New Identity
New Identity
Experience the passion and excitement of New Identity, and join us for a musical journey that will leave you thrilled and connected.
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Experience New Identity live, with their polished performance of hits from the eighties onwards, and some older hits too!
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Available for bookings for clubs, corporate functions, weddings and other parties.
ABOUT US
Band Story
New Identity, a dynamic five-piece band, is dedicated to captivating audiences with their electrifying live performances. Their music resonates with energy and emotion, creating memorable moments for audiences everywhere.
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The band formed over ten years ago, with the current line-up in place since 2019. The music features pop hits from the eighties onwards; in a two set show the second set never fails to have audiences on their feet for its entirety. Covers feature from Spandau Ballet, Simple Minds, Nik Kershaw, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Rick Astley, Aha and many more.
The set can be tailored for different types of event, e.g. two sets of forty five and fifty minutes respectively for clubs, a single one and a quarter hour set for weddings, and bespoke arrangements for corporate functions and parties. If required, we can provide a DJ set to follow the band at weddings and parties.
Members' Biographies
Duffy Duffy
Duffy is one of the founder members of the band. He has had a long career as a semiprofessional drummer and in recent times enjoys performing on an electric drum kit. He has performed in many styles and contexts, including artist backing in clubs, and as a house drummer on cruises.
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Duffy provides the majority of humerous quips and one-liners for the band's cabaret set and has a great sense of humour.
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Duffy enjoys a range of music styles, listening to a wide variety of popular music and playing eighties covers.
Roberto Bentalini
Rob is the band's keyboardist and plays a combination of Korg and Roland keyboards. He was as founder member of New Identity and from the outset took responsibility for local bookings around the band's northwest home.
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Rob has played in many bands, and in addition to his influences from eighties pop keyboard styles, has played in bands performing American rock covers which is one of his favourite undertakings.
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Rob especially likes American soft rock and his favourite band is Bon Jovi, closely followed by antipodean rockers AC/DC.
Paul Howarth
Paul is another founder member of the band, and has a long history of playing in bands in the north west. He played played in the rock covers band Nexus with Nick for over twenty years, and moved on to another local outfit 'Biscuit Face' where he played with Rob for a number of years.
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While Paul is a great rock player, he also comes to life in pop and funk covers where he can deploy his slapping techninques on the bass, and his high energy approach to these are always favourite moments with audiences who love to dance.
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Paul has a number of bass guitars, but the one featuring most in the live shows is his favourite Music Man bass played through a Hartke digital head.. He also provides the the high falsetto vocal parts in the backing sections; an essential part of the bands arrangements.
Nick Middleton
Nick is the most recent addition to the band, joining in the autumn of 2019. He has played in a multitude of styles and contexts, starting out in the Victor Brox Blues Train in the late eighties, and then founding the rock covers band Nexus with Paul in 1992.
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He played in a big band for a number of years too, and his current style of playing is an eclectic mix. He bought his Schecter California Custom guitar in 1989 and played this as his sole instrument until 2022, when he commissioned a custom-built guitar from Mike Delaney of Delaney guitars in Texas. Both guitars now feature in the New Identity shows. The clear, crisp sound of the Delaney Model T has become an essential characteristic of the bands sound in the pop classics of the second set.
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In recent years Nick has moved away from the rock setup of a Mesa Boogie head and cabinet to a Boss GT-pro effects unit which runs directly into the PA system, which provides custom sounds for each track in the show.
Stuart Kean
Stu is New Identity's frontman, giving the band a strong vocal identity and a great stage presence. He hails from a musical family with a long history in the entertainment industry, performing for many years with his brothers in the band The Ambassadors.
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Stu excels in performing soul and motown classics along with hits from British bands of the eighties, a time in which he was developing his style. He is an instant hit with audiences in all walks of the industry through his endearing presentation and inimitable delivery.
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Stu brings a wide range of styles and influences to his performances, not least because in the past he has featured in tribute shows. It should not be a surprise when there are momentary cameos of Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, Gary Barlow and even Tina Turner during the New Identity set!