The Rising take on the Springsteen songbook

From performing in a soft punk band to corporate affairs, the seven members that make up Scotland’s leading tribute to Bruce Springsteen, certainly know their way around the a stage and it’s easy to see that the band are all talented and seasoned musicians.

But where does The Boss fit in to all of this?

“We had all been performing around the Central Belt in various guises,” Irene Lawrie, who takes on the role of Patti in the band, explains.

“We are all friends as well as family – my brother is ‘Bruce’ in the band – and we thought, ‘can we actually do a tribute to Bruce and the E Street Band and make a go of it?’

“After much discussion, we obviously decided that we could, and it just grew from there. We are all massive fans of Bruce so it made sense to pay tribute to him together.

“This was in January 2009 and we were booked to perform at a fund-raiser for Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS), and that went really well.

“It was then that we thought that we could make a career out of this and the band rehearsed continuously to fine tune the songs and practiced until we got in perfect.”

As all Springsteen fans know, the band’s name comes from one of his biggest hits, but why that song in particular?

“Well, we were thinking about names, and we originally were called Heart of Stone, but then we settled on The Rising,” Irene said.

“It’s a great song and it is always included in our set.”

The Rising follow Bruce’s lead in terms of forgetting to come off the stage (he’s known for playing for more than four hours!)and play a blinding two and a half hour set themselves.

“We like to give the audience a great show and there are some many songs to choose from that it can be hard to decide which ones are included,”Irene continued.

“We also include songs that Bruce has written for other people.

“For example, I sing Because The Night which was written for Patti Smith.

“It’s a great song and I enjoy singing it and it’s also one of my favourites to sing as part of our show.

“I love taking on the role of Patti and I hope it brings something a little bit different to the band and help us stand out.”

The Rising bring their show to Glenrothes Rothes Halls on Tuesday, March 17, so expect all the anthems, the best-loved hits, and a few rarities for the hardcore fans.

“We are looking forward to playing the venues in Fife (the band return to play Dunfermline in June and Lochgelly in November).

“We’ve got a bit of a following now, with people travelling the length and breadth of the UK to see us, which is great,” Irene said.

“We’ve met so many wonderful people on this journey, and I know that it is a bit of a cliché to say that, but it’s true.

“It’s great that I also get to share this experience with my brother.

“Sometimes it is hard to stay in touch with family but we get to do this together.

“We all love what we do and can’t wait to perform in Fife.”

The Rising is a tribute no Springsteen fan would want to miss – so make sure you don’t!

The Rising play Glenrothes Rothes Halls on March 17, Dunfermline Carnegie Hall on June 29 and Lochgelly Centre on November 2.

To book tickets for the Fife shows visit OnFife