Stingchronicity top the bill (From Western Telegraph)

Stingchronicity top the bill

Live review: Stingchronicity, Queens Hall, Narberth, August 13th

Pembrokeshire has finally spawned its first ever large-scale tribute band and the Queen's Hall was the venue for their first major gig as they exploded in a blaze of glory - well at least a blaze of intelligent lights. Stingchronicity are experienced local musicians who have recognised the potential of Ged Duffy as a vocal clone of Sting.

They have professionally put together their outfit as a serious tribute band, presumably calculating the rewards that successful tribute bands can reap on the touring circuit.

There may be more than 10,000 tribute bands in the UK, but there are very few Sting/Police acts, so Stingchronicity should have a market and could do extremely well.

Sting may have his detractors, but his jazz-influenced music with its often wry observations will always be popular and Police were a much-loved band who rode the back of punk, charting new musical territory with their reggae-tinged pop/rock with a strong rhythmic thrust at its core.

With the added spectacle of a computer controlled light show, the four-piece line up that is Stingchronicity were entertaining and gave you your money's worth, with a top dollar performance from Ged, in particular, as frontman Sting.

The faster upbeat numbers were the most successful in a set of ten Police and 12 Sting covers and, no doubt, the more challenging slower numbers will bed down in time.

Seimon Morris's keyboards were essential to the arrangements of the Sting songs, but in adding gloss to the Police songs some of the original trio's grit and rawness may have been lost.

However, the polished performance of Stingchronicity's two-hour set provided an irresistible and spectacular service to fans of the Police, and Sting in particular.