Tribute bands: 'A hobby that went a bit too far'

The Grade II-listed Ritz has been a gig venue since the 1950s

On a cold Saturday night in January more than 1,000 people descended on one of Manchester's most well-known music venues, the historic Ritz.

It's hosted big names from The Beatles and the Smiths to the Arctic Monkeys and Kendrick Lamar.

But on this night, the bands were not playing their own songs - they were all tribute acts.

While the tributes to well-known names can become household names in their own right, these acts are slightly more niche.

The evening is celebrating emo featuring Fell Out Boy (Fall Out Boy) and The Black Charade (My Chemical Romance).

But what is the draw of tribute bands - for both the fans and the performers?

Shane Tomlinson (L) joined Tim Jones (C) and McKenzie Jones (R) for the show

Queuing before the doors open are Shane Tomlinson, Tim Jones and Tim's son McKenzie.

"We're all fans of My Chem so we thought why not come down," 19-year-old McKenzie said.

"It was only £25, so why not?", Shane added.

Tim said: "[It's the] next best thing to the real thing."

Kirsty Finch and Zani Bibey met Elena Turpin in the queue, Elena said she regularly travels to see The Black Charade from Bangor.

"We used to listen to these songs in school and we were like 'let's go relive our youth'," Zani said.

"I'm a big My Chemical Romance fan, so it's really cool to see people re-enact their songs," Elena added.

Elena Turpin (L) met Kirsty Finch (C) and Zani Bibey (R) in the queue

Backstage, The Black Charade are getting their costumes ready.

"I feel like if you're going to be a tribute band you've got to look, sound the part," singer Chris Greenslade said.

"You've got to go all out or otherwise you're just another cover band that should be playing in a pub."

The Black Charade's live shows feature dancers and costume changes

Bassist Nick Hughes described playing in a tribute as being the "the living jukebox of a party that you and everyone else wants to go to".

"It's a nice way of being the centre of attention and a big singalong," he said.

The band's members are based in London, Bristol and Derby and work it around their day jobs with Nick, for example, an IT technician, and Chris a laser tag technician.

"We're boring, 40 year old office job guys," laughed Chris.

My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way performed at the Ritz in 2014

The Ritz has links to the New Jersey band as singer Gerard Way performed at the venue on a solo tour.

"There's a couple of venues we've played that the band played and every time it feels surreal," Chris said.

He added it was "entirely probable" My Chemical Romance knew about them.

"They probably know we exist by now and so far we haven't had a cease and desist!"

Fell Out Boy have been playing as a Fall Out Boy tribute act for more than a decade

Fell Out Boy have been playing shows with the Black Charade for the last few years.

"We've found when we put two bands together, we can start scaling it to much bigger venues," explained singer Bertie Scott.

Guitarist Scott Baker described it as "a hobby that went a bit too far".

They formed in 2013 in Southend, originally for one night and they credit it with helping them develop as musicians.

"It's an amazing way to learn how to be a band," said Bertie.

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The band have a mix of day jobs from 9-to-5s to music industry roles, with Bertie a songwriter and producer.

For Fell Out Boy, the band they impersonate do know they exist and give them tickets to UK shows.

"We should probably open for them at some point, playing what they're not going to play," said bassist Dan Philpot.

They have seen changes in the tribute industry.

"To start with, I was just having a great time playing Fall Out Boy songs but I knew nothing about the tribute scene," said Scott.

"We started playing festivals and it was 8,000, 10,000 people, it was unbelievable.

"It was a whole new world I didn't know about.

"Now's the time of the tribute band, the tribute band scene is doing very, very well," added drummer Antony Yates.

Paul Winteridge says tribute bands are "part of the ecosystem"

Paul Winteridge is the president of the Entertainment Agents' Association and said tribute bands "contribute to the vibrancy" of the industry.

He said there was a growing number of bands from those with a "niche market" to "iconic" bands and price can be key.

"We've got to look at the cost of living," he said.

"People can't always afford the price for the originals so it's a way for them to enjoy the music for less."

Back at the Ritz, Fell Out Boy take to the stage with an energetic showcase of Fall Out Boy's back catalogue, ending with a rousing performance of Sugar, We're Goin Down.

A hi-octane performance from the Black Charade followed, with costume changes and dancers as they perform some of My Chemical Romance's best known tracks.

Afterwards, fans wait to get pictures with Chris while others file out into the cold Manchester night talking about the evening.

They might not be the real thing, but for many here, they are the next best thing.