Cairns audiences get ready to ‘leave your hat on’ – as the Joe Cocker Express rolls into town

The voice, the grit, the soul — Chev Wilson brings the legendary artist roaring back to life in the Joe Cocker Express, live at Cairns Performing Arts Centre for one night only.

Cairns audiences are in for a powerhouse night of soul and rock when a tribute to the legendary Joe Cocker hits the Cairns Performing Arts Centre this month.

The Joe Cocker Express: Mad Dog vs The Englishman nationally touring show is fronted by Aussie artist Chev Wilson — known for his uncanny vocal and visual likeness to a young Cocker — and brings the singer’s music back to life in all its gritty, heartfelt glory.

Backed by a nine-piece band, the show dives into two distinct eras of Cocker’s career — the wild “Mad Dog” of the Woodstock years and the more polished “Englishman” who rose to renewed fame in the ’80s.

Chev Wilson is channeling the legendary Joe Cocker in the Joe Cocker Express: Mad Dog vs The Englishman tribute show set to hit the CPAC stage on June 21. Picture: Supplied

Guitarist Pedro Verhoeven said the idea for the show began in 2022 when a group of musicians recognised how underrepresented Joe Cocker was in the current music landscape.

“Joe Cocker seems to be a bit of a forgotten artist these days,” Mr Verhoeven said.

“You hear a lot of heritage acts still played on the radio, but not Joe, despite the fact that he had over 100 singles and completely transformed songs like With A Little Help From My Friends into soul anthems.”

Guitarist Pedro Verhoeven said the show’s frontman, Chev Wilson (pictured), looks like Joe Cocker to the degree where some of Chev’s images are now showing up in different places as if they’re old images of Joe. Picture: Supplied

Chev Wilson’s timbre and uncanny likeness to a young Joe Cocker breathes new life into classics. Picture: Supplied

The Joe Cocker Express is making its Cairns debut on June 21, a stop the band members said they’d long looked forward to.

“We’ve had people asking for years when we’re coming to Cairns,” Mr Verhoeven said.

“It’s a beautiful time of year to visit, and we can’t wait to finally bring the show up north.”

The two one-hour setlists are comprised of about 26 songs, and starts with Cocker’s biggest hits — but even with a packed setlist, fans often came up afterward mentioning songs they’d forgotten were Cocker’s.

Chev Wilson channels the legendary artist in the Joe Cocker Express: Mad Dog vs The Englishman tribute show set to hit the CPAC stage on June 21. Picture: Supplied

“That’s part of what we’re trying to do — remind people how much of an impact he had and introduce his music to younger audiences,” Mr Verhoeven said.

This year’s tribute show also arrives at the perfect time, after a major international fan campaign helped to secure Cocker’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this November — a milestone Mr Verhoeven said was long overdue.

“We got behind the fan voting in a big way,” he said.

Guitarist Pedro Verhoeven said the idea for the show began in 2022 when a group of musicians recognised how underrepresented Joe Cocker was in the current music landscape. Picture: Supplied

“At every show we had QR codes up encouraging people to vote. Joe finally made the shortlist and now he’s officially going in, which is just amazing.”

Known for its high energy, all-live performances, the show allows for spontaneous solos and crowd interaction, with audiences encouraged to sing along, dance in the aisles and immerse themselves in the music.

“With Chev, we’ve got this unique ability... He has a very uncanny similarity visually and vocally to Joe in his early days,” Mr Verhoeven said.

“You just feel it.”

Tickets for the performance are on sale at Cairns Performing Art Centre.

Originally published as Cairns audiences get ready to ‘leave your hat on’ – as the Joe Cocker Express rolls into town