The Bootleg Beatles
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Bootleg Beatles | |
|---|---|
 Tribute to John Kelley's White Album photos.
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| Background information | |
| Origin | West End, London, England |
| Genre(s) | Pop |
| Years active | 1980 – present |
| Website | BootlegBeatles.com |
| Members | |
| Hugo Degenhardt Neil Harrison Andre Barreau David Catlin-Birch |
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| Former members | |
| Rick Rock Paul Cooper |
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The Bootleg Beatles are a Beatles tribute band. They have performed over 4,000 times since their establishment in March 1980.
Contents |
[edit] History
The band's first performance was at a small student gathering in Tiverton, Devon, England. Following more low-profile gigs, the band performed a 60-date tour of the Soviet Union; further tours followed in Israel, the Far East, the Middle East and India. In February 1984, they were invited to perform in the United States, to commemorate The Beatles' initial US tour 20 years earlier.
UK success continued to prove elusive. In 1990 the Bootleg Beatles booked 10 shows in cities in which The Beatles had performed in their final UK tour in 1965. Audiences were small but enthusiastic, and another tour was booked for the following year. This proved more popular, and as each year went by so crowds grew, the tours expanded, and the venues got larger. Finally, a gig in Southampton caught the attention of Oasis, leading to the Bootleg Beatles supporting the Britpop band at Earls Court. This gave the band a contemporary audience and increased their credibility, launching them onto the premier European festival circuit and shared stages with Rod Stewart, Bon Jovi, David Bowie, The Corrs, Manic Street Preachers and Iggy Pop.
The Bootleg Beatles continue to prove a popular attraction in the 21st century. Recent achievements have included playing at Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee Party at Buckingham Palace in 2002.
[edit] Show Format
Typically, each performance consists of five acts, interspersed with newsreel footage. For the 2005 Christmas tour, the acts were:
- Part One: The Fab Four (1963 - 1965): "Beatlemania conquers the world"
- Part Two: Revolver (1966): "The end of touring and recording; two songs for Liverpool"
(Interval)
- Part Three: Sgt Pepper (1967): "The psychedelic explosion"
- Part Four: All You Need Is Love (1967): "Magical mystery touring and a Yellow Submarine"
- Part Five: Let It Be (1968 - 1969): "Apple, Abbey Road and the rooftop finale"
During each act, the band are dressed in appropriate costumes. The duration of this production is approximately 2h15m.[1]
[edit] Members
[edit] Band
[edit] Current lineup
- Neil Harrison (John Lennon) - guitar, vocals, keyboards
- David Catlin-Birch (Paul McCartney) - bass, vocals
- Andre Barreau (George Harrison) - guitar, vocals
- Hugo Degenhardt (Ringo Starr) - drums, vocals
[edit] Timeline
[edit] Orchestra
- Annette Brown - trumpet, flugel horn, piccolo trumpet
- Vanessa King - french horn, flute, vocals
- Sian Evans - viola
- Sheila Holdsworth - viola
- Robert Woollard - cello
- Jeff Moore - violin, keyboards, swarmandal
- Chris Cole - trombone
- Steve Peters - flute, saxophone
[edit] References
- ^ The Bootleg Beatles Yearly Book 2004-2005
