON STAGE, THERE ARE 28 COSTUME CHANGES AND THOUSANDS OF ROUTINES TO PUT TOGETHER. IT’S HARD WORK BUT DEFINITELY WORTH IT
More details at oceans3.co.uk