Salford Lads Club returns to Turner Hall for Pablove Benefit

Milwaukee’s favorite Smiths tribute act, Salford Lads Club, returns to Turner Hall yet again this Friday, for another fantastic evening of great music, with all proceeds going towards the Pablove Foundation.

A little background for those unfamiliar: The Pablove Foundation funds pediatric cancer research and improvement of quality of life for children who are living with cancer.  As always, the evening will feature Salford Lads Club, the Marc Solheim-fronted Smiths tribute act, ripping through all your favorite Smiths and Morrissey tunes, sure to please the crazed 1980s anglophile. “This Charming Man”? Check. “Suedehead”? Check. “Ask?” Check. They were great last year, and with some new material planned for this year’s performance, it won’t be one to miss.

Sharing that night are two other tribute acts playing the songs of The Cure and Shocking Blue. The Cure tribute act features members of Maritime and Decibully. Previously, the members took on the slightly more daunting role of ’70s post-punk act Joy Division, and did a fantastic job. Based on their pedigrees, this should be a tight and impressive set of Cure tunes. Here’s to hoping they play “Jumping Someone Else’s Train”.

Shocking Blue stands out a bit for two reasons. For one, they existed in the decade previous to the Smiths and the Cure. Secondly, many readers may think that they are unfamiliar with the group. They’re wrong. Their song “Venus” hit #1 in 1970 and was again made a hit by Bananarama in 1986. Another song of theirs, “Love Buzz” was released as Nirvana’s debut single in 1988. This tribute act features members of Testa Rosa, Field Report, Trolley and Die Kreuzen, some of whom played previously in a Pretenders tribute act.

This one will be a special performance as Solheim celebrates his 40th birthday, along with Damian Strigens who will be performing with the Shocking Blue tribute. All signs point to an evening of great music, so come out and show your support for a great cause.

Salford Lads Club, The Songs of The Cure and The Songs of Shocking Blue perform at Turner Hall Ballroom this Friday November 8. Tickets are still available and can be purchased here. For more information about the Pablove Foundation, visit www.pablove.org. View a video from the 2011 performance below.