UK Foo Fighters 'THE' Tribute Band

UK Foo Fighters, formed in Harrogate, was heralded by Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters' founder and lead singer, in a 2017 BBC documentary UK Foo Fighters - My Hero, as 'THE’ tribute to the Foos.

Led by Jay Apperley, the tribute band nails the true vibe of a Foo’s live experience, all performed down to the precise detail making it a truly unmissable show for any rock music fan.

Ahead of a forthcoming concert at Nightrain in Bradford the Yorkshire Times caught up with Jay...

Why did you decide to do a tribute band?

It wasn’t a conscious decision. I’d been approached a couple of times about the idea but politely declined.

(Turning to me, Jay laughs) I mean, pretend to be Dave Grohl - how does that work?

I became a fan in 1997 when The Colour and the Shape, their second album was released. I had been a fan of Nirvana – Dave Grohl’s previous band - but hadn’t really followed him when he formed Foo Fighters.

I had been playing a few Foo Fighters' songs in a covers band, and we were being told we should play more in our set as people loved our versions.

It was in 2007 I remember, when I received a phone call from a local promoter. He was running a festival and had heard of us mistakenly thinking we were a Foo Fighters tribute band.

He was looking for a headline act! How could we say no to that opportunity? Having just recently seen the UK Beach Boys tribute band, without very little thought we were billed as the UK Foo Fighters and gave it a go.

We went from playing in front of small crowds in pubs to playing in front of much larger audiences very quickly. 15 years later, we are still going strong.

Are any of the Foo Fighters songs hard to perform?

People say White Limo must be one of the hardest ones vocally but it’s actually where I am most comfortable because my rock voice is quite similar to Dave’s. The intro to All My Life took some time to master. The simultaneous combination of chugs on the guitar and vocals felt very unnatural at first.

How did you end up meeting Dave?

The Foo Fighters had previously performed at the Concorde 2 club in Brighton as a warm up before they played Wembley. We also wanted to play the club to follow in the band's footsteps. I approached the venue and it was agreed that we could play a gig there, actually on my birthday – 27th September.

Two weeks before the concert I received a phone call from the venue owner who told me Foo Fighters were coming back to do another warm up show and would we like to come down and see the show!

There was a surprise, three songs in. Dave said to the audience: “We are under pressure tonight; we have the UK’s premier Foo Fighters tribute band in the house,” and pointed at me. The next thing I knew I was up on stage singing White Limo – it was the best 3 ½ minutes ever!

Are there any new bands that excite you?

They are not exactly new, but check out Dinosaur Pile-Up a band from Leeds, I have been listening to their albums back to back recently. Matt Bigland formed the group and played all the instruments on their debut album, much like Dave Grohl did on the Foo’s debut album. I believe Matt is a big fan of Dave and the Foo’s.

Do you support local venues putting in live music?

We do, I am passionate about supporting local music venues - that is one of the reasons why we are playing Nightrain in Bradford. The venue used to be a sports bar, then it was boarded up for four years before opening as Nightrain in 2019.

The Quireboys opened the venue then Covid struck when things were going so well for the venue.

It's really good to hear that Keith, the owner of Nightrain, has the enthusiasm and passion for bringing live music back to Bradford.

What can the audience expect when they come to one of your concerts?

The greatest hits along with some deeper cuts in a show that lasts over two hours – with no breaks. A night that will be a big celebration of the Foo Fighters' music – we ask everyone to bring their best singing voices along.