Our city might be the youngest in Queensland, but that didn’t stop one of the country’s most successful Queen tribute bands from rocking it out in Logan to some of the best hits from the 80s.
In fact, they say the music is just as popular with younger generations.
“That’s because of the movie that came out recently. We have a lot of kids coming to the theatres to hear Freddie’s voice,” Freddie Mercury doppelganger Thomas Crane said.
Mr Crane and his Queen tribute band, called Bohemian Rhapsody, played at the Logan Entertainment Centre on 26 April.
They played the band’s greatest hits from the 70s all the way to the 90s, including We Will Rock You, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, We Are The Champions, Radio Ga Ga, A Kind of Magic, I Want To Break Free, Another One Bites the Dust, and Bohemian Rhapsody.
Queen is often remembered as one of the greatest bands of the 20th century, with unmatched stage presence, flamboyance, theatrics and energy.
Mr Crane, who has impersonated Freddie Mercury for 30 years, promised his band brought all those traits to the Logan stage.
“Everything is here, right down to the trademark cheeky banter and singing contests between Freddie and his audience,” he said.
“We’re probably the number one Queen tribute band in the world when it comes to sound.”
While the keen ear or Queen fanatic might easily spot the difference between the two, the average listener wouldn’t be blamed for believing Mr Crane’s voice was actually Freddie’s.
“People want to hear what they remember the record sounds like,” Mr Crane said.
“They just love Freddie’s voice. It’s spectacular when it triggers memories and takes you somewhere special.”
Mimicking Freddie is a skill Mr Crane believes he was born with.
“It’s a talent I never knew I had until I was 21 years old,” he said.
“I was a musician from an early age – I loved playing keyboards, piano, guitar – but one thing was missing and that was singing, so I took opera singing lessons.
“When I started playing in pubs at 18 years old, we would play to the regular eight people every week at the same place.
“Then I tried a couple of Queen songs and people started coming in the door.”
Mr Crane decided to play a Queen-themed segment for about half-an-hour of his performance one week.
“Next minute, the pub is full. As soon as you mention Queen and Freddie Mercury, people want to hear it.”
