Cumbernauld Theatre lands top gig featuring top band who pay tribute to Bob Dylan in their own way

Renowned sell-out show ‘Simply Dylan’ has won rave reviews since it began as a modest project in Merseyside to celebrate the music legend’s 70th birthday in 2011. However, the interpretation of songs in the talented and capable hands of the group, which gave fans the chance to experience Dylan’s music live as they’d always wanted to, led the band’s popularity to soar over the next decade.

Simply Dylan have since sold-out Liverpool’s famous Cavern Club six times, toured Spain, been invited to open the Isle of Wight Festival, and headlined several folk festivals.

And the new arts venue has been lucky enough to get the five-piece band booked in, in what is surely a massive highlight of the building's first ever autumn season – which will now celebrate Bob Dylan’s 80th birthday!

The band is led by founder John O’Connell, who has been a widely respected stalwart of Liverpool’s music scene since the 1980’s.

Dylan superfan, the late John Baldwin commented “Normally I don’t like Dylan 'covers', but this is different.

"John is not an impersonator, more an interpreter, and an accomplished musician and singer to boot.

"The ethos of the band is “A tribute to Bob Dylan, not a Bob Dylan tribute” which is exactly what they do.

"There are no “look-a-likes” or voice mimicry, but some of Dylan’s greatest works impressively performed by a band of talented musicians.

One of John's fondest memories of Simply Dylan is the gig they performed on the piazza outside the Liverpool M&S Bank Arena before Bob Dylan himself was due on stage.

John himself explained: “That was a great day, the sun was shining; the crowd watching us were on good form and just grew and grew. The arena weren’t too happy though – as people were late taking their seats to watch the great man himself!”

Tickets for the show which begins at 7.30pm in the brand new main auditorium are £18 and are available from the box office on 01236 732887.

For more on the band see www.simplydylan.com.