Electric Light Orchestra (ELO)

ELO are a British rock band who were formed by Jeff Lynne (above) and Roy Wood with Bev Bevan in 1970. However, Roy soon left the band in 1972 which made Jeff the leader of this incredible band. This led to Jeff writing and composing nearly all of the band's material- pretty amazing huh!

When both men formed the band they aimed to create rock and pop music with classical overtones. This vision was inspired by their previous band called 'The Move' which both Jeff and Bev were members of. During the 1970's and 1980's, ELO created several hugely successful tracks and albums.

In 1986, Jeff decided to close down the band which led to Bev forming his own band 'ELO II' which later became known as 'the Orchestra'. Apart from their short reunion during 2000-2001, ELO didn't appear again until after 2010. In 2014, Jeff decided to relaunch the band under the name of 'Jeff Lynne's ELO' and continued to tour and make new records, to which I can say I am very relieved.

I am very lucky enough to say I have had the privilege of seeing 'Jeff Lynne's ELO' 3 times now and I can safely say they get better every time. The one thing I find really special about Jeff is that he isn't a big talker. He says hello and thank you and goodnight and apart from a few brief other commentary's he doesn't say much else. I think if I was to see any other performer do this I would find it rude or it would seem that they didn't want to be there. However, Jeff and the band are able to create a magical atmosphere and vibe only using their music. And I've never experienced another performer being able to do that without being more verbally engaged with their audience. To me, that really shows how incredible their music is.

There are many different opinions about ELO's crazy arrangements and use of sound, but once you really sit down and listen to them, I promise you will never stop. Check some of my favourites out below...