The Ukulele Orchestra
of Great Britain
40th Anniversary Tour
It's 1985, and all sorts of things are going on; everyone's hair is short at the front and long at the back, and: the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain is born. Originally, the pretentious name was a typically British joke, of course, but four decades (and 400 million plucks) later, it has become reality: the orchestra with the 'bonsai guitars' has actually become a British institution. With their odd sense of humour and their four-string virtuosity, they captivate audiences all over the world, from Tasmania to the Arctic Circle, from Windsor Castle to Carnegie Hall, and all of this without drums, pianos, playbacks, guitars or banjos, without any auto-tuning and electronic trickery. The impression of a rich orchestration is created only by what the musicians produce with their ukuleles and voices, plus, of course, the musical mix of post-punk, popular classics and everything in between. The celebration of the 40th anniversary of this institution is a rapid sprint through all music genres: from ABBA to ZZ Top, from Tchaikovsky to Nirvana, from bluegrass to Lady Gaga, and maybe even with a portion of spaghetti western thrown in for good measure.
