Mick Fleetwood has said performing live again without Christine McVie would be "unthinkable right now" for Fleetwood Mac – but that doesn’t mean fans will never have the opportunity to hear their music performed live.

Rumours of Fleetwood Mac (ROFM), the world's "finest tribute" to Fleetwood Mac, will perform in Glasgow next month as part of their mammoth UK tour.

The popular band was founded in 1999 by drummer Allan Cosgrave, who was inspired after seeing the Bootleg Beatles perform at a 60s festival while he was a member of The Merseybeats.

READ NEXT: Time Out names Glasgow music venue as the BEST in the UK

Allan, who toured the UK with artists including Ben E King and The Drifters, says he decided to form a tribute to Fleetwood Mac because of their catalogue of music.

"I thought wouldn’t it be a fantastic band to cover or to pay a homage to," Allan explains, "because there are so many different genres within the band."

"There was nobody else doing it at the time I don’t think, but did I think we would be here all over the world in 2023? No, I certainly didn’t."

Glasgow Times:

ROFM even has the blessing of Mick Fleetwood, who attended one of their shows after he was brought along by his mother Biddy, with Allan saying they have been "pals ever since".

Alongside Allan, the band features Jess Harwood (lead vocals), James Harrison (lead guitar/ vocals), Emily Gervers (keyboards/ lead vocals), Etienne Girard (bass guitar), Scott Poley (guitars/ musical director) and Dave Goldberg (keyboards/ lead vocals).

And while Allan says the band are looking forward to embarking on their 64-date tour around the UK, this year it is "tinged with sadness" following the death of Christine McVie.

McVie died on November 30 later year, following what her family described at the time as a "short illness".

Glasgow Times:

"This year is going to be great," Allan says, "but it’s tinged with sadness because Fleetwood Mac has lost their songbird, Christine McVie.

"But I’m really excited to bring a little bit more of her music to this year’s set list and thank her.

"She was in the band way back when it was a Blues band, and she was a fantastic person, she was lovely."

He continued: "She was able to reflect, The Rumours album was about them all falling out, she was able to observe things and put them into words and music.

"She was always positive as well, she wrote some fantastic songs, Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow, Say You Love Me, You Make Loving Fun, these were feelings, she was putting pen to paper and saying ‘this is what’s going on’.

"So, it’s tinged with a little bit of sadness but we’re going to let a little bit of love ooze off the stage for Christine McVie."

Glasgow Times:

ROFM offers fans both old and new the chance to hear their favourite songs, that many have grown up with, live on stage.

The opportunity to bring the music live to audiences, many of whom never had the chance to see the Fleetwood Mac live, is something the band cherish as they know how "precious" the music is to so many people.

Allan says: "It’s amazing. When we go across America and the UK, there are mums and dads bringing their children out to see us.

"Our audience base goes from I would say 10 to 70-odd and this is because I think albums like Rumours have transcended generations, it’s been passed down."

Glasgow Times:

And while ROFM is made up of talented musicians, they stay true to the original arrangements of the tracks.

"We literally strip it right the way down to exactly as it was recorded and that’s how we perform it because we believe it’s not about our interpretation about something that’s already got a legacy," Allan explains.

"You grow up with these songs, so we think it’s our duty not to rip people out of their memories so we play it exactly as it was recorded."

READ NEXT: River City actor reveals role was 'nerve-wracking' ahead of Glasgow show

Although the band has played to around 950,000 Fleetwood Mac fans across the world, Allan says Glasgow were one of the first cities that embraced the show.

"I’ve been going to Glasgow behind loads of different artists all my life so it’s like home to me, but I love the spirit of Glaswegians and I think us Scousers and Glaswegians have got a lot in common," Allan says.

"They’re so warm, they’re so generous, and it was one of the first places the show really did appeal way back.

"Since as soon as they found out about us they’ve never left us alone which has been fantastic because without them we wouldn’t be going anywhere so we send our love to Glasgow in a big way."

Rumours of Fleetwood Mac will be at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on Friday, June 16.