Police tribute band break out of Canada

Fans of The Police will be happy to know that all of  the musicians in tribute act Message in a Bottle are all avid fans of the British group that spanned the 70s and 80s.

The three musicians Dave LaFame as Sting (vocals and bass), Neil LaFortune as Stewart Copeland (drums) and Gord Deppe as Andy Summers (guitar) got together in 2011 and have been making a name for themselves in Canada. 

They will be performing on July 27 alongside U2 tribute act Elevation and Bermuda’s own The Kennel Boys as part of the four-day Cup Match Summer Splash festival being organized by 441 Productions and
Veterans in Action.

Dave LaFame, whose main gig has been performing as a Tom Jones impersonator, said the band is looking forward to branching out of Canada for this, their first international concert since they formed. 

“We are so stoked to be playing on an island. That is the market we would like to corner — the adult party market.”

LaFame made his name with his Tom Jones act mainly working the corporate circuit over the past 20 years. 

As a child he played bass guitar and around four years ago he decided to pick it up again — a decision that led to the formation of Message in a Bottle. 

“I really enjoyed playing again so I called up Neil and asked him if he wanted to jam. It turned out we both adored The Police and I could sing like him. That was in 2011.

“Our drummer Gord Deppe is quite famous in Canada through his former band The Spoons had a huge success in the 80s and they still have a big fan base. They were due to go on tour with Duran Duran but I believe the tour was cancelled so I called him up to ask if he wanted to join our band. “I knew he had a lot of energy and could play to the audience and he had the famous Andy Summers chops (side burns). It turns out he was a total geek for The Police — The Spoons had even toured with them in the early 80s.

“So that was the birth of Message in a Bottle.”

LaFame said that one of the band’s top gigs was at The Hide Out in Toronto to a sold-out audience. 

“It was completely jammed in there with seasoned Police fans and we loved the audience’s reaction. We were like six-year-old school boys again.”

Message in a Bottle has previously toured with the U2 tribute band Elevation who will be performing on the same night.  

After Bermuda, they have gigs lined up in the US and also have enquiries coming in from Korea, the Far East and Australia.

During their Bermuda concert the band will be playing all The Police’s greatest hits from as far back as their first single Next To You. The gig will include songs such as Every Breath, Roxanne, Message in a Bottle, Don’t Stand So Close To Me, and the Bed’s Too Big Without You.