Smokie

Wiener Stadthalle - Halle F, Wien

A glance at the Guinness Book of Records might give the impression that Smokie's success story was a phenomenon of the 1970s. After all, 11 of their 14 hits were released in the UK during this eventful decade. However, their immense success extended worldwide, including Scandinavia, South Africa, Germany and even China. Smokie is a band that has played sold-out tours and platinum records across four decades - the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and up to the present day.

A brief look back at their success: Smokie came together at the end of the 1960s at a school in Yorkshire. After various name and style changes, they signed to Micky Most's then-popular RAK label and stormed the charts. Songs such as "If You Think You Know How To Love Me", "Don't Play Your Rock 'n' Roll To Me", "It's Your Life" and "Oh Carol" (all top 10 hits) became radio hits and enabled Smokie to tour the world.

Their sound was a mixture of catchy lyrics and Smokie's distinctive but unmistakably American-inspired soft rock harmonies. Their secret lay in their unique vocal style - a raw, emotional lead voice contrasted with melodic harmonies that created a bittersweet result.

After selling over 30 million records worldwide, Smokie recorded the album "Wild Horses" in Nashville in 1997, which cost a quarter of a million pounds to produce. This established them on US country radio and their hit collections continue to resonate. This trend continued with "Uncovered" and "Uncovered Too", which were huge hits in Scandinavia - reaching the Top 5 in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden and going double platinum.

Smokie is still one of the most successful bands in the world. Recent global events and the sad news of Terry Uttley's departure meant that the band's line-up had to change and evolve. With Pete Lincoln, former member of The Sweet, as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, and Luke Bullard, son of Martin Bullard, replacing Terry on bass and backing vocals, the legacy of Smokie founded by Terry will live on and Smokie look forward to meeting you all as they continue on their journey.