Top tribute band heads to India

Gordon Barr, Evening Chronicle

MONTHS of hard work and negotiations have paid off for Classic Clapton supremo Mike Hall.

The popular North East entertainer will be jetting off to Mumbai in India in a few days to perform his first gigs there.

Classic Clapton (aka After Midnight) will be performing at the St Andrews Auditorium, Bandra (West), Mumbai on July 17.

It is an 800-capacity theatre in one of the most up-market suburbs of the city. There is also the possibility of a second gig the following night.

The initial enquiry came from Mumbai in March 2008 and Mike worked tirelessly to secure it.

"When we did that first gig at Byker Cumberland Arms in 1985, I never dreamt that this band would achieve these things, for example playing at all the best venues in the North East, plus Glastonbury, The Royal Festival Hall, trips to Spain, Estonia and Holland and now this – a concert in Mumbai – another continent. Whatever next?" says Mike.

"This will be our first visit to India. We are very excited about it.

"I watched Paul Merton’s documentary about Mumbai recently and it is an amazing place. I have also been reading about Bandra, where the St Andrews Auditorium is located. Bandra looks like a very interesting area.

I have lots of Indian friends in England and I have been telling them all about our trip.

"Eric Clapton is popular all over the world, so it is no surprise to me that he has a large fan base in India. It is one of the best parts of being in this band – travelling to foreign countries and meeting Eric Clapton fans of different nationalities.

"We are just EC fans too, so it is basically a shared experience that we all enjoy."

The band was formed in 1985 in Newcastle long before the term "tribute band" was invented and named themselves After Midnight after Eric Clapton’s first solo hit.

From the beginning their ability to recreate Clapton’s electrifying stage performances really caught local audience’s imagination.

In guitar/vocalist Mike Hall, the band possesses a front man who not only looks like Eric, he sings and plays guitar like him too!

Mike has met Eric Clapton twice and Eric knows all about the band. Eric even sent Mike a handwritten message of encouragement, which can be seen on their website.

In February 2001 the band were honoured to perform at Eric Clapton’s Fan Club Convention in London.

They are now widely acknowledged as the world’s number one Eric Clapton tribute band.