Monday 12th January 2015 by Andrew Trendell | Photos by Splash

Queen: 'We aren't a tribute band, Freddie would have approved'

Rockers talk Freddie Mercury and moving foward

1. 'Who Wants To Live Forever': A chillingly prophetic, tender lament on the fragility of life. Queen may often be revered for all of the pomp and bombast, but their finest moment is a swooning and subtle reminder that though one can't escape death, love lives on.

2. 'Bohemian Rhapsody': Far beyond a karaoke classic, it's the song that sent the band racing out into the stratosphere, stapling together the pages of rock n' roll history. We struggle to think of another band's breakthrough hit that's as ambitious, meandering and cosmic as this.

3. 'Seven Seas Of Rhye': An underrated but beautiful portrait of the band's early promise and insanity-driven energy.

4. 'Flash': AAA-AAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

5. 'Another One Bites The Dust': One of the most memorable basslines in rock history and arguably Deacon's finest moment, as well as a call to arms at their electrifying live show: 'Are you ready, are you ready for this? Are you hanging on the edge of your seat?'

6. 'Somebody To Love': Come on, we've all been there - and nobody says it better than Queen.

7. 'The Show Must Go On': A towering wall of sound of Queen at their most larger than life, and a testament to their mantra of battling through the heartache to make the world sing.

8. 'Radio Ga Ga': Crisp drums, shimmering synths, a smouldering Merury vocal and a reminder that when you strip away all of the sensationalism, you're left with the message that music is all that matters.

9. 'Under Pressure': Later to be made a mockery of by Vanilla Ice and Jedward, but who can blame them? A moment of genius for so many reasons: one hell of a chorus, a brilliant groove courtesy of master bassist John Deacon, the fact that it's drenched in the personality of Mercury and David Bowie and that eternal refrain: 'Can't we give love one more chance?'

10. 'Fat Bottomed Girls': The perfect encapsulation of Queen's decadence and cheek, one of their many moments on the official soundtrack to a real good time.

11. 'Innuendo': A doom-mongering space-rock Odyssey, with May and Mercury duelling at their most artful and operatic. It sounds like the universe at war, and it's utterly beautiful.

12. 'Bicycle Race': The batshit mental intro that Muse may dream of writing, and probably the greatest song about a bicycle you'll ever hear - not least for Freddie's brilliantly witty: "Jaws was never my scene and I don't like Star Wars!"

13. 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love': Proof that the band could try their hand at anything and make it rock, this is the sound of Mercury taking the classic country sound and giving it his own inimitable swagger.

Tags: Queen and Adam Lambert

Two of the surviving member of Queen have spoken out in defence of the current incarnation of the band with Adam Lambert, slamming those who think they're just 'a tribute band'.

Guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor are gearing up to kick off a huge UK tour this week with current vocalist, American Idol and pop sensation Adam Lambert.

However, the band have come under fire for continuing with a new singer.

"We ain't a tribute band, that's a no-brainer," said May, defending the band in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph.

"Freddie and Adam have a very similar attitude to life; a sense of humour and camp lightness of touch," he continued. "Queen have a serious side but, really, that little bit of humour is what keeps everybody sane."

Taylor added: "'I think he [Freddie] would have approved. And I know he would have liked Adam."

He went on: "We built Queen, we lived and breathed it, it is part of us and we are part of it. It still feels as if Freddie is with us, because his music is always there, his personality is on stage with us.

''He is part of our mental wallpaper, which can be a little bittersweet. I would say it took five years to get used to the fact that he was gone. But the fact is, he's not here, and we are celebrating and we salute him, and it's not maudlin at all."

Watch their performance from New Year's Eve in London in full below

Meanwhile, Queen + Adam Lambert return to Europe for a massive EU tour this year. Full dates for the 2015 tour are below. Buy tickets safely and securely using Seatwave here.

Tue 13 January NEWCASTLE Arena
Wed 14 January GLASGOW Hydro
Sat 17 January LONDON O2 Arena
Sun 18 January LONDON O2 Arena
Tue 20 January LEEDS Arena
Wed 21 January MANCHESTER Arena
Fri 23 January BIRMINGHAM NIA
Sat 24 January NOTTINGHAM Arena
Mon 26 January PARIS Zenith
Thu 29 January COLOGNE Lanxess Arena
Fri 30 January AMSTERDAM, Ziggo Dome

Sun 1 February VIENNA Stadhalle
Mon 2 February MUNICH Olympiahalle
Wed 4 February BERLIN O2
Thu 5 February HAMBURG O2
Sat 7 February FRANKFURT Festhalle
Sun 8 February BRUSSELS Palais 12
Tue 10 February MILAN Forum
Fri 13 February STUTTGART Schleyerhalle
Sun 15 February HERNING Jyske Bank Boxen
Tue 17 February PRAGUE O2
Thu 19 February ZURICH Hallenstadion
Tues 24 February LONDON Wembley SSE Arena
Thurs 26 February LIVERPOOL Echo Arena
Fri 27 February SHEFFIELD Motorpoint Arena

Comments

Most Popular on Gigwise

SELECT impressions.total, posts.* FROM posts JOIN impressions ON post_id = posts.id WHERE (posts.date_added >'2015-08-12 22:25:39' AND posts.date_added < '2015-08-13 22:25:39') AND display=1 AND posts.RegionID IN (217, 0, US) AND post_type_id='3' ORDER BY impressions.total DESC LIMIT 6
Unknown column 'US' in 'where clause'

LIKE GIGWISE ON FACEBOOK TO GET THE HOTTEST NEWS FIRST!

Comments

Most Popular on Gigwise