The Bootleg Beatles

Here at eGigs we don’t make a habit of covering tribute bands. Why celebrate something that has been done before? Today we make an exception though, as the world’s most successful tribute band cover the world’s best band.

The Bootleg Beatles have been going now for longer than the actual Beatles, and can charge plenty for a ticket (around twenty pounds tonight). Some people here may have seen the Liverpool lads before, but for the nippers like myself (John Lennon was shot two months after I entered the world) it is the closest we are gonna get, now that sadly two are deceased, Macca’s a little busy spending money and Ringo, well; he’s no multi-talented Dave Grohl is he, though his distinctive vocals work well with animations.



No support tonight, the Fake Fab Four start as in the Liverpool Cavern, wearing dark suits and sharing microphones. ‘She Loves You’ and ‘Roll Over Beethoven’ are good starters to get the mainly middle-aged crowd going. In fact many of the bands well known hits are played early on, ‘Your Gonna Lose That Girl’, ‘Can’t Buy Me love’ and ‘Help’ show how surprisingly accurate these Londoners are. The Liverpool accent is nearly there too; with ‘Lennon’s’ the strongest, McCartney’s the weakest.


Lennon is left alone with only a trumpet player and a flutist to play ‘You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away’, before a large screen covers up the backdrop of neon blue lights spelling “The Beatles”, with a little “Bootleg” above it. The screen is a visual blast through some of the Sixties defining moments, like fashion, the Batman TV series and of course, the Milky Bar Kid. This all accompanied by various Sixties hits; none belonging to The Beatles, namely The Wild Ones version of ‘Wild Thing’ and The Kinks ‘Dedicated Follower Of Fashion’. I can almost see the memories come flooding back myself with the nostalgia overcoming the audience.

An early costume change (after only half an hour) brings more colour to the stage as it’s time for the Sgt. Peppers era, complete with the silk costumes and The Fool inspired psychedelic artwork on the backdrop and organ that Lennon has ditched the guitar for.

‘Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band’ is the obvious song to play in this instance, followed by Ringo singing ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ whilst bobbing his head from side to side. He has some fans behind me; chanting “Ringo, Ringo!”.



More well known tunes are here; ‘Strawberry Fields’, ‘Penny Lane’ (complete with the cello player wearing a policeman’s hat and hitting a fire extinguisher as percussion), all complete with trippy lava-lamp visuals on the backdrop.

Another costume change after the interval, this time into the hippie clothes to perform ‘Hello Goodbye’ and ‘Fool On The Hill’ (the flute this time sounding a little flat; too loud for its part). Crazy tune ‘I Am The Walrus’ is named as an Oasis cover! ‘Yellow Submarine’ gets everyone singing, even myself, as thoughts of sitting around the piano at school singing the track are remembered. That and ‘Puff the Magic Dragon’. What were they teaching us?!

Everyone is asked to stand up for the next song ‘All You Need Is Love’, and everyone obliges. The elderly jokes are there from Lennon “that’s if you can stand up!” The youngest audience member is not in fact myself, but a twelve-week-old baby. “Was that conceived during the interval? Does it have a ticket?” smirks Lennon.



Harrison is alone now to do ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’, showing off some impressive guitar skills. After yet another costume change, this time back into suits and longer wigs (come on, tribute or not could you walk around with the bowl-cut these days?) it’s time for the more rockier songs of ‘Get Back’ and ‘The Ballad of John And Yoko’ (or Yoko Oh No as Lennon jokes, probably due to her doing a Courtney Love and not letting the fans near Lennon’s stuff).

‘USSR’ is fitting, as these bootleggers were the first Western rock band to tour the Soviet Union in 1982. The familiar riffs of ‘Something’ and ‘Come Together’ provide a rest before standing up again for ‘Lady Madonna’, sang as a birthday request. Above their heads now is a huge Granny Smith, signalling their nod to Apple Records.

“There’s time for one more before we split up” says Lennon, proving he is the most comical of the foursome. McCartney by the way is not the usual bassist; he is ill today and replaced by a very competent look-a-like. They all look like the originals from afar; up close is a slightly different matter, but still it is a little uncanny. Not I suppose if you learn they formed from the West End cast of the musical ‘Beatlemania’.


‘Hey Jude’ provokes another glorious chorus sing-song, before a lone Lennon returns to his piano in the spotlight, with a little backing by the string section for ‘Imagine’, the only track tonight not by the Beatles. It is a tribute to Lennon, though oddly there is not one for Harrison. The last song of the night is ‘Kansas City / Hey Hey Hey Hey’.

If you have never witnessed The Beatles live, this is the closest you will get. They look the same, talk the same, act the same, sing the same and are all heavily talented musicians. And there are no screaming girls drowning them out. And it’s all in vivid colour! The background in theatre has helped with the stage show, and at twenty-five years and counting, it’s hard to see them quitting just yet. Yes lads, you passed the audition.

FUTURE GIGS