The sound of Status Quo is coming to Sudbury with a tribute band promoted by Rick Parfitt's widow

When Status Quo icon Rick Parfitt died, his widow never imagined seeing his music being performed again.

But three years after the guitarist passed on, Bury St Edmunds-based Lyndsay Parfitt is now paying homage to her late husband in promoting tribute band The Quo Experience.

The unlikely turn of events has now seen Lyndsay become friends with Dave Crawte - the man who plays the role of Rick Parfitt on stage.

The Quo Experience, now with help from their very well connected promoter, are now preparing to play in Sudbury’s St Peter’s Church on Saturday, January 25.

Lyndsay said the collaboration began after her children talked her into seeing a Quo Experience gig last year.

“I was not sure if I should go as I thought it might be a bit painful for me,” she said. “But I went, and met the band, and it has gone from there.

“It was a bit unnerving to see it the first time. When you lose someone there are many firsts - and in this case seeing a band perform the songs of Status Quo for the first time. Once you have experienced some of these firsts you can have some kind of closure.”

Rick Parfitt died on Christmas Eve 2016. He married Lyndsay, who was a fitness instructor, in 2006 and the pair had two children together.

Rick never lived in Bury, and the area is a new part of the world for Lyndsay - but the Experience are all Suffolk-based, which has aided the collaboration.

Is it odd for Lyndsay to see Dave perform in Rick’s role?

“He is a very good replica and has got it down to a fine art,” she said. “It is as close as it can be possibly done to the real thing. It is a quite unique achievement.”

Status Quo have been one of the most successful, and prolific, British rock bands of their generation - notching up 31 studio albums since their formation in 1967.

It gives the Experience a lot of material to choose from, but fans are always pleased to hear classics such as Rockin’ All Over the World and Whatever You Want.

Lyndsay counts In the Army Now and In My Chair as two of her personal favourites.

“They do a lot of very similar setlists to the band,” she said, “I think it is just the quality of the music which has made it popular for so many years.

“It is rock and roll in its purest form.

“I don’t think there has been a band that has been so prolific, I know at one point they had outsold The Beatles.”

The real Status Quo are still playing, with frontman Francis Rossi the last of the original line-up - backed by Andy Brown, who has been the keyboard player since 1976.

Their 2019 album Backbone and its ongoing supporting world tour is the latest act in a stellar story.

But the Experience’s guitarist Dave Crawte says one thing fans can only appreciate from the tribute show is a replica of the stage chemistry between Rick and Francis.

“If we were going to do it, we wanted to do it properly,” said Dave of forming the Experience, having previously been part of metal outfit Trespass.

“Most Quo tributes just have four members, but we have a keyboard player as well, which is really important in replicating the sound.

“People will say Quo songs are easy to play - but it is difficult to make it sound exactly right and it takes a lot of work to get the sound effects.

“And having Lyndsay onboard is something we can’t really describe. To have her backing is a pleasure and an honour that I struggle to put into words.”

The Quo Experience will perform in St Peter’s Church, Sudbury, on Saturday, January 25, from 7.30pm. To book tickets (for £21.50) visit www.thequoexperience.co.uk