By Luke Voogt
Two-man tribute act Dave Allen and Ronnie Soul morph into dozens of characters in their journey through rock and roll history.
The duo pays tribute to Ringo Star, Status Quo, Tom Jones, Elvis, Johnny O’Keefe, the Beach Boys and even Tina Turner.
“I do that one,” Allen said “You’ve never seen anything like it!”
The pair time-travel from the ’50s to the ’70s in Rock around the World, which comes to Geelong RSL on Saturday.
The versatile performers don dresses, heels and Hawaiian skirts in their comic tributes to Yoko Ono and John Lennon, or Elvis’ Rock A Hula Baby.
“It’s very funny, everyone has a good laugh,” Allen said.
The duo has performed at casinos and RSLs across the country.
With scores of different rock legends up their sleeve and a portable wardrobe, they keep crowds guessing each night, Allen said.
“It’s pretty full-on. We’re running in and out of the wardrobe all the time on stage.”
Their promotional video even includes Allen’s tribute to Collingwood super fan Joffa, where he sings:
“I got myself a girlfriend from Collingwood called Ruth. But I wish that she’d stop smiling, she’s only got one tooth.”
The costumed chameleon is also versatile on the instruments, playing drums, blues harp and guitar. He met fellow guitarist Ronnie Soul more than 40 years ago.
“In the mid-70s we used to be in an Eagles-type band,” he said. “We did all the songs of the era.”
After a long hiatus from cover rock, Allen again joined forces with Soul for Rock around the World.
He looked forward to returning to Geelong RSL. “We always get a good crowd there,” he said.
Rock around the World features a 90-minute show including their various skits and a 75-minute rock and roll dance segment.
“They can all jump up and have a dance – whatever takes their fancy,” Allen said.
