George Hinchliffe’s Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

George Hinchliffe’s
Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain™

Who is to blame for the worldwide phenomena of ukulele orchestras and ukulelemania? The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain! Tap your toes with the royalty of the ukulele scene, the independent rock-stars of the “bonsai guitar”, who have plucked and sung, joked and whistled with Clean Bandit, Robbie Williams, Madness, Cat Stevens, The Ministry of Sound and Blue Peter.
The world’s very first Ukulele Orchestra is not just about ukuleles; it is about entertainment, joy, fun, strum and artistry.
www.ukuleleorchestra.com

Past Touring shows

George Hinchliffe’s Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain
Christmas Show Nov/Dec 2019

The original ukulele orchestra, the group that made the uke cool, the band who gave us uke mania invite you to join them in a bit of festive frivolity! This is definitely not shameless seasonal cashing in, just a little midwinter mischief and the chance to play or sing a-long with the odd well worn Christmas classic. Watch the tutorials online, learn the parts and join in live. From the North Pole to Sydney Opera House the Ukes tour planet Earth with their legendary live shows that plunder all genres of music from Wagner to Nirvana with wit and sheer plucking brilliance.

Heresy II Heritage 2018

George Hinchliffe’s Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain has become a global sensation and nothing short of a UK national treasure. ‘Heresy II Heritage’ charts the Uke’s rise from curiosity to virtuosity, from village hall to the Royal Albert Hall. The Ukes have performed for the British Royal Family, the BBC Proms, Sydney Opera House and Carnegie Hall, but heretics they remain, poking fun at the cultural elite, defying you to believe their own hype, bemused by all the hot air.

On an ongoing “hand-luggage only” world tour, the Ukes provide pure entertainment, dead-pan British humour and foot-tapping music. Expect the unexpected, whether re-imagining folk songs, twisting classical music favourites, uncovering quirky versions of rock covers, or playing the performers’ own all-original compositions.

“May well turn out to be one of the turning points of 21st Century Art.”
Brian Eno

“Iconoclastic. Unabashed genre crashing antics. Nothing is spoof proof.”
Sunday Times

“Most people have to die before they become immortal.
These ukulele superstars have no such worries.”
New Musical Express

“The best musical entertainment in the country”
The Independent

“They extract more than seems humanly possible from
so small and so modest an instrument”
The New York Times

“They have grown into a much-loved institution”
The Observer

“The sophisticated sound they make – both percussive and melodic – is at once hilarious and heartfelt”
The Financial Times

“The Best of British”
Michael Palin

“The ukulele has found its avant garde”
The Guardian

“A musicologist’s nightmare”
Music Week

“Wonderfully clever”
David Bowie

“Virtuosic”
Guitar Magazine

“Among the great entertainers”
Evening Standard

“…few concerts this year matched this ensemble’s November performance”
New York Times

(Top 5 Season Highlights at Carnegie Hall, NY)

Biography

A celebrated musical juggernaut for four decades, thrilling audiences from Tasmania to Svalbard in the arctic circle, Windsor Castle to Carnegie Hall, the all-singing, all-plucking Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain continues to break the mould with a programme of new tunes as well as old classics.

A concert by the Ukulele Orchestra is a witty, quirky, irreverent, awesome, foot-stomping obituary of rock-n-roll and melodious light entertainment all played on the ‘bonsai guitar’. Add to this a menagerie of voices in a collision of post-punk performance and toe-tapping oldies, and a good night out for everyone, is guaranteed.
There are no drums, pianos, backing tracks or banjos, no pitch shifters or electronic trickery. Only an astonishing revelation of the rich palette of orchestration afforded by ukuleles and singing (and a bit of whistling). This is an exciting shopping-trolley dash through different musical genres, from ABBA to ZZ Top, Tchaikovsky to Nirvana via Lady Gaga and maybe a Spaghetti Western. You may never think about music in the same way once you’ve been exposed to the Ukes’ depraved musicology. So in demand, they find themselves perpetually on “a world tour with hand luggage only”. The Ukulele Orchestra are coming to town – catch them whilst you can.

Here’s the history: 1985. First gig in London. Rapturous reception. More gigs leading to playing Olympia, London, WOMAD, touring Japan. recording the first album, licensing to CBS, SONY, and other labels worldwide. New Year on Jools Holland’s ‘Hootenanny.’ Festivals, Big Chill, Glastonbury, Electric Picnic. Touring the world: Britain, Canada, Spain, Monaco, Austria, Luxembourg, Holland, Netherlands, Belgium, Japan, Poland, Denmark, Finland, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Svalbard, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Czech Republic, Germany, Switzerland, China, France, Ireland. Typical juxtaposition in the gig diary: Friday: Sixpenny Handley Village Hall, Monday: Hiroshima The BBC Electric Proms with the Kaiser Chiefs. Guest appearance on Madness album ‘The Liberty of Norton Folgate’ The BBC Proms, at The Royal Albert Hall, Sold out faster than any other late night prom ever. Sold out The Royal Albert Hall, again. Sold out Carnegie Hall. Twice. Sold out Sydney Opera House. TV with Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens). CDs Ministry of Sound compilations. Remixes by several Ibiza DJs. Ant & Dec Saturday Night Takeaway performing with Robbie Williams. Independent Ukulele Orchestra CD and DVD production. Litmus Films documentary coverage of the Ukulele Orchestra World Tour.

More about the players in the Ukulele Orchestra and band history can be found on their website www.ukuleleorchestra.com

Download a syndicated interview with UOGB Director George Hinchliffe HERE

More info can be found at www.ukuleleorchestra.com

“…few concerts this year matched this ensemble’s November performance”

New York Times

(Top 5 Season Highlights at Carnegie Hall, NY)

“The best musical entertainment in the country”

The Independent

“They extract more than seems humanly possible from

so small and so modest an instrument”

The New York Times

“They have grown into a much-loved institution”

The Observer

“The sophisticated sound they make – both percussive and melodic – is

at once hilarious and heartfelt”

The Financial Times

“The Best of British”

Michael Palin

“The ukulele has found its avant garde”

The Guardian

“A musicologist’s nightmare”

Music Week

“Wonderfully clever”

David Bowie

“Virtuosic”

Guitar Magazine

“Among the great entertainers”

Evening Standard

“May well turn out to be one of the turning points of 21st Century Art.”

Brian Eno

“Iconoclastic. Unabashed genre crashing antics. Nothing is spoof proof.”

Sunday Times

“Most people have to die before they become immortal.
These ukulele superstars have no such worries.”

New Musical Express

In April 2014 The Ukulele Orchestra of GB helped create the finale to Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway on ITV. Ant and Dec took lessons with the UOGB band members s before the show so they could upstage a certain special guest – Mr Robbie Williams. Here’s what happened. ANT & DEC & UOGB

The Guardian On Line 21 September 2012

The Independent 16 September 2012