The Silhouettes

Saturday 4th May 2024
Doors open 7:00pm
Show start time 8:00pm
Tickets £16.50



Throughout the course of their musical union, the members of The Silhouettes have won over the hearts of music lovers from all walks of life. Performing at a variety of venues and making countless public appearances all the while recording new song versions, this talented Tribute Band has earned the admiration and affection of critics and fans alike. An evening of Shadows hits and hits they wrote for Cliff Richard are all featured in this evening of musical nostalgia.

Stephen Foster of BBC Radio Suffolk and Radio Caroline had this to say.

"Featuring four of this county’s leading musicians, The Silhouettes have spent much of this year working on both the audio and visual aspects of one of the most influential pop groups of all time. The Shadows were held in high esteem by their fellow musicians and millions of fans worldwide so The Silhouettes have been sure to get it right. After all, if you can’t do a job properly, then don’t do it at all.

A few week’s back Paul Gardner, Gary Nunn, Peter Riches and Sandy Sutherland unveiled their heartfelt project at the Summertime Ipswich event on the town’s waterfront. Their debut performance as The Silhouettes went down extremely well with the audience who were treated to superbly executed renditions of some of the greatest pop records ever made.

The Shadows were very much of their time. Their impeccable playing inspired budding guitarists galore and with Hank Marvin’s trademark guitar sound to the fore they dominated the charts for several years. The band had something of a second coming in the 1970s, even representing the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1975.

The Shadows were the complete package. For that reason, putting a tribute band together requires attention to detail and dedication to the cause. The Silhouettes have both those qualities in abundance."

Meet The Silhouettes

Gary 'Guitar' Nunn. Lead Guitar and Vocals.
I started learning to play guitar when I was about 10 years old. My father played the guitar and was always sitting in the front room playing Shadows songs and I thought I can do that. I borrowed an Acoustic guitar from my friend and sat in my bedroom all day until I could play Apache by The Shadows. After that I started learning everything I listened to, even adverts on the tv. Over the years I have played in various parts of the world with numerous bands including Adam Faiths band The Roulettes, The Andre de Moller Band, Eclipse, Just Blues and more recently, The Martells. It feels like I have come full circle now.

Pete Riches. Bass Guitar and Vocals.
The first 'proper' concert I went to was the Cliff Richard Show at the London Palladium in 1971. On the bill was Marvin Welch & Farrer. I knew then I wanted to play guitar. I emptied my building society account and bought my first one. I went for lessons at school, not realising they only taught classical guitar. It took me five years to get to Grade 5, time spent wanting to be Hank Marvin rather than Segovia. After University it was a succession of rock and pop covers bands. When Covid hit I thought i had probably had enough and started looking at other ways to amuse myself. Then out of the blue, Sandy called and asked if I'd be interested in playing bass for The Silhouettes. I thought this was the one thing I'd never done and would be enough to persuade me to keep going. I'm so very glad he called. The year spent getting the show ready has been a blast and now we are gigging, it is wonderful. The road ahead looks very exciting.

Sandy Sutherland. Drums and Vocals.
I started playing the drums at the age of 15 when we formed a band with school friends. As time went on from the age of 17 to 21 I played with several very good local bands before taking the big step of turning professional. My pro career lasted over 13 to 14 years during this time not only touring in several countries but getting to play with some of the best bands from the UK and America, gaining loads of experience working in backing bands as well as touring as part of established units. Some of the venues I have played in include The 2i’s coffee bar, lots of the 60’s stars were discovered there as well as The Top Ten and Star Clubs in Hamburg, also toured Germany, France, Norway, Sweden, Italy, and Spain,as well as the length and width of Great Britain plus two stints on the cruise ships.
After the pro years I joined The Martells and played with them for 16 years until we all went our separate ways. Then after working as a stand in for a while joined up with The Andre De Moller blues band this lasted for about three years. Then came Just Blues, the last band I worked with until the reforming of The Martells. It’s been quite a ride and it is not over yet.

Paul Gardner. Rythmn Guitar and Lead Vocals.
I have had lots of experience playing in bands since the age of 14. First influenced and prompted to learn guitar by hearing Hank Marvin and The Shadows back in the 60's together with the likes of Buddy Holly, The Hollies, The Searchers and The Everly Brothers. I have also had a successful solo career both at home and abroad. During my travels throughout the world I have enjoyed entertaining and meeting people from different cultures eg India, Thailand, The Maldives and Europe. My acoustic guitar is my travelling companion together with his wife of course and it has been so much fun with music being an international language. My childrern are all musical and in the past had a family harmony band. I joined The Silhouettes about a year ago and it feels great to be performing with these guys. I feel that my musical career has come full circle.

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