Shawn Klush as Elvis
Edinburgh Corn Exchange, 28th August 2009
Shawn Klush is officially the world's best Elvis tribute act (it says so on his (really quite woeful) website so it must be true). And if you were the world's greatest Elvis, who would you get to support you in concert? Why, another Elvis, of course.
Now this is an idea that could catch on: top acts being supported by their tribute bands. At least the audience would know the songs. So Alice Cooper could be supported by Gallus Cooper, AC/DC by AB/CD, Queen by the Darkness (sorry) and KISS by… KISS…
To our untrained ears, Stars In Their Eyes winner Gordon Hendricks sounds pretty good, and looks the part too in his tight black leather jumpsuit.
But good as he is, he's blown off the stage by the main act himself, who seems to us be a phenomenal Elvis. His show relives the Concert Years, that is, the post '68 Comeback, white rhinestone-encrusted jumpsuit and cape wearing Las Vegas years, and Klush has the King of Rock'n'Roll down to perfection. From where we're sitting, he could actually be Elvis – and the swooning women at the front seem fooled too.
We don't get all the songs we want to hear (so no 'Always On My Mind', 'I Can't Help Falling In Love With You', 'In The Ghetto' or 'Wonder of You') but we do get superb renditions of 'Burning Love', 'All Shook Up', 'Heartbreak Hotel' and a totally knock-out 'Suspicious Minds' – boy, can this guy sing, in a vibrato tenor voice that makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.
In the (frankly terrifying) scale of Elvis fandom, Ian and I barely register, but we both thoroughly enjoyed this gig, and weren't dissuaded by any amoutn of male menopausal, dyed quiff bitching in the gents (I told you it was terrifying).
If you only see one Elvis act before you die, make it Shawn Klush. Or failing that, a Shawn Klush as Elvis tribute act…
