The Bootleg Beatles
The Bootleg Beatles | |
|---|---|
 The Bootleg Beatles performing on the Dutch television programme Showbizzquiz on 14 October 1981 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | Rock music |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Members | Paul Canning Miles Frizzell Stephen Hill Gordon Elsmore |
| Past members | Steve White Tyson Kelly Adam Hastings Hugo Degenhardt Andre Barreau David Catlin-Birch Neil Harrison Rick Rock Paul Cooper Jack Lee Elgood |
| Website | BootlegBeatles.com |
The Bootleg Beatles are a Beatles tribute band. They have performed over 4,000 times since their establishment in March 1980.[1]
History
[edit | edit source]The Bootleg Beatles were formed by Andre Barreau, Neil Harrison and David Catlin-Birch, fellow London cast members of Beatlemania, following the final show of the West End musical.[2] The band invested in Epiphone and Gretsch guitars and two Vox amplifiers, four black polo-necks, and a wig.[3]
Their 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;[4] further tours followed in Israel (1982 and 1986), the Far East, and India. In February 1984, they were invited to perform in the United States,[5] 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. A second tour the following year proved more popular. Finally, a gig in Southampton caught the attention of Oasis, leading to the Bootleg Beatles supporting Oasis at Earls Court and Knebworth. This gave the band a contemporary audience and led to appearances on the European festival circuit.
On 30 January 1999, the band played on the rooftop of 3 Savile Row, London, where the Beatles performed on the building's roof in 1969. In 2009 the band hoped to mark the 40th anniversary by recreating the performance again, but health and safety concerns prevented the appearance.[6]
In 2002, the band played at Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee Party at Buckingham Palace.[7]
In 2010 the band made their first headline appearance on the Acoustic Stage at Glastonbury Festival. They also made a number of appearances on BBC television, including The One & Only, The One Show and I'm in a Rock'n'Roll Band, as well as on the Chris Evans Breakfast Show.[8]
Founder member Neil Harrison left the band in 2011,[9] and was replaced by Adam Hastings.[10] It was announced in September 2012 that longtime member David Catlin-Birch was leaving the group.[11] He was replaced by Steve White.[12]
The band returned to the Acoustic Stage at Glastonbury in 2013,[13] Andre Barreau, the last of the founding members, retired from the band following their performance at Hyde Park in London on 13 July 2014.
In 2017, Nigel Osborne (Edinburgh University) was commissioned by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra to arrange Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band for concerts with the Bootleg Beatles, who performed to capacity crowds at the Royal Albert Hall[14] and Echo Arena Liverpool.[15][16]
The band made their third appearance on the Acoustic Stage at Glastonbury in 2023,[17] and in 2024 performed at the Isle of Wight Festival,[18] before returning to Glastonbury to perform on the Acoustic Stage at Glastonbury 2024.[19]
Meeting the Beatles
[edit | edit source]Their first meeting was in 1996 at David Gilmour's 50th birthday party. Gilmour booked both the Bootleg Beatles and the Australian Pink Floyd Show as he had "always wanted to have the Beatles support Pink Floyd".[20][21] George Harrison was in the audience and quipped "you probably know the chords better than I do" and "Where's the Bootleg Brian Epstein? 'Cos he's got all the money!"[22]
The second meeting was at the Party at the Palace for the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2002, where McCartney headlined.
Band members
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- Timeline
<timeline> ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:10 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1980 till:21/05/2026 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = position:bottom orientation:vertical columns:4 ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1980 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1981
Colors =
id:jl value:red legend:John Lennon id:pm value:blue legend:Paul McCartney id:gh value:green legend:George Harrison id:rs value:orange legend:Ringo Starr
PlotData =
align:center fontsize:10 width:10 bar:Neil Harrison from:01/01/1980 till:30/06/2011 color:jl bar:Adam Hastings from:01/07/2011 till:31/07/2018 color:jl bar:Tyson Kelly from:03/08/2018 till:13/04/2024 color:jl bar:Paul Canning from:13/04/2024 till:end color:jl bar:David Catlin-Birch from:01/01/1980 till:30/06/1987 color:pm bar:David Catlin-Birch from:01/07/2001 till:30/06/2012 color:pm bar:Paul Cooper from:01/07/1987 till:30/06/2001 color:pm bar:Steve White from:01/07/2012 till:end color:pm bar:Andre Barreau from:01/01/1980 till:30/06/2014 color:gh bar:Stephen Hill from:01/07/2014 till:end color:gh bar:Jack Lee Elgood from:01/01/1980 till:30/06/1981 color:rs bar:Rick Rock from:01/07/1981 till:30/06/2003 color:rs bar:Hugo Degenhardt from:01/07/2003 till:25/03/2016 color:rs bar:Gordon Elsmore from:25/03/2016 till:end color:rs
</timeline>
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ 'The Bootleg Beatles'. BBC Music. (United Kingdom).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ The Bootleg Beatles Souvenir Programme 2004–2005
- ^ Reporter. (19 May 2015). 'My life as John Lennon, by Bootleg Beatles star'. The Sunday Post. (Scotland, UK).
- ^ 'Tribute Band Bootleg Beatles Looking For Their New John Lennon : Buzz : Music Times'. McCartney Times. (United Kingdom).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Entertainment: Reviews. (4 June 2002). 'Party At The Palace: Your views' BBC News
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Hutchinson, Charles. (11 March 2006). 'How Adam Hastings won the battle to be John Lennon in The Bootleg Beatles'. The Press. (Buckinghamshire, UK).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ (24 April 2013). 'More acts added to Acoustic Stage line-up'. Glastonbury Festival. (Pilton, England).
- ^ (1 June 2017). " 'It Was Fifty Years Ago Today' A Concert celebrating Sgt Pepper and the Summer of Love". Bootleg Beatles. Royal Albert Hall
- ^ Osborne, Nigel. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 'It Was 50 Years Ago Today'". Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. YouTube
- ^ Jones, Catherine. (1 June 2017). Review: It Was 50 Years Ago Today ****. Arts City Liverpool
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Members of "The Bootleg Beatles". VK (company).
- ^ Vaziri, Aidin. (13 April 2006). The Pink Floyd Fan Club, San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ Cast of Beatlemania: Neil Harrison, Rhythm Guitar, Beatlemaniaalumni.com
External links
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