The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain - The Secret of Life

· culture ·

The Secret of
Life

It's almost impossible to describe what The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain do without making it seem weird and eccentric. This is very convenient, because what they do is weird and eccentric, but also a stroke of genius. They are (obviously, given their name) an orchestra of ukuleles who cover an amazing variety of songs in their own inimitable style. If you think of the songs you could least imagine being played on a ukulele, those are the ones they tackle.

Thus we have the hilarious cover of 'Je T'aime' by Serge Gainsbourg, and the surprisingly funky version of 'Le Freak'. My absolute favourite, though, is 'Miss Dy-na-mi-tee' (by Ms Dynamite). They turn it into a wonderful, bouncy little number that sounds exactly like something Bertie Wooster would listen to with his chums from the Drones at 'The Tipsy Oyster' or some other smoky 1930s nightclub.