Sunburst Deluxe

Be Bop Deluxe was founded in
Wakefield,
West Yorkshire,
England, by singer, guitarist and principal songwriter
Bill Nelson
in 1972. The founding lineup consisted of Nelson, guitarist
Ian Parkin, bassist and vocalist
Robert Bryan, drummer
Nicholas Chatterton-Dew, and keyboardist
Richard Brown
(who left in December of that year). They started off playing the
West Yorkshire
pub scene, with one regular venue being the Staging Post in Whinmoor, Leeds. They never played
bebop
music, but instead came out of the blues-based
British rock
scene of the late 1960s. At first they were compared to the more successful
David Bowie, but Nelson never tried to copy Bowie, and appears to have disliked comparisons or being pigeon-holed. This artistic restlessness eventually led him to disband
Be-Bop Deluxe
altogether and pursue less commercial paths of expression. the initial lineup of the band only lasted for one album, 1974's
Axe Victim, and a short tour. Shortly after this, Nelson dissolved the band and reformed the group with a new lineup - drummer
Simon Fox and
New Zealand-born
bassist-vocalist Charlie Tumahai
(formerly of Australian bands
Mississippi
and
Healing Force). This lineup recorded 1975's
Futurama
album (produced by
Roy Thomas Baker, the then producer for
Queen)
and was then supplemented by keyboardist Andrew Clark
for the subsequent tour, after which Clark joined the band. This final lineup remained constant until the band's dissolution in 1978.

The band's sound emerged as a mixture of
glam rock,
prog rock
and straightforward
rock and roll.
Science fiction
imagery was common in
Bill Nelson's
lyrics, along with the more traditional themes of love and the human condition (albeit often hidden beneath Nelson's quirky lyrical and musical metaphors).

Sunburst Deluxe are a Be Bop Deluxe tribute band from West Yorkshire, UK. We strive to create the authentic sound and feel of the original band. We want to entertain the people who already like 'Be Bop' and also those that have yet to discover the complex mixture of rhythm's and genres that made this band so unique. As a unit, we are committed to recreating this and are all really enjoying making "that sound". But dont take our word for it, check out our portfolio...