ROB THORPE - MAN ON THE AXE!

How do you prepare for a gig? Do you get excited? Nervous? 

Once I know the equipment is set up and ready, I'll try to hunt down a nice cup of tea, and then work through some guitar exercises for half an hour or so to make sure I'm relaxed and warmed up before the show.

What's your favourite song that Jukebox performs and why? 

Either Chaka Khan's Ain't Nobody, because I think we really manage to put our own personality into that one, or hearing Alice and Tom rapping over Lady Marmalade, that's always a great moment in the show.

What song would you like to see Jukebox perform? 

I'm a sucker for 80's rock, so perhaps Bon Jovi's You Give Love a Bad Name or Michael Jackson's Beat It. It's selfish though, those songs have awesome guitar solos to learn!

If you could work with one musician dead or alive, who would it be? And you can only choose one! 

Hmm tricky, over all I would say Philip Glass, I'm very into modern classical music at the moment, and love to experiment with how the electric guitar can be used in that style.

What do you do outside of Jukebox? 

I teach guitar, and write online tuition columns. I've also played for musical theatre shows, and have performed on cruise ships.

What's your favourite part of a Wedding? 

The first dance, it's great to make that moment as special as possible for a couple.

In your opinion what's the best thing about Jukebox and how do we differ from your normal function bands? 

Our horn section adds so much to the sound, especially with the 10 piece band. These days it's not too common, but the difference that it makes is definitely worth it.

What are you looking forward to most with Jukebox for the rest of 2014 and beyond? 

Continuing to raise the musical bar, increasing the repertoire, and pushing everyone to be the best they can be in the band to help us grow as a band.