To Hell & Back - Stage Reviews of a tribute to Meat LoafHere are just a few testimonials from venues that have booked, and continue to book, TO HELL AND BACK. Performing 200 shows a year we couldn't put them all up, so here's just a few very satisfied bookers: Dean- Wow! You really sound like Meat Loaf on a good day , Its great ! Ellen Lucy Meacock , Granada Television Manchester. May 6th 08“He looks like Meat Loaf, he sounds like him” ELLEN FOLEYS A FAN! Bob Kulick Meat loafs guitarist for 10 years said: "Great soundbytes Dean, you sound very much like Meat Loaf. It reminded me of his earlier days"
"You sound Amazing, and certainly sing your ass off. Lets hook up when your here in 07"
"You Guys Rocked It!!!" (see thumbnail) Paul Newman, manager Ivy Bush Hotel, Carmarthen "We have lots of tribute acts here at the Ivy, but Dean's tribute to Meat Loaf is the best I have ever seen in all my years as the Manager here. I know for sure that no tribute act has ever received a standing ovation, but Dean didn't just get 1 - he got 2! standing ovations, and thoroughly deserved too. He has an amazing voice and he looked and sounded just like Meat Loaf." Masqueraders Carnival and Supporters Clubs On behalf of the Masqueraders Carnival and Supporters Clubs can I say what a pleasure and an honour it was to have you perform at Music on the Moors this year. Everybody was in agreement that your show was the highlight of the event and Mark (Robbie Williams tribute) was gutted that you had a longer intro than him! I have already reassured friends, family and club members that we will have you back to the west country next year some time to perform at one of our indoor events (that's if you want to come back to our part of the world!). Thanks again for a great performance. Look forward to seeing you both next year sometime. (from the Guestbook, 25/7/05) "We book Dean at all 13 of our
clubs, he is fantastic! He packs them in time and time again, and Dean and
his wife Maz have become really close friends over the years - a lovely
couple to work with" The Oxford "We are strictly a live music
venue, and we have a policy of not using acts with taped backing, however
the rule book got thrown out the window when we saw Dean perform at a
nearby club. He is the only act that we book using backing tracks, he
fills the place and has done for the last 3 years; he is as good as Meat
Loaf was in the 70s" Squires (biggest biker venue in Yorkshire) "Dean has played Squires on 7
occasions, 2 being New Years Eve! He is without doubt the best Meat Loaf
tribute we have seen and we have seen them all! He becomes Meat Loaf, he
looks and sounds just like him - the best in the bizz!" Hardy Hall "We book tributes once a month, Dean is the best tribute we have ever booked. The stage set is fantastic and Dean and Maz are amazing, they always do more time than other acts because the crowd always shout for more and they always do 3 encores which is amazing. They are the only act to play the Hardy Hall and get a standing ovation, a real class act" Steve, manager of the Hardy Hall Dean's most treasured testimonial of them all:- he is THE ONLY Meat Loaf tribute to be invited backstage (on 2 occasions!) by Meat Loaf himself !!! Here's what a few well known associates of Meat Loaf think of our show...
From the Guestbook, 25/7/05... On behalf of the Masqueraders Carnival and Supporters Clubs can I say what a pleasure and an honour it was to have you perform at Music on the Moors this year. Everybody was in agreement that your show was the highlight of the event and Mark (Robbie Williams tribute) was gutted that you had a longer intro than him! I have already reassured friends, family and club members that we will have you back to the west country next year some time to perform at one of our indoor events (that's if you want to come back to our part of the world!). Thanks again for a great performance. Look forward to seeing you both next year sometime - Mike What the public thought... Here's another of the hundreds of great reviews that can be found on our guestbook, go take a look! (Guestbook) I see a lot of acts all around the world due to my job. I also had a press pass to see Meatloaf at Birmingham last month and met the man himself backstage - although it was great to see him live the show just didn't pull it for me. He didn't seem to have that same energy he is so famous for. It's always great fun to see a tribute act as they seem to put so much more effort into the show. I recently saw the Freddie Mercury tribute act at the Red Lion and at the time I thought it was the best I'd ever seen. Until last night. From the moment the show started to the final encore, the entire place was buzzing with electricity. The act was setup with the same enthusiasm as if it had been the Wembley Arena. The Bat out of Hell scenery, the chopper bike, the awesome sound system, the lights and smoke effects all set the stage for what was sure to be a great night - and Dean certainly didn't disappoint. Not only did he look the spitting image of Meat from the mid 70's school (you just have to love that shirt and shades), but he sounded so amazing like him. What I loved about the act was Dean's energy. He made each song his own - ad libbing and changing the rhythm and style of each tune whilst keeping it "real" for the Meatloaf fans. This was one act that I'd pay to see time and time again. We host many corporate functions with the usual drab style of entertainment - Dean can be sure to have a booking from us in the near future. A very unexpected night out - one which I hope to be repeated again. Soon. paul@neogames.co.uk A MEATY SHOW Legendary rocker Meat Loaf had a
packed house at the Warwick Arms in Loughborough shouting for more last
Wednesday, as he played a memorable gig at the venue. To Hell And Back is reckoned to be the best Meat Loaf tribute act around and on this showing it was not hard to see why, He was simply brilliant. He looked and sounded so much like Meat Loaf he really did become him on the Warwick Arms stage and everyone loved it. He started off with the massive hit "I'd Do Anything For Love [But I Wont Do That]" and then went through a brilliant set that finished with "Bat Out Of Hell". The crowd didn't want him to go off and kept calling for more, but he'd given us a fantastic show; I feel certain I wouldn't have enjoyed myself any more if I'd paid £36 to watch the real thing at the NEC and this gig was for free. It was also a gig that was as much for real Meat Loaf fans as much as music lovers, a fact that became clear when he performed some songs that only true Meat Loaf fans who had bought all his albums [as opposed to the three that everyone knows] would know. I think I sang every word on the night, and I reckon this is the most fun I could have had without having a drink. To Hell And Back are back at the pub in January 04; I for one will be there. Taken from "LOUGHBOROUGH ECHO" July 18th 2003 - Sarina Martin "After the interval, we heard the awesome voice of tribute artist Dean Torkington. He not only had the look and the physique of Meatloaf but also boast's the most powerful rocker's voice I have heard among Meatloaf impersonators. Torkington's wife Maz is also a vocal force to be reckoned with, accurately reproducing the sound of great Meatloaf duet partners including Bonnie Tyler and Lorraine Crosby".
Dean dons a long, velvet jacket, lace cuffs and wig to sing 'Bat Out of Hell'. It's brilliant, just like Meatloaf..."
What a night it was!! Yes folks I admit to being a MeatLoaf fan! Luckily for me I had the chance to call in at a rally run by the Virago, Star Owners Club a couple of weeks ago. The entertainment laid on for Sunday Evening was the amazing tribute show "To Hell n' Back" and was it good you ask? You bloody well bet it was! This guy really knows his stuff, I'd never heard anything like it, and I loved it. Dean and his wife Maz have been doing the show since 1998 (Maz is guitarist & backing vocals) and really know how to set the scene, a big gothic backdrop, lights, fantastic custom made studio quality backing tracks and their own state of the art 5000 watt JBL PA system means they produce a show to rival many full bands. The showstopping hits just kept coming, superbly performed, that voice just perfect! Yes folks you can tell I enjoyed it eh? The evening saw them they had teamed up with Cher (Yvonne Haylen - as seen on Stars in Their Eyes_ the two acts compliment each other perfectly. Cher was excellent but it was "MeatLoaf" that did it for me! I'll let the pictures tell the story and just leave you with the info you need to contact Dean 01772 494527 or 07941 197913 or check out www.meatloaf.org ..... Go see him, book him for your rally / rock night, you won't regret it! Taken from "100% BIKER MAGAZINE"
September 2001 - Pat Ringwood EDITOR A Devoted Fan:
At the time my brother was a rep for Virgin Records, he used to promote Meatloaf music in the UK. Meatloaf gave my brother and all the other reps one of these jackets. There are only about twenty of them. It has been in my wardrobe for years. I have only worn it once as I was worried about getting it pinched or damaged. My brother also gets gold/platinum discs for the sales of any CDs he promotes, he gave me a platinum disc for Bat Out of Hell II , for sales of over one million albums in twelve weeks in the UK. My brother sends me free tickets to see him and he is now head buyer for the Virgin Record label. We met Dean and his wife at a gig they did in Audenshaw, Manchester on the 10th June we were at a party held for my sister-in-law who had been made redundant. We thought Dean and his wife were excellent, having seen Meatloaf several times Dean was the best double I have ever seen, better than any who have been on Stars In Their Eyes, and a lot of other people thought so too - Alison Cookson Dean told me was very excited when he saw the jacket and couldn't wait to try it on. He thought it was going to be an XL and thought he might squeeze his XXXL frame into it. Sadly, it wasn't to be, however it fits his wife Maz perfectly. Poor Dean, she rubbed salt in the wound by parading up and down in it saying how nice it looked on her!
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