THE hugely successful and unique six-man tribute to rock music legends AC/DC are gearing up for two hours of high voltage rock ‘n’ roll at the Wharf on Saturday, November 25.

Livewire’s shows are acclaimed for their closeness in look and sound to the real thing and guests can expect the full repertoire, including Back in Black, Shook Me all Night Long, Hell aint a bad place to be and Hells Bells.

Ellie Hudson caught up with Eddie Clark, who ‘plays’ bassist Cliff Williams for a quick barrage of questions about the show.

You’re a tribute to possibly the most famous rock band in the world and you’re pretty popular too!

Tell us how long you’ve been Livewire, who plays who in the band and the big question — to fans of the band there is the Bon Scott era and the Brian Johnson era, with some monster rock songs from both camps — how do you get around this problem?

‘I’ve been in the band now for 19... check that, yes, 19 years, just about from the start!

‘We have both singers present from both eras of AC/DC, Dave Vai plays Bon Scott and he’s a double of the great man, with an overdose of charisma to boot.

Podge Blacksmith is our Brian Johnson and has an identikit face and matches Brian’s searing vocals. Two singers — we’ve got it covered.

‘Simon Davies is Angus Young — the suit, the duckwalk, the improvisation, the school gear, the energy, the interaction. It’s all there, honed to a tee after 20 years of performing as the wee man of rock.

‘Daniel Mosley plays Angus’ brother Malcolm Young, who was responsible for leading the band to fame through writing the songs, and Dan lays down the riffs with purpose and an unmatched enthusiasm.

‘Former “Angus” for the band, Ash Baker returns to the fold, on drums setting a metronomic beat for us all to follow.’

Where are you all based?

‘The band are from all over the UK from Hastings to Birmingham to Yorkshire.’

How seriously do you take being a tribute in terms of stage set up?

‘We are all die hard fans who over time have fine-tuned the music, the show, the costumes, the guitars and the stage to try to get as close as we can to AC/DC.’

And the outfits? Is that important to you, sound and visual?

‘Everything is important! Our stage dress and looking the part is just one of the factors.

‘‘Moving like the real thing really gets you in the groove, we aim to heighten all the senses and hope people see the effort made as well as recognise that we care. We are all enjoying the show. The only difference is that we have hold of the instruments.’

How far do you travel as a band?

‘We’ve travelled all over Europe. We were the first rock band to play in Azerbaijan and this year we have played in Cyprus, Spain, Germany and Holland.’

What inspired you all to put a tribute band together in the first place?

‘Originally the band were just fishing friends who wanted to play a bit of AC/DC and although the band have developed over time into clones of the real thing, the love of the music is still the thread that binds the band.’

Any cannon fire at your show?

‘Yes! The cannon salute will end the show at Tavistock.’

Any Spinal Tap moments to share with us?

‘Too many to mention — falling off stage, being locked out of venues, being told that a keyboard would fill out our sound!

‘Angus once fell off a bar and broke his arm! We’ve travelled abroad and the instruments have not arrived.. argh!’

What can Wharf punters expect from your next show?

‘They can expect a reading from the new testament and basket weaving... only joking! It will be two and a half hours of bedevilled rock and roll, with all the classic songs covered by Bon and Brian and the band giving everything.’ 

Anything else you want to share with us?

‘Yes, Tavistock never fails to lift us year on year. We hope everyone leaves with a smile!’