DESCRIBED as a treat for the eyes and the ears, Women in Rock make their long awaited return to the Tavistock venue next weekend.

Not a tribute band, but a band that pays a fitting tribute to the very best of women rock singers over the years with a pair of female vocalists taking the lead out front, backed by a band comprising some of the UK’s most respected musicians, providing the powerhouse of sound to back them up. They describe themselves as a celebration of women who rock!

They are the only known such show dedicated to the world’s greatest female rock legends and what a repertoire they have to draw from — some of the artists covered include Halestorm, Joan Jett, Pat Benetar, Blondie, Heart and Suzi Quatro.

And local fans will remember how the travelling community who’d set up camp in Bedford carpark outside the venue promptly packed up and left quietly within an hour of the band unloading their van of equipment and setting up for their sound check. Were they embarrassed or offended?

Instead of interviewing the band, music and entertainment journalist Ellie Hudson sought out their female manager Kim Rego Neaves, the brainchild behind the whole project and driving force behind the band’s unstoppable popularity.

You are the driving force behind Women in Rock, give me a back story to how it came about and what is driving you to keep it going?

I was sitting with my close friend Cherry looking at what acts there were around. We came across a band called Women In Music who played tribute to many different female musicians. We both agreed it would be great to have a band that concentrated on purely rock as a genre. Cherry was busy with other projects so she suggested I put something together. What we now have is not a tribute act in the normal sense of the term, as although we set out to recreate the various original artists sound faithfully, we don’t concentrate on one artist nor do we dress to lookalike. Many of the songs we play in our set are rarely, if ever, heard played live, so to take a fantastic set of musicians and play the songs as they were originally recorded in a multi vocalist British band is a unique magical concept and that ground breaking thing is what powers us forward.

Are you or could you be in the band?

No. My skills lie purely behind the stage! Haha.

How long has Women In Rock been going?

We have been going since April 2016.

Who’s in the band and what roles are they playing?

Alex Ward — Guitar, Mick Neaves — Drums, Steve Clay — Bass, Jamie Brooks — Keys, Sara Louise — Vocals, Victoria Jones — Vocals and Emily J Clark — Vocals. 

What are the highs and lows of running a rock band?

The highs are easy — to see the band weave their magic, witness the crowd loving the result and coming up afterwards to pass on their appreciation is wonderful. The lows — well we haven’t got where we are today without many sleepless nights and hard work and that can take its toll. Combine that with a live music scene where venues are closing all the time, means we have to constantly be looking for new places to play and ways to promote ourselves. You can’t rest on your laurels in this game! As I also have a full time job outside of Women In Rock, the management team around me is invaluable — Debbie Wilson is my rock and also our finance and costume expert, Sara Louise is our musical director and Paul Sabin is our PR and tour manager. Without them to support me I’d need a 48-hour day!

The girls wear sexy outfits, are you aiming mainly for the male audience?

Actually no, our audiences are pretty evenly balanced between the sexes. Through long and careful auditioning, we have been able secure vocalists who not only look stunning but also have world class vocal abilities too.

How do you pick the bands you cover? Obviously having a female vocalist will be important — vital even — but what other criteria do you go by?

Ideally the vocalist/band needs to be well known to enable an audience to interact, but having said that a lesser known artist with a song that rocks and would be likely to get the crowd moving would also be entertaining. We try to find something for everybody, ranging from the 60s to present day whilst keeping a common rock thread.

What can the Tavistock Wharf audience expect from the show this year? Do they need ear muffs?

We can be as loud as you want but that’s down to the Wharf’s soundman! We put on a professional two-hour show, split into two sets with a costume change in between. Our band, fronted by the three girls will take you on a musical journey spanning time and continents and taking on songs by artists such as Stevie Nicks, Cher, Pat Benatar, Halestorm, Heart, Vixen and Lita Ford to name just a few.

Last year you turned up, plugged in and the travellers who’d set up camp in the car park drove off, were you pleased or offended?

I was proud!

Are you like Sharon Osborne — a formidable woman boss to the band?

No not at all. I’m firm but fair and professional through and through. I see every person in Women In Rock, both on stage and behind the scenes as part of the family. They are all true professionals which is so important as they are spread all over the country, but what that means is they can learn or do whatever they need to and come together for a show and make it spectacular! We all have a unique bond and look out for each other and as this band is my dream, which I’m so proud of, I’d fight tooth and nail to make it succeed.

Tell us something funny about life on the road and the worst part?

Ok, funny — leaving the drummer behind at a service station having not done a head count and then having him phone up to say where are you? The worst part is long hours on the road travelling to venues with little sleep and eating junk food.

Women in Rock will be playing the venue next Saturday (April 29). See the Wharf page in this week’s Times for ticket information.