Live show of The Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain, whose music comes entirely from differently tuned ukuleles and dynamic vocals.
The Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain play the Wyvern Theatre on Monday 16 November, starting at 7:30 pm. They're known as 'The Ukes' to those who follow them, and they've been at this since 1985, when they formed as an antidote to the ego-driven bluster of the music industry. 2025 marked their 40th anniversary, so this is a band that's well into its stride.
They started out playing small rooms above old pubs and grew into international touring stars, playing everywhere from Australasia to the North Pole and from Windsor Castle to Carnegie Hall, regularly filling theatres along the way. Their live show is built on a strict rule of subtraction: no drums, no pianos, no backing tracks, no guitars, no banjos and no electronic trickery. The sound comes entirely from differently tuned ukuleles and dynamic vocals, and they don't use any electronic effects to fill the gaps. It's a stripped-back way of doing things that lets the arrangements take centre stage.
Because they aren't tied to one style, the repertoire they pull from is wide. They cover Classical and Pop, Punk, Funk, Disco, Bluegrass and Metal, and they play them all on the same set of ukuleles. It's a long way from the small pub rooms where they began, and the variety of what they take on is a good part of the draw.
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They'll be at the Wyvern Theatre in the Main Auditorium on Monday 16 November, with the show starting at 7:30 pm. The venue is at Theatre Square, Swindon, SN1 1QN.
