aLCHEMY reLIVED: The Dire Straits Tribute

‘aLCHEMY reLIVED’ is a loving tribute to the music of Dire Straits.

Classic Rock magazine hailed Dire Straits as "the biggest British rock band of the 80s.” And with four Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards, an iconic performance at Live Aid, over 120 million albums sold, and a final world tour that sold over 7 million tickets, it’s difficult to deny that claim.

‘aLCHEMY reLIVED’ formed in 2019 between like-minded musicians with a collective desire to revive the songs from the ‘Alchemy Live’ album, including such classics as the powerful epic, ‘Telegraph Road’, the timeless love song, ‘Romeo & Juliet’, the atmospheric ‘Private Investigations’ and the classic song that started it all, ‘Sultans of Swing’. Since their first gig in 2022, the band have widened their repertoire with some songs from one of the world’s best-selling albums, ‘Brothers In Arms’ with the occasional rarity thrown in for the hardcore Dire Straits fans.

Introducing the band:

Dave Woodward: Vocals and Guitar

Dave started listening to Dire Straits in 1985 when his dad borrowed the cassette of 'Brothers In Arms' from the local library. This led to him getting his first electric guitar for his 10th birthday and forming a band at school to play ‘Money For Nothing’.

Martin Hookins: Piano and Organ

“It was a hot day in July 1977. I was sitting on my parents’ lawn in London, with a guitarist mate, listening to the radio. They played Sultans of Swing. Wow! My mate said “how’s he doing that?” I was hooked on Dire Straits from then on. I’ve played piano and keys in bands all my life and loved every minute.

Julie Kimber: Saxophone, Percussion and Vocals

Julie has been playing saxophone professionally since the age of 28, working as a musician in Spain, Oman and Dubai for 8 years, gigging with various line-ups, duos, bands and brass sections.

Cameron Nelson: Bass

Cameron was smitten by the music of ‘Dire Straits’ from the moment he heard their first album played on German radio back in 1978. In 1982 he was playing ‘Sultans of Swing’ on stage in Berlin, now over 40 years on he is delighted to be back on stage playing in this musical tribute to ‘Dire Straits’. In the intervening years Cameron has enjoyed his time playing in a number of bands, performing at festivals and events throughout Holland, Belgium, Germany and the UK.

Andy Hutt: Drums

As a young novice learning how to hit things with sticks, Andy was lucky enough to see drummer Terry Williams live, playing with Welsh rock band, 'Man'. It was an education. Now, after many years playing with bands in the UK and beyond, Andy is thrilled (and a little bit daunted!) to emulate one of rock's great drummers who helped to drive 'Dire Straits' during those great 'Alchemy' years.