Mothership – Led Zeppelin Tribute at The Lowry Manchester Review

Reviewed by Rosemary Knight

Yesterday evening I went with my husband to The Lowry Theatre in Salford Quays, Manchester to watch Mothership perform a tribute to rock superstars, Led Zeppelin. Having previously enjoyed watching Mothership on their last tour we knew that we were in for a great evening.

On arrival at the theatre, there was a slight problem with our tickets, but The Lowry theatre staff dealt with it speedily and professionally and we were soon directed to our seats. One of the things which I love about going to this venue is the fact that the staff are so friendly and helpful.

Mothership came onto the stage and immediately belted out The Immigrant Song, which has always been one of my favourite numbers. A back drop of photos and film clips featuring the original Led Zeppelin were projected onto the stage with a nostalgic clip of a young Jimmy Page performing in a skiffle group! Other numbers were Stairway to Heaven, with amazing light show and smoke display, a fantastic version of Since I’ve Been Lovin’ You, Babe I’m Gonna Leave You, Going to California, No Quarter, Black Dog, Talkin’ Bout Love and an absolutely incredible version of Kashmir, which left me with goosebumps.

We have both been huge fans of Led Zeppelin for many years, but unfortunately never had the chance to watch them perform live in concert, but watching Mothership perform their own unique homage to the band was amazing. Mothership look absolutely nothing like Led Zeppelin and are totally honest about not trying to do so, but they certainly make up for this in the music itself. Lead guitarist David Crilly, using a vast array of different guitars, including a 2008 Gibson Les Paul standard with the iconic cherry red SG twin neck, is without a doubt the most talented performer I have ever seen. Vocalist Matthew Vaggers has an amazing vocal range and sounds so uncannily like Robert Plant that with my eyes closed I could believe that he was the original singer. Martin Byrne on bass guitar and mandolin, Andy Perfect on drums and Toni Hughes on keyboards all combined together to make this the perfect Led Zeppelin experience. You can tell that the band have a tremendous rapport with each other as they laugh and joke together and this makes for a really enjoyable evening.

The Lowry Theatre was packed out with an audience absolutely loving every second of this spectacular performance. Mothership are so much more than just a tribute band as they are all so incredibly talented. This show is recommended to all rock lovers and we had a fabulous time.

Rating: 5/5

Mothership are currently on tour, for more information and tour dates visit mothershipband.co.uk.

For other shows The Lowry in Manchester visit www.thelowry.com or call the box office on 0843 208 6000.

The Lowry, Pier 8, Salford Quays, Manchester, M50 3AZ | 0843 208 6000