The eight-strong Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain invited the audience to join in at a sell-out performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Tuesday night.
As well as showing off their string skills, the crowd of 6000 were also asked to sing along to the ukulele group’s rendition of the Sex Pistols’ Anarchy In The UK.
BBC Radio 3 presenter Verity Sharp revealed that some 1000 people had signed up to play their own ukuleles at
the light-hearted concert,
with more believed to have “snuck in” with their instruments.
The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain has been entertaining crowds for more than 20 years with its unique renditions of familiar tunes including Jerusalem, the Dambusters theme and The Ride Of The Valkyries.
Tuesday’s concert, part of the BBC Proms season, included an eclectic programme of four-string music from classical pieces such as Ode To Joy from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony to pop songs.
The programme included a Life On Mars medley featuring David Bowie’s track of the same name, Thunderball from the James Bond film and Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus.
The popularity of the idea was shown by the fact that seats for the show quickly sold out, while queues for the 1400 standing tickets available on the day built up from lunchtime.
During the 85-minute performance, the orchestra, in full dinner dress and sitting in a semi-circle on stage, also entertained with their interpretations of Talking Heads’ 1977 hit Psycho Killer and The Who’s Pinball Wizard.
The crowd had their chance to play along in an excerpt from Beethoven’s Ode to Joy.
In a finale paying tribute to the “Socialist Republic of South Yorkshire”, the group played a special version of Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush led by south Yorkshire native George Hinchcliffe.
Verity Sharp praised the orchestra for “25 years of making people smile”.
She added: “It has been a fantastic atmosphere.”
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