Tucan are essentially a compact dance band with a show. It's not just like someone singing songs with a personal karaoke.
Les and Pam grew up in the world of live bands and love to play games and have a fun chat with the audience. Then there's Les' stylish guitar playing and Pam's funky harmonica to fill out the accompaniment.
Repertoire:
Over 800 of the most popular songs of the 20th century (and some from this millennium) provide a well of possibilities.
Though the core of repertoire is 60's/70's/80's party, Tucan are equally at home with swing and latin standards, classic rock or real country music and some modern classics. Sorry, no Rap though (yet).
You can dance the twist, pogo or macarena as easily as line dance, rhumba or waltz, or just sit and enjoy the show.
From the Beatles to GreenDay... from Pink to Patsy Cline... Janis Joplin or Nora Jones - Les and Pam just sing songs that suit their capabilities and are popular to listen or dance to.
Audience requests often drive the repertoire. "The audience often knows best what songs we ought to learn, and we listen", says Pam. "We just need to be capable of performing them well." When asked that often baffling question, "What sort of music do you play?", Les will usually reply, "Songs you know the words to!". And you probably do.
History:
Tucan grew up in the vibrant late 60's / 70's proto rock scene of Newcastle and the Hunter Valley. Though physically apart, these twin souls lived an almost parallel teenhood - they were both excellent but reluctant scholars, they didn't easily fit in "the gang", they had strong artistic leanings and they discovered "natural" musical talent in families where performing music was a joy.
So..... they joined what was then a minority that is maybe too common these days - rock'n'roll won out over schoolwork - and they made it a life, together.
Pam was born and bred in Bellbird near Cessnock and her beloved Pokolbin vineyards and the couple have made it their home.
Les came over in 1956 from Manchester, UK and grew up in Toronto by Lake Macquarie. Having lived in bellbird for 18 years now, he feels that he should be considered a local (good luck with that).
Music has taken Pam and Les around the town, around the state, around the country and the world. They were both in 70's/80's rock bands that did the Newcastle and Sydney circuits and travelled the east coast and nationally - Les in Armageddon, Troups and Ward 10 and Pam with Stash, then later together in Pandemonium and The Orphans. Pam also toured Australia as backing vocalist with 'Swanee'.
In the mid-80's, between jaunts on P&O cruise ships, their bands were resident at Fanny's up to 4 nights a week and had a turnover of musicians that should qualify them as a Newcastle music school.
They downsized to a duo format as "Pam & Les", and relocated to London where working in the UK and Europe for 4 years provided a new view and some education. "It's funny", says Les, "I never learned 'Khe Sahn' until we went to London and had to play it for the ex-pat Aussies there. Similarly for country music and the Irish audiences in their pubs or the Austrians with AC/DC songs at apres-ski."
Returning in 1991, they re-established at home as The Gonzo Twins and did the whole local shebang of gigs. In the mid-90's, travel beckoned again, this time in the form of longer contracts with P&O and Princess cruises. This has seen them do about 5 of the last 10 years somewhere between here and the west coast of the USA as "Tucan", a name considered by cruise directors more suitable than "The Gonzo Twins". This experience added other dimensions to their style - from cruise ship lounge standards to "Island Night" conga parties.
Diverse audiences and venues have developed in Pam & Les a style that finds the common ground in most any audience and a vast repertoire to suit. Pam in particular also likes to have chat with the patrons, mostly hilarious.
Settled at home again in the valley, Pam & Les are applying these fun skills to the entertainment pleasure of their favourite place of all - here.
Tucan between songs on the R3 in Tahiti, 2001
The "Royal" Tucan
Tucan?:
Why the name "Tucan"? ......Les relates, "A famous cruise director wouldn't use 'The Gonzo Twins' - 'too clownish', thought it was a joke. So!?? Probably should've stuck with 'Pam and Les' but we came up with "Tucan", another one of those word plays on 'Two of...' and used the Spanish spelling.
The Tucan (or Toucan) is a noisy, colourful parrot, the star of the Central American jungle - somehow appropriate for an entertaining cover band. In England they said that it must mean `Foster's and Four-Ex'." "We just say, 'Four short of a six-pack', Pam quips.
Anyway - helping you have a good time is their idea of a great lifestyle!
As the spokesperson of a leading vineyard function venue said recently, "We've had them all here over the years and we've decided you're the only ones who know how to party!" Enough said.
