Bootleg Beatles show was like a trip back in time
First, a little story:my 11-year-old daughter recently gained a merit mark at school for bringing in a book of Beatles lyrics and discussing them.
"Well done," I said. "And what was the lesson you were in? English? Music?" "No, Dad," she replied, "History...."
Well, indeed. It's getting on for half a century since the Beatles were at their peak, so I guess that does count as history. Even so, it's certainly living history, as a packed Colston Hall turning out for the Fab Four can attest.
Of course, it's not them. How could it be? But if you want as near-as-dammit, the Bootleg Beatles have been filling that gap for ages now – the original, and beyond doubt, the best.
More than 50 years since John, Paul, Ringo and George last stepped on the Colston Hall stage in their expensive winklepickers, tonight it's the turn of Adam, Steve, Hugo and Stephen to do the honours.
They're good. Very good. Using authentic amplifiers, drums and guitars, plus an orchestra, the Fake Four breeze through a selection of hits, occasional album tracks and costume changes representing that short but world-shaking era in popular music. The hall's legendarily patchy sound quality only adds to the lo-fi appeal, and a background of clips from the 1960s gives the show a nice context.
By: Tom Henry
Source: Western Daily Press
