Q the Quo

Equipment: Adam uses a few guitars throughout the set, but the main ones are a modified Harley Benton Telecaster and a Fender Telecaster. He goes through a Marshall JMD1 50-watt valve amp head with two 4×12 Marshall cabinets. Adam uses a Relay G10S radio system.

Adam has always been a big music fan since an early age and has always loved the mighty Quo. He started out as a DJ in his early teens, moving on to mixing and producing dance music, playing a few gigs here and there with a residency in Hunter’s, Belfast. He picked up the guitar in his 20s thinking it was bound to attract more ladies than spinning the wheels of steel, only to find that he had to actually learn how to play it – and he’s been trying ever since! He played rhythm guitar and sang in local rock band ‘The Unknown’ for a few years until it broke up in 2017. With a love of energetic music and Quo’s powerful rhythm sound it was a dream come true for Adam to play in a tribute act to his number one rock ‘n’ roll band. His favourite tracks are “Creepin’ Up On You”, “Hold You Back”, “Whatever You Want” and “Junior’s Wailing”. When he’s not making a rambunctious noise, he’s making the world a safer place, one circuit at a time in the world of electrics.

Equipment: Daniel has three main keyboards that he uses live on stage: A Roland RD700-NX digital stage piano that he bought at auction from Status Quo in late 2024 (used on stage during live performances by Andy Bown for the past number of years), a Nord Stage 3 keyboard and a Korg Triton LE synthesiser. He has a Roland FP5 digital piano as backup. His gear either goes through a Peavey PV6 mixer directly into the PA system or he uses one of two keyboard amps; either a Roland KC500 (150 watt) or a Marshall 8015 (150 watt). He uses several guitars during the set including two Fender Squier Telecasters and a Westone Thunder 1A which he’s had since he was eighteen. These go through a Vox AC10C1 and he has a Hughes & Kettner 80 as backup. He uses a Boss WL-20L wireless system for the guitars and a Shure PSM200 in-ear monitor system.

While Daniel has always been a Quo fan, he wasn’t always the keenest piano player. Many would argue he’s still trying. He took piano lessons in his early years, which he detested and instead started off on drums in rock bands at school and thrashing about to Status Quo tracks in his bedroom. When he went to university in England he took up rhythm guitar in a covers pop band “Cat Called Blue”. He moved to the USA in 1991 and then to France in 1993, where he bought his first piano. He returned to the UK in 2001, when he auditioned as a guitarist for the classic rock covers band “ReZurrection”. He was crap at that and ended up playing keyboards until the band split up at the end of 2013. Daniel then decided to form “Q the Quo” with fellow “ReZurrection” bandmate Mick. Daniel carries the lead vocal in “Rain”, “Don’t Drive My Car” and “Little Lady” and does backing vocals for other songs. He loves to join the others up front and twang on his guitar for “What You’re Proposing” and “Creepin’ Up On You” and attempts the harmonica in “Down The Dustpipe”. His favourite Quo song is the lesser-known “The Power of Rock”. Daniel has a day job in TV land somewhere.

Equipment: Mick plays a Fender Jazz bass and a Vintage Musicman. He uses either Markbass amplifier (just like “Rhino” Edwards from Status Quo) through a Redsub B210T HF horn attenuator or a 300 watt Warwick Pro Set III amplifier through Warwick Neo Pro cabs. His wireless system is a Relay G10.

Mick started playing the bass as a youngster but soon took up the drums, which he played for many years, most recently with the classic rock covers band “ReZurrection”. Back in the ’90s he played in the Kiss tribute “Kisstory” and then later with “Dealer”. He jumped at the opportunity to get back onto bass guitar with Q the Quo and is, without doubt (in his tiny mind) the eye candy of the band! He’s a left hander and plays with inverted strings – weirdo! He sings a mean backing vocal and takes the lead vocal in a number of songs including “Mystery Song”, Big Fat Mama”, “Backwater” and “Junior’s Wailing”. He also loves “There’s A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He’s Elvis” but desite being told, still doesn’t understand that’s not a Quo song! When rehearsing near Antrim, his bass is known to have been heard in County Roscommon!

Equipment: Ivor plays a Gretsch kit. He has a Brooklyn (22″ x 20″) bass drum with a Gretsch Renown maple rack (10″ x 9″ and 13″ x 11″) and floor toms (16″ x 16″ and 18″ x 18″). He has two snare drums; a 14′ x 6.5″ Ludwig Supraphonic 1971 and a 14″ x 8″ Ludwig Superlite. He uses Remo Ebony Pinstripe heads on his toms with a black Remo Fyberskin on the snares. His cymbals are Sabian HHX Dark, a Sabian AAX Bash Ride and splashes. His sticks are Vic Firth Metal Series Red with nylon tips. For pedals he uses a Pearl Demon Drive Double and it’s all mounted on Gibraltar hardware.

Ivor has had a love of music and drumming from a very young age. His musical influences have been varied and he has played everything from punk, jazz swing, rock, heavy rock and metal, along with pit orchestra, theatre, venue, festival and most recently a four year spell with Glory Days, a Springsteen tribute. He has played with various groups over many years including Phobia, Fat Lizzy’s Sister, Wanted, Distant Natives, The Regents, Pandora’s Box, Sin City and most recently Glory Days. He would list his guilty pleasures musically as listening to Swing and REO Speedwagon. He has expressed his delight at playing with Q the Quo, and in his own words “I’m Ready to Rock”. His favourite Quo songs are “Hold You Back”, “Little Lady”, “Burning Bridges” and “Big Fat Mama”.

Sound & Lighting Equipment: Q the Quo uses an Allen & Heath QU16 digital mixing desk through Peavey PV-1500, Crown Xli 2500 and Crest CPX 2600 power amps into Peavey tops and bass bins. We use Alto TS112 Truesonic active speakers as stage monitors or as backup. Tucked away we have an Allen & Heath GL2200 32-channel analogue mixer and a Peavey PV20 USB as backup desks. We use a Citronic CX23 crossover and an XTA Electronics GQ600 dual channel graphics equaliser. Mics are a mix of Shure SM58s and Sennheiser E835s. Q the Quo also uses Shure and Sennheiser for in-ear monitoring. For the lights we use two Equinox Domin8R 2 LED scanner bars, two Cam LED Partybar V2s, two QTX C-BARs, two Chauvet 4Play light bars and two Ibiza Light smoke machines.