Bootlegs play Barbican

The Bootleg Beatles play the York Barbican on Friday 8 March 2013.

I quote from the Barbican Press Release

"For over thirty of those years (!!!) they have been performing these ‘classic’ pop songs to audiences across the globe, winning over even the most hardened sceptics with their stunning recreation of The Beatles’ sound and look. With a little help from their orchestral ensemble, they even manage to reproduce live on stage songs The Fab Four never actually performed themselves.  Every tiny detail is meticulously covered from costumes to authentic period instruments; from their witty ‘Scouse’ banter to their ‘inflection perfect’ vocal mimicry. They are now booked to play the main stage at the Glastonbury festival in the summer of 2013. Tickets are on sale now, priced £26.50."

I must admit they are excellent at putting on a good show, it's highly polished now and is the closest a Beatle fan will ever come to seeing a 'live' almost Beatles performance. I saw them way back in the 1980's, they were a little thinner then and only played as a foursome, now they have expanded into a bit of a variety show complete with orchestra for those 'Let it Be/Winding Road' numbers (although I would have thought McCartney would prefer no strings). Here are some pix of them, they look and sound authentic, but its amazing with the electronic wizardry now and backing tracks how you can mimic any rock group. Still, it's all we have.....

PS -  My one criticism is that the 'McCartney' unashamedly plays his instrument right handed, - now call me finicky but it is a major and dynamic Beatle fact...

Posters for York area

Hi. I have produced some A4 posters advertising the YBAS and i am going to get them up around the York district, in Colleges, Universities, bars, pubs, libararies etc. This should help spread the word and hopefully be a good way to get some members signing up.

I have posted a copy on here, for anyone who wants to use it please feel free, or email me and i will send you a hi-res version for you to print out at your end.

One of my aims for the society is to have some guest talkers who actually saw or met the Beatles when they visited York. It would be a real privilage to hear first hand accounts of what we can only imagine took place in those crazeee Beatlemania days of 63/64/65. Of course we can see it on film and hear it on audio, but to have experienced it is now the sole precious memory of a select few, and getting fewer by the year no doubt.

Chris

Hi to you

Heres the first post to anyone who has an interest in the York Beatles Appreciation Society. I have only just launched the blog so I am going to let it run for a while to build up the interest and accumulate a minimun of 10 to 15 members, I will then set up an initial meeting at somewhere central in York for us to all meet face to face.

From there we can exchange views on what we want the society to do, be it on the web or during the meetings.Its difficult to explain what the attraction of the Beatles is. But its something that has infiltrated all ages, all creeds, all languages, all classes, and all time, - they are literally universal in their music and never ending influence. Other groups may have sold more records in terms of profit or numbers but the social and musical range of their short reign will never be matched again. There is much to say and I will save it for the society.

Heres some pics I took last year on my second visit to Liverpool, (my first was at the age of 18 when I went for an interview at the Liverpool Art College to study animation, I never got in). It was of course a bit of a pilgrimage to the centre of the city to visit the Beatle museums and places of fame.

Outside the rebuilt Cavern Club, took some pix inside but the low light
made them a bit dull,  ....was a bit dissappointed on the inside however,
just very, very commercialised now, and full of asians taking millions of
snaps, I couldn't wait to get out actually!

Here's the original entrance to the club 25 yards further down the street.
Eerie....I could feel the ghosts...