Stipe @ The Studio Hartlepool, May 8th 2004				Review by Zannah Inghram
	Close, but not quite They say imitation is the best form of flattery and tribute band Stipe tried their best to do just that, bringing REM to life down at The Studio in Hartlepool. As outer space chilled out sounds filled the studio we waited for the men on the moon to arrive. As Southern and the band graced the stage I couldn’t help but hear ‘and tonight Matthew I’m going to be…’ echo through my mind. Decked in typical cowboy hat and shades vocalist Southern certainly looked the part, but with overly heavy backing and more growl than Stipe like warble, it has to be said that the first few tracks were bit of a disappointment. After something of a shaky start the uncannily familiar vocals of 'The One I Love' cut through the air demonstrating why Stipe are so committed to imitating their idols. By slowing things down a touch the band finally allowed the great material and Southern’s Stipe like vocals to speak for themselves. Progressing on into the old favourites every song was performed with the attention and care of true fans and as Southern chatted easily with the crowd about the real REM it was clear that Stipe were among like minded friends. As the fans danced and sang along, knowing every word of every song, it hardly seemed to matter that they were watching imitation at work. While Southern’s performance was overall much more content than the emotional performances of Michael Stipe himself, his vocals fit the bill pretty well. From their imitation of' Imitation of life 'to a rare live performance of '1979' the set twisted and turned through the best of the last 20 years of REM. Finally, as the chorus of 'Man on the Moon' surged through the crowd it seemed, that for a brief moment at least, a little REM magic had touched the hearts of the fans in Hartlepool. Returning to the stage for an encore with the classics' Everybody Hurts' and 'End of the World' Stipe reminded us all just how good a band REM really are and certainly inspired me to dig out a few dusty REM albums from the depths of my music collection. All in all, the quality of the performance as a whole was pretty mixed. Replicating a great band like REM is always going to be difficult and in this case it seems that some shoes are just a little too big to fill. But that’s the inevitable problem with tribute bands of any kind, they’re always going to come in second best to the originals no matter how hard they try.
	Taken From bbc.co.uk Click Here To Go To Original Page