Q. Tell me more about The Bluejays.

A. Ollie (Vocals/Guitar): The Bluejays are a 1950s Rock ‘n’ Roll
band from London. Our show Rock and Roll Revolution features
over 40 of the biggest hits of the era by some of the biggest
names in popular music - Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Chuck
Berry, Cliff Richard, Connie Francis, The Everly Brothers... the
list goes on!

Q. You’re all pretty young to be into fifties music. What got you
started in Rock ‘n’ Roll?

A. Chris (Bass): Thank you! Yes, we’re all in our 20s and 30s. I
think we all had parents who loved the music, so we’ve known it
from a young age. The big turning point, however, came in 2008
when we were cast together in Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story on
its UK tour. Ollie played Buddy whilst Dan and I were The
Crickets.

Q. Have you been in any other West End shows?

A. Dan (Drums): We have! Quite a few actually. After Buddy we

all went on to appear in Dreamboats and Petticoats on a year-
long tour of the UK. Ollie then starred as Carl Perkins in the West

End production of Million Dollar Quartet. Matt Wycliffe who
plays keys for us has just finished playing the same role on the
recent world tour and spent a couple of years in Jersey Boys in
London.

Q. What made you write Rock and Roll Revolution?

A. Ollie: There are a few Fifties shows out there but none of them
do what we do. We wanted to make a show that not only featured
all the songs that audiences know and love but also looked a little
bit into the history of the time. How Rock ‘n’ Roll came into
being and how it changed everything that followed. It really was a
revolution.

Q. What kind of people come to your shows?

A. Chris: What makes it really fun is that we have an incredible
mix of people. All ages. From people just discovering the music
for the first time to those that remember it the first time around.
One of our favourite comments is always, “You took me back to
my youth”. We hear that after almost every show and it really
means a lot to us.

Q. What are your favourite songs to play?

A. Ollie: Tough question. There are so many. We love all the
Buddy Holly stuff, I get to do all the lead guitar parts on those
and don the glasses! Sharing lead vocals with Matt on the Everly
Brothers songs is fun and the crowd really enjoy singing along to
those. Other big sing-alongs include The Young Ones, A Teenager
in Love and Johnny B. Goode.

Q. What’s been your most fun gig to date?

A. Dan: We post a lot of videos online. (Find us on Facebook
at www.facebook.com/TheBluejaysUK). A couple of years ago
we shared a video of us recording Buddy Holly’s That’ll Be The
Day for a CD we were making. The video ended up being seen by
Buddy’s family who then invited us out to play for them in
Lubbock, Texas - Buddy’s hometown. It was completely surreal.
His brother Larry was there, as was his wife María Elena, not to
mention Duane Eddy. It was a crazy few days. We even got to
record in Buddy’s old studio in Clovis, New Mexico.

Q. So you’re big fans of Buddy Holly then?

A. Chris: I think that’s fair to say! We love playing all the artists
from the 1950s but I think our followers really enjoy the Buddy
stuff we do. We recently made a video commemorating the 60th
anniversary of ‘The Day The Music Died’. On February 3rd we
re-recorded Buddy’s first posthumous hit It Doesn’t Matter
Anymore complete with a string quartet led by my wife Sally. It’s
the best thing we’ve ever done and has already had thousands of
views. You can find the video online.

Q. Which other artists can we expect to hear?

A. Dan: It’s obviously not all about the male Rock ‘n’ Rollers.
We have our wonderful female vocalist, Amelia Rendell covering
all the Connie Francis, Brenda Lee, Wanda Jackson and Peggy
Lee tunes. Amelia’s our secret weapon and often ends up stealing
the show. Her version of ‘Fever’ is unbelievable. We once
overheard an audience members saying it sent chills up their
spine. No pressure, Amelia!

Q. Strangest gig to date?

A. Ollie: Again, so many to choose from! We’ve played lots of
shows onboard Cunard and P&O cruise ships. That’s always
surreal. Particularly when you’re three days from land in the
middle of the Atlantic! Aside from that, we played at Brian May’s
daughter’s wedding a few years back. The man himself got up
and joined us for the encore of Johnny B. Goode. That was
incredible. Most bizarre however must be being booked to play
for Donald Trump in New York last year. It didn’t end up
happening in the end but the exchange of emails was enough to
raise our pulses for the rest of time. You just never know who’s
going to book you!

Q. So what can people expect when the come and see Rock and
Roll Revolution?

A. Ollie: They can expect a really fun, energetic, slick and truly
authentic 1950s experience. We actively encourage the audience
to sing along throughout and the night always seems to culminate
in everyone up and dancing in the aisles. If you’re a fan of any
style of music we think you’ll love this show!

Q. Where can we find out more about The Bluejays?

A. Chris: There’s loads on Facebook as Dan mentioned but you
can also check out our website www.thebluejays.co.uk for more
info, videos, music and downloads plus all of our tour dates!
Hopefully we’ll see you at the Old Rep!