Brooklyn Creed performs as Neil Diamond in Yeovil

Performing in a band when he was 15 and touring around the local pubs and bars in Forest Gate, South East London, Brooklyn has always had a passion for music.

He said: “I always sang a few Neil Diamond songs on my sets. My mum and dad loved him so I grew up listening to his songs, but I was never a massive fan.

“Now I am performing as him, I have become a massive fan.

“Being a tribute to Neil Diamond was never a path I really thought about. I always thought you had to find some humour in the act when you are playing a tribute which I couldn’t in Neil.

“Or you could never have as much fun but I was completely wrong and if I had known how much fun I would have, I would have done it years ago.”

Before performing as a tribute, Brooklyn admitted that he never really loved performing, it was just a job and sometimes people listened to his music, and sometimes they didn’t.

Eventually, show producers Darren Bazzoni and Juanita Diaz, were looking for a Neil tribute and stumbled upon Brooklyn in 2016, who is now on tour with Hello Again: A Tribute to Neil Diamond.

Brooklyn added: “To be honest, I didn’t love performing that much before I started playing as Neil Diamond. Then it was just a job and sometimes people listened and sometimes they didn’t.

“But now, this show has brought Neil’s music back to life and it is nice to have people listening and enjoying the music. I don’t know what I would be doing if I didn’t have this show.

“Everybody gives 100% effort and energy; the Salvation band are great. They have so much energy and everyone says it is like being at a really Neil Diamond concert, which is a compliment I suppose.”

Brooklyn admitted his favourite song is Morningside, a beautiful but sad song that people may not know, but that he discovered when researching Neil’s songs.

He also still enjoys singing Sweet Caroline, a song that everyone knows and loves, despite playing it for nearly 40 years.

Brooklyn also wrote original material, becoming a ‘Warner-Chappel’ artist in 2010, alongside music giants such as Beyonce, Katy Perry, Kendrick Lamar, Kacey Musgraves and Lukas Graham.

As a musician, Brooklyn has worked with many household names, including The Real Thing, Hot Chocolate, Freddie Jackson and David Essex.

“It seemed to be easier to write your own songs when I was younger, you had to go to a studio and record” added Brooklyn.

“But now, with technology, anyone can be a songwriter and there is a lot more competition. But now I am quite happy being Neil Diamond.”

Brooklyn tries to focus on the more authentic Neil show and so decided not to wear a wig.

He said: “I think what brings people along to see us the most is the energy from the band and the fact that I naturally sound quite like Neil without trying too hard.”

And if you want to see for yourself whether Brooklyn does sound like the real Neil, then you can see him perform at The Octagon Theatre in Yeovil on April 30 at 7:30pm.

Brooklyn added: “Everybody in theatres is so lovely and the songs mean so much to people.

“During the show, we tell Neil’s story. So, we start with a song called Crunchy Granola Suite, as it is a big intro and go through every hit, as well as a few songs that Neil wrote which the Salvation band will do. There is also some narration in-between as well.”

To book or to find out more visit octagon-theatre.co.uk or call 01935 422884.