Creedence Clearwater Revival tribute band look ahead to ‘homecoming gig’ in Cambridge

Criminally, for what I’d argue are one of the greatest bands to ever walk the planet, Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) sometimes seem a bit underappreciated in the UK.

But Cambridgeshire-based Dale Taylor, singer with top CCR tribute band Creedence Clearwater Review, says that no-one ever leaves their shows disappointed.

Having captivated audiences across the UK and Europe, including a special performance in London at the O2 Arena’s VIP Lounge for CCR frontman and principal songwriter John Fogerty’s guests ahead of his gig there in 2018, Creedence Clearwater Review have earned their reputation as the UK’s number one tribute to CCR.

“I think in the UK, it’s a mixed bag of people that are big fans, and then a lot of the general public don’t realise how big Creedence were and how many huge hits they had,” says Dale, speaking to the Cambridge Independent from his home in Haddenham (he is originally from St Ives).

“And we find that at our shows there’s a lot of people that come that are curious, or who have been brought there by their other halves, and then after the show, they’re all, ‘Ah, I didn’t realise they did this song! I knew all the songs, I didn’t know they were Creedence!’ So it’s a cool one.”

In the band, Dale takes on the singer/lead guitarist role of John Fogerty, the supremely talented musician who singlehandedly penned most of CCR’s best-known songs. He has been in the group since its foundation in 2012.

The only constant member since then, Dale is joined in the current line-up by the second longest-serving member, bass player Bob Bampton, “a local Cambridge guy”, as well as two newer members, rhythm guitarist Richard Gray and drummer Sean Gregory.

The quartet’s energetic performances, which enthusiastically celebrate the legacy of CCR – John Fogerty, his late guitarist brother, Tom, bass player Stu Cook and drummer Doug Clifford – have sold out venues in the UK, Germany, Switzerland and beyond since 2012.

More than just a tribute act, Creedence Clearwater Review say their show is a “heartfelt homage to a band that shaped the soundtrack of an era”.

Dale, who notes that it was his grandad who first got him into Creedence, reflects on the fact that the group’s upcoming gig at the Cambridge Corn Exchange will be their first in the city for a while – although he reveals that they have played the Cambridge Rock Festival “whenever it’s been on” since 2015.

“When we first started, we did all the local pubs and clubs in Cambridgeshire,” he recalls, “way back when, 2012 to 2015, but since then we’ve been touring all over the country, Europe, lots of Germany every year, and Ireland – and not many opportunities in Cambridge.

“So now that we’ve got the Cambridge Corn Exchange, it’s quite a big deal and almost like a homecoming. After 10 years of being out there doing it, we’re bringing it to a proper concert hall in Cambridge, which is really cool.”

CCR’s biggest hits include Proud Mary, which reached a whole new level of worldwide popularity after Tina Turner covered it, Bad Moon Rising, Down on the Corner, Fortunate Son, and Have You Ever Seen the Rain.

Which does Dale particularly enjoy singing?

“Probably, from the Cosmo’s Factory album, Up Around the Bend and Long As I Can See the Light,” he replies, “and then from [the album] Green River, Green River, I love Bad Moon Rising, obviously, and then Fortunate Son is iconic…

“And probably the song we usually end the show on, which is Have You Ever Seen the Rain. It’s an enormous crowd sing-along as well.”

As well as all the tunes we know and love, the production also includes videos and a light show.

“There’s an intro at the start of the show that tells a little bit of the story of Creedence,” explains Dale, who reveals that the band’s biggest gig to date was in front of 10,000 people at Féile an Phobail, Ireland’s biggest community arts festival, in 2023, “and then there’s interview clips with them…

“And then we’ve taken an extract from them being introduced at Woodstock, to introduce the band to the stage and stuff like that. It’s really cool.”

Dale, who also writes his own music but hasn’t released an album since before Covid, adds: “We love it, it’s the full experience of Creedence at their prime, like the Royal Albert Hall, Woodstock, with elements of what John Fogerty does now.

“Some years we do do some Fogerty solo stuff as well. There’s not always time to do Fogerty solo stuff but it always goes down really well, like Rockin’ All Over the World – that always gets everybody.

“Nobody knows that that’s a Fogerty song, which is always funny; people come up and say, ‘Why did you play Status Quo?’ and it’s like ‘Aha, we didn’t!’.”

Dale also notes that the last time the show featured in any local press was in 2023, when they were promoting a small local event at the Ellesmere Centre, near Newmarket.

The band have certainly come a very long way since then, with their show now touring Europe and performing at the Corn Exchange.

Creedence Clearwater Review will be bringing their “epic, fun, engaging night of good old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll – even if you’re not a Creedence fan, there’ll be tons of songs you know” – to the Cambridge Corn Exchange on Saturday, 12 April.

Tickets, priced £30-£38 (including booking fee), are available from cornex.co.uk. For more on the band, go to creedenceclearwater review.co.uk.