"The Orchestra was formed in 1985 as a bit of fun, but the first gig was an instant sell-out, and they´ve been performing ever since. By 1988 they had released an LP, appeared on BBC TV, played at WOMAD and recorded a BBC Radio 1 session. The current ensemble has been playing together for over 20 years, and has become something of a national institution. The Orchestra has given thousands of sold-out concerts across the world, including Great Britain, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Poland, France, America, Canada, New Zealand and Japan."
Taken from...
Humble Uker Request
Anyone that has been present for one of these thousands of concerts please share your experience in a comment below. I want to know. I stand almost entirely alone as someone that likes TUKUO's videos but I am extremely skeptical of their publicity. Does anyone have a copy of the LP? Or perhaps someone has seen a recent concert -- please let us know about the experience.
ADDED INFO:
Commenter Ted added a side by side band comparison link, here. Which also includes the request for players to go on tour in Germany. It appears HU has made a foolish mistake of galactic proportions and my apologies to the Cosmos. Okay, I hate them too. Well, I don't really hate them, but I'm sure they won't be doing any tux-clad Proms upon arriving back home.
MORE ADDED INFO:
OBVIOUSLY The quote from the "Vienna Ticket Office" above is a Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain (UOGB) release and NOT the TUKUO band's information.
So, once again, Tukuo is mistaken for UOGB. Doubtless the band's management will say it was an honest mistake by the venue, and not their fault. Choose an almost identical name, costume, line-up and repertoire and - oh gosh! - complain when people say it's a deliberate rip-off.
ReplyDeleteEt tu Humble Uker?
ReplyDeletehttps://sites.google.com/site/ukuleleinformation/
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjUxMTg2NTk2.html
now wiil you finally believe that they are using UOGB press releases and passing them selves off as the UOGB. Hoodwinking the german public.
ReplyDeleteThere is no LP. There never was. An ad was placed a few months ago asking for uke players to form a band for a tour and this is the result. Before this month, this "band" had never even played together. "The current ensemble has been playing together for over 20 years..." That would make a few of the current "members" around eight years old when they joined. Humble Uker, do you own much swampland? Any bridges?
ReplyDeleteThat is publicity material from the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, who have been around just over 25 years (they recently went on tour to celebrate this anniversary). TUKUO have been around for a matter of weeks (I, along with other uke players were invited to audition, saw the contract terms, etc.) and have done a handful of gigs and one TV performance (during which they mimed, very badly). Venues are obviously confused as to who they are booking and ticket buyers, too. Confused venues who think they have booked the UOGB are putting up videos and quotes from the UOGB website (most likely in all innocence). Just more evidence that this brand new orchestra with no reputation of it's own is happy to ride on the long standing reputation of another.
ReplyDeleteIf you spot a venue using UOGB quotes and/or videos when advertising UOGB gigs, please let them know they are confused and may well have confused and disappointed fans.
Dear Jeff,
ReplyDeletethe case is very obvious. that Austrian site has stolen the UOGB's publicity text and picture and is misusing them to advertise TUKUO.
See, you know about both bands, but you didn't notice, that the given text was the UOGB's publicity. Did you notice, that it's their picture as well? Did you? How could somebody see the difference, who isn't even sure about the exact name? Who's first language isn't English?
TUKUO's publicity is so obviously aiming at confusing the public, that it doesn't matter to me, if they are good or not (and actually they are not). This has got nothing to do with music or entertaining people.
It's only about money making. Once the ticket sales decline, this band will cease to exist, the musicians will have to look for new jobs and the managers will buy themselves a new fancy sports car. This is what this is about. No more, no less.
Thanks for all of your comments. HU has provided a mea culpa in the post above. The ire is completely understood. Jeff / Humble Uker.
ReplyDeleteI'd be inclined to cut the website a little bit of slack here - it seems to be a general "what's on in Vienna" site rather than the venue itself. What *may* have happened here is that the UOGB have played in Vienna before and the site has assumed it's them. I really don't think the website here has 'stolen' the UOGB publicity material: I reckon it was on file and they've just used it thinking the UOGB were back in Vienna again. I'd say it's a genuine mistake on the part of the website: sloppy, but not malicious.
ReplyDeleteWhether this is exactly the kind of obfuscation TUKUO were hoping for, well, that's exactly the kind of thing that's got us all so hot under the collar. I'd give the website the benefit of the doubt here: it's the people who've sowed the seeds of that doubt and are profiting accordingly that deserve our ire.
Please make it clear that the paragraph you quote relates to the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, not the extremely recent 'United Kingdom Ukulele Orchestra,' which has no track record of any note whatsoever and seems to be riding on the coattails of the established band's name, style, reputation and even publicity materials.
ReplyDeleteI e mailed the Vienna site and pointed out their mistake. They seem to have removed the photo of the UOGB, but not the text, so it still gives the impression that the TUKUO are the UOGB. Perhaps it needs some volume e mails to drive home the point
ReplyDeleteFunny how so few people respond to blogs sites unless there's a correction to be made. If could only harness that energy...
ReplyDeleteRhan: I think your comment in general is quite accurate. Although, I usually baffle my readers with short periods of incomprehensible babble that would take too much effort to unravel. BUT in this case there is a case for chivalry to defend the honor of the beloved (UOGB), and I welcome it!
ReplyDelete