Phil Astles was just a 13-year-old schoolboy when he had a paper round in Crowthorne. Now, 29 years later, he is making headlines of his own as the frontman for the UK’s ultimate Eric Clapton tribute band.
Phil, who is a highly respected commercial solicitor for a leading law firm by day, dons his alter ego at music festivals and gigs across the country.
His band, The Fabulous Duck Brothers, are one of the main attractions at the Wokingham Festival.
“It’s our first time doing Wokingham although we had a great time at Marvellous this year,” he says.
“It’s wonderful playing at the Festival and we’re really looking forward to it. Our audiences are very mixed, with older people who remember Eric first time round and young ones who have only discovered his sound.”
Phil smiles when asked for the umpteenth time, about the origin of the band’s name, The Fabulous Duck Brothers.
“I’m amazed how many people, even Eric Clapton fans, have no idea how the name came about,” he adds.
“Eric got together with the legendary guitarist, Albert Lee, who turned up at rehearsals with a duck whistle.
“It became a thing between them and when they went on tour, they would check in under the name, the Duck brothers.
“You’ll see the duck symbol on their records and they used to put it on their luggage.”
Phil says he is the first to understand the honour of being Eric Clapton.
“He is still the greatest guitar player in the world.
“His songs have such wonderful lyrics and meaning.
“This is not some quick flash pop music. It will be around forever because it speaks to generation after generation.”
You can hear Phil and his band when they perform on Saturday at 12.50pm on the TradeMark Windows main stage.
