"…anyone who is a Phil Collins fan must not miss the opportunity to see No Jacket Required…"
"…the brass section really brought an extra dimension to the show…"
"…Dave injected energy and an outstanding likeness to the man himself into this professional act…"
"…a committed, dazzling and highly entertaining display which exceeded my highest expectations…"
"Faultless – if you closed your eyes you could not tell the difference between this band and the real thing."
"I've seen some tributes in my time but your gig last night was amazing – spot on by everyone!"
About Us
No Jacket Required – All Sides Of The Story…
Serious Phil Collins fan, drummer Graham Goacher, first raised the idea for the band back in 2002 when he approached two other music colleagues, guitarist Vic Chase and bass player Chris Peddie-Burch.
Together they contacted Kevin Stuart to take on the keyboard role as they had all previously worked together on various musical projects. Kevin had also performed with a vocal quartet thus bringing invaluable expertise to the band.
Collectively, the four members worked on the structures and sounds of the songs from Phil Collins’ album Serious Hits... Live! until the foundations of a show were in place. They were just missing a Phil Collins!
The band next approached lead vocalist and Phil soundalike Dave Whitehouse, who was already well known on the tribute band circuit as the frontman for the Genesis tribute Invisible Touch, which he joined in 1997. Having seen him perform in Chiddingfold, Graham and Vic knew that Dave was the final piece of the jigsaw, and he was thrilled to complete the line-up of the core band.
With the band’s main structure in place they decided to recruit Carly Morris as a backing vocalist and with the added dimension of a female voice complementing the three-part male vocals it was clear that harmonies were one of the band’s main strengths.
The driving force that completed the full musical line up was the band’s desire to recreate the incredible sounds and atmosphere from Phil Collins’ tours in the eighties and nineties. To do this they knew a brass section would have to be employed - Bob Davies, (Trumpet), Paula Borrell (Saxophone) and Steve Brothwood (Trombone) were all recruited from various local groups and immediately gelled as the newly-formed NJR Horns. By spring 2003 No Jacket Required was born and ready to take the show out to the general public.
Within the first few months it was clear that the band was going places and a huge commitment was needed as the gig offers came flooding in. As a professional saxophonist in great demand, Paula knew that unfortunately she wouldn’t be able to make all of the shows which were planned, and so Neil Franks joined the band as saxophonist and continued to fill the role for the next four years.
It was at this point that it was decided to bring a new dimension to the shows. The band had all been touched by the song ‘Another Day In Paradise’ and Phil Collins’ work for the homeless. No Jacket Required made a conscious decision to involve a charity collection at all of their performances asking our audiences to help raise money for this worthy cause.
In early 2004 an incredible opportunity arose when Sarah Wilson, formerly of Boogie Wonderland, returned to the stage after a break. Sarah was immediately invited to join the band and she was delighted to work with Carly to form a superb backing vocal duo, working on harmonies, duets and even the show’s choreography.
Although the band was in full swing they were still one short of the full Phil Collins live line-up as the horn section were in need of a second trumpet player to replicate the Phenix Horns from the eighties. Therefore trumpeter Nick Trish who had previously worked with Bob, Neil and Steve at various gigs over the years was the ideal recruit to complete the NJR Horns and joined the band in 2005.
In December 2005, Dave was invited by Opus 78, a Big Band in Luxembourg, to front their tribute show to Phil Collins. Joined by Sarah Wilson on backing vocals, Dave and Opus 78 performed their One More Night show in front of over 1,000 people – a show later transmitted twice on TV in mainland Europe. The show was such a success that a repeat performance took place in June 2006 where over 4,000 people turned out to the open-air concert in the main Place Guillaume II in Luxembourg city centre on the country’s National Holiday.
Joel Heyard, a superb professional percussionist, played with Dave during the Opus 78 Big Band performance and the two formed a great relationship. Graham, Vic and Steve were in Luxembourg to watch one of the shows and were so impressed by Joel’s talent that despite the distance involved they invited him to join the band. Joel now travels to the UK whenever he can to join No Jacket Required and always adds an extra dimension to the live show.
By this point in 2006 No Jacket Required had raised £2000 for the homeless charity ‘Shelter’ and it was decided that the band should take a more local approach to the collections. Living in Kent, Dave was aware of the charity ‘The Bridge Trust’ which supports hundreds of homeless people in West Kent every year. After contacting the charity and explaining the mission a new goal was set to raise as much money as possible for this incredible local cause which relies heavily on the donations of the community.
In early 2007, Carly Morris decided to take time out from No Jacket Required in order to pursue her own original music project with a major record label but the band were delighted to welcome Melody Warnett to the band as backing vocalist. Following this, Vic’s daughter Emma joined the band as a third backing vocalist bringing her vocal skills and talents in choreography and dance to further enhance the live performances.
Unfortunately saxophonist Neil Franks decided to leave the band in 2008 to concentrate on his many other musical ventures. This opened the door for Bill McDonough to join the NJR Horns, who had played with Steve many times over the years. There were two more changes in the backing vocals department as Melody Warnett left the band to be replaced by renowned vocalist, Sarah Esser.
Members of No Jacket Required have seen Phil Collins perform live over 30 times, travelling all over Europe to witness his spectacular shows as a solo artist and with Genesis. The band greatly appreciates his music and is well-qualified to replicate his shows down to the finest detail. This dedication and love has led to some incredible reviews with one fan stating: “To call you a tribute band is not a fair description – you’re so professional; you’re as good as the real thing!”
So that’s the No Jacket Required story so far. However, there’s a “long long way to go…”
CURRENT BAND MEMBERS - (please click on a band members name to view their biography)
Dave Whitehouse - Vocals, Drums and Percussion
Vic Chase - Guitars and Backing Vocals
Graham Goacher - Drums and Percussion
Chris Peddie-Burch - Bass Guitar and Backing Vocals
Kevin Stuart - Keyboards and Backing Vocals
Nick Trish - Trumpet
Steve Brothwood - Trombone and Percussion
Bill McDonough - Saxophone
Sarah Esser - Backing Vocals
Emma Chase - Backing Vocals
