SINCE forming in 2018, Queen tribute act Qween have rapidly grown from local shows to headlining some of Ireland’s most iconic venues. Known for their theatrical two-hour set packed with classics from Radio Ga Ga to Somebody to Love, the band aim to recreate the full magic of a Queen concert rather than simply “play dress-up”.
Speaking to Limerick Post guitarist Thomas Brunkard said, “From the get go Limerick were all about Qween – and they’ve been with us every single step of the way. Limerick has always just been especially warm to us.
“And, you know, it’s very hard to understate that, and it’s very hard to articulate it, because it’s bizarre, and we love it – and we love them very much.”
The band’s dedication to detail is legendary, from replica stage costumes—including Freddie Mercury’s lemon leather jacket from Slane Castle—to using period-correct guitar gear.
“Maura in the front row mightn’t know we’re playing with sixpences, but she’d know if something didn’t feel right,” said Brunkard. Adding that the plectrum has to be an English sixpence coin – the Irish version is much thicker – “more of a bass plectrum” he laughs.
“We’re always studying Queen’s music. We’re always studying the productions that they put on. I play Brian May in the band and I’m emailing Brian May’s electronics experts looking for tips and buying gear off them. And like, I mean, there’s all sorts of nonsense like that before you even start talking about silly wigs you know, (laughs)
“Brian, who plays Freddie, he has to be Freddie Mercury all day, every day, he doesn’t pretend to be Freddie insofar as he changes his voice and his living habits or anything like that but that moustache is on his face all week, you know …
“It is all those amazing, happy accidents that all add up that make the sounds authentic.”
To elevate their show further, Qween enlisted the Dublin Gospel Choir, blending Queen’s lush studio arrangements with the raw energy of a live band.
The collaboration culminated in a spectacular sold-out concert at Limerick’s King John’s Castle, where 2,000 fans of all ages joined in a mass singalong of Radio Ga Ga.
“The sound of the choir is a bit like the sound of the audience singing back so they prompt the audience into just letting their voices go into the show as well, and just put their whole body into it. And that creates a three dimensional thing, it’s not just that it sounds amazing, which it does, but it brings communion with the audience which is something special.”
Qween’s story took a dramatic turn in late 2023 when frontman Brian Keville was diagnosed with a rare cancer. After extensive surgery and fan-led fundraising support, Keville returned to the stage—an emotional comeback documented in RTÉ’s The Great Pretenders, broadcast to major acclaim in December 2024 and still available on RTE Player.
“You couldn’t have gotten a more personal insight into a person in a tribute band than that documentary, because Brian is the heart and soul of it.”
“It’s an amazing film, and a window into a type of music scene that people may not actually be aware of, even though they experience it quite regularly. There’s a lot of soul and heart and a lot of humour in that film. It’s very popular, and it did bring a lot of people to us.”
The documentary sparked further sold-out shows at King John’s Castle and Dublin’s Olympia Theatre, cementing Qween’s reputation as one of Ireland’s leading live acts.
“Bigger stages are a challenge,” Brunkard reflected, “but Queen’s music has the power to move a festival crowd of 10,000 or a stadium of a million. Our job is to recreate that energy every night.”
This Saturday August 23, Qween will perform their biggest Limerick show so far at Docklands Festival. The band are very grateful for the faith put in them by Dolans from early on in their career.
“Dolans took a chance from very early on. That family and Limerick, it’s a match made in heaven, because of what they do for Limerick.
“So this is the thing – the stuff that really just makes it cook is that everybody that works in Dolans, whatever the role is, they put their heart and soul into it.”
