Press Releases

Bootleg Beatles

 

3rd June 2009

IT WAS 30 YEARS AGO TODAY…

THE BOOTLEG BEATLES BEGAN TO PLAY

This year, the world-renowned Bootleg Beatles celebrate 30 years together with a 15-date UK tour of major venues with their acclaimed homage to the Fab Four.

Neil Harrison (Bootleg John Lennon); Andre Barreau (Bootleg George) and David Catlin-Birch (Bootleg Paul) met in 1979 when they were all cast in the hit West-End production, Beatlemania. When the show finished its run the band, knowing the repertoire inside out, decided to continue performing it and thus The Bootleg Beatles, along with the entire tribute genre, was born.

Thirty years on, what started as 4 musicians with black polo necks and a wig has evolved into The Bootleg Beatles’ lauded show which combines note-perfect renditions of Beatles repertoire, spectacular costume changes and a visually stunning video backdrop. The Bootleg Beatles faithfully re-create 6 phases of the Beatles meteororic rise from a basement (The cavern in Liverpool) to a rooftop (The famous Apple concert in 1969) via Shea Stadium, Sgt Pepper and the Magical mystery tour.

As NME said, “the band are as similar to their namesakes as it is possible to be... unlike any other group in the last 25 years of rock, they can safely say that they look and sound as good as The Beatles’ And, with the inclusion of an 8-piece orchestra, The Bootleg Beatles are able to perform songs from the latter stages of the Beatles’ catalogue that the Beatles never performed live.

Full details of December’s tour are:-

Date City Venue Tickets Box Office
December      
Tues 1 Cambridge Corn Exchange £22.50 01223 357 851
Wed 2 Cardiff St. David’s Hall £22.50 02920 878 400
Thur 4 Leicester De Montfort Hall £21.50/£23.50 0116 233 3111
Fri 5 Bristol Colston Hall £22.50 0117 922 3686
Sat 6 Brighton The Dome Theatre £22.50 01273 709 709
Mon 7 London Royal Albert Hall £30.50/£28.50/
£22.50		 0207 589 8212
Tues 8 Glasgow Royal Concert Hall £22.50 0141 353 8000
Wed 9 Edinburgh Usher Hall £22.50 0131 228 1155
Thurs 10 Liverpool Philharmonic Hall £22.50 0151 709 3789
Fri 11 Newcastle City Hall £22.50 0191 261 2606
Sat 12 Manchester Apollo £22.50 0844 477 7677
Mon 14 Nottingham Royal Concert Hall £22.50 0115 989 5555
Tues 15 Harrogate International Centre £22.50 01423 537 230
Wed 16 Birmingham N.I.A. £22.50 0121 780 4444
Thurs 17 Sheffield City Hall £22.50 01142 789 789

Book online at www.bootlegbeatles.com. 24 hr Ticket Hotline: Artist Tickets: - 0871 230 0333. All tickets subject to booking fee.

What the media have said about The Bootleg Beatles:-

  • ‘fastidiously authentic’ The Daily Telegraph

  • ‘flawless’ Mojo

  • ‘sheer technical perfection’ Evening Standard

  • ‘this is make-believe land where four characters actually become The Beatles’ Liverpool Echo

  • ‘the band are as similar to their namesakes as it is possible to be... unlike any other group in the last 25 years of rock, they can safely say that they look and sound as good as The Beatles’ NME

The Bootleg Beatles have performed over 4,000 shows across the globe and have shared stages with:- Oasis, Jon Bon Jovi, Rod Stewart, Seal, KD Lang, The Corrs, Simple Minds and Iggy Pop at venues such as Glastonbury, Wembley Stadium, Earl’s Court, Knebworth and The Fleadh. In 2002 they performed at the Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebration at Buckingham Palace and faced probably their toughest audience when they performed in front of George Harrison at Dave Gilmore’s 50th birthday party, after which the Beatle admitted to the Bootleg’s that they “probably know the chords better than I do”.

All Beatles fanatics since childhood, The Bootleg Beatles are:-

  • 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

The Bootleg Beatles support “Peace One Day” (www.peaceoneday.org) which created the first day of global cease-fire and non-violence. Peace One Day now works to raise global awareness of the day and manifest life-saving activity and individual action throughout the world on September 21st each year.


27th January 2009

Bootleg Beatles grounded
by Westminster Council

January 30th, 1969 … the greatest band in the world perform on the roof of Apple Corps at No. 3 Savile Row. The 42 minute session was to be the last time the Beatles performed together live and it was unceremoniously cut short by the Metropolitan Police as delighted crowds began to gather below.

Well, they say history has a habit of repeating itself…

January 30th, 2009 … 40 years to the day later, the greatest tribute band in the world, The Bootleg Beatles, intended to recreate this historic event and pay homage to both it’s cultural significance and The Beatles by heading up to the very same roof. This time, however, the performance has been stopped before a note has been played.

Number 3, Savile Row stands empty, awaiting new corporate tenants. The landlords, Kier Group, granted their permission, leading celebrity magazine OK! and the Daily and Sunday Express agreed to sponsor the event and host a party in aid of PeaceOneDay and Westminster Council granted the appropriate temporary license.

The performance itself was to be broadcast live across the nation, enabling millions of fans to enjoy a loving recreation of the original event. But, Westminster had second thoughts. Onerous and extensive demands and conditions were placed upon the band and, with huge disappointment all round, the performance has had to be scrapped.

Founder member, Neil Harrison, said “It would have been fun to commemorate the day and promote Peace One Day (see below *) and what harm could it really do anyhow?  A handful of Londoners get some free lunchtime music to brighten their day in the true spirit of the sixties! And what do we get instead - spontaneity strangled again by red tape. Oh Boris, and we thought it was all gonna change!”

On a more positive note, The Bootleg Beatles are touring the country in March, performing their acclaimed musical homage to The Fab Four, which recreates the Beatles’ career with eerily authentic performances, note-perfect renditions and 5 costume and set changes that accurately depict distinct eras of the Beatles’ evolution: from The Cavern of 1962, via Shea Stadium, Sergeant Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour to the Rooftop performance itself (including fur coats!).

All Beatles fanatics since childhood, The Bootleg Beatles are:-

  • 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

Full tour details

Date City Venue Tickets Box Office
March        
Wed 11 Croydon Fairfield Halls £22.50 020 8688 9291
Thurs 12 Southend Cliffs Pavilion £23.00 01702 351 135
Fri 13 Basingstoke The Anvil £22.50 01256 844 244
Sat 14 Cheltenham Town Hall £22.50 01242 227 979
Sun 15 Derby Assembly Rooms £22.50 01332 255 800
Tues 17 Grimsby Grimsby Auditorium £22.50 0870 060 2331
Wed 18 Peterborough Broadway Theatre £22.50 01733 316 109
Thurs 19 Stoke-on-Trent Victoria Hall £22.50 0870 060 6649
Fri 20 Malvern Victoria Hall £22.50 01684 89 22 77
Sat 21 Halifax Victoria Theatre £22.50 01422 35 11 58
Mon 23 Crawley The Hawthorne £22.50 01293 55 36 36
Tues 24 Oxford New Theatre £22.50 0844 847 1585
Wed 25 Reading The Hexagon £22.50 0118 960 6060
Thurs 26 Nothampton Derngate £23.50 01604 624 811

Book online at www.bootlegbeatles.com. 24 hr Ticket Hotline: See Tickets 0870 0603797/ Artist Tickets: - 0871 230 0333. All tickets subject to booking fee.

Formed in 1980 by cast members of the hit West-End stage show Beatlemania, The Bootleg Beatles have performed over 4,000 shows across the globe and have shared stages with:- Oasis, Jon Bon Jovi, Rod Stewart, Seal, KD Lang, The Corrs, Simple Minds and Iggy Pop at venues such as Glastonbury, Wembley Stadium, Earl’s Court, Knebworth and The Fleadh. In 2002 they performed at the Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebration at Buckingham Palace and faced probably their toughest audience when they performed in front of George Harrison at Dave Gilmore’s 50th birthday party, after which the Beatle admitted to the Bootleg’s that they “probably know the chords better than I do”.

What the media have said about The Bootleg Beatles:-

  • ‘fastidiously authentic’ The Daily Telegraph

  • ‘flawless’ Mojo

  • ‘sheer technical perfection’ Evening Standard

  • ‘this is make-believe land where four characters actually become The Beatles’ Liverpool Echo

  • ‘the band are as similar to their namesakes as it is possible to be... unlike any other group in the last 25 years of rock, they can safely say that they look and sound as good as The Beatles’ NME

The Bootleg Beatles support “Peace One Day” (www.peaceoneday.org) which created the first day of global cease-fire and non-violence. Peace One Day now works to raise global awareness of the day and manifest life-saving activity and individual action throughout the world on September 21 each year.

 

17th November 2008

The BOOTLEG BEATLES
Announce Massive UK Tour!

- ‘fastidiously authentic’ The Daily Telegraph -

- ‘flawless’ Mojo -

- ‘sheer technical perfection’ Evening Standard -

- ‘this is make-believe land where four characters actually become The Beatles’ Liverpool Echo -

- ‘the band are as similar to their namesakes as it is possible to be... unlike any other group in the last 25 years of rock, they can safely say that they look and sound as good as The Beatles’ NME -

The original and best tribute band in the world, The Bootleg Beatles, are set to delight audiences the length and breadth of the UK this December with their renowned musical homage to the greatest band in history.

Forty-five years after The Beatles achieved their first UK No. 1 (and 28 years since their own formation) The Bootleg Beatles’ acclaimed stage show re-creates the Fab Four’s career with note-perfect performances and five spectacular costume and set transformations from The Cavern of 1962 via Shea Stadium, Sergeant Pepper and a Magical Mystery Tour to the rooftop of the Apple Building in 1969 (which the Bootleg’s are making plans to recreate on 30th January 2009 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the event – more news to follow).

Formed in 1980 by cast members of the hit West-End stage show Beatlemania, The Bootleg Beatles have performed over 4,000 shows across the globe and have shared stages with:- Oasis, Jon Bon Jovi, Rod Stewart, Seal, KD Lang, The Corrs, Simple Minds and Iggy Pop at venues such as Glastonbury, Wembley Stadium, Earl’s Court, Knebworth and The Fleadh. In 2002 they performed at the Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebration at Buckingham Palace.

Praised by fans and media alike, The Bootleg Beatle’s faced probably their toughest audience when they performed in front of George Harrison at Dave Gilmore’s 50th birthday party, after which the Beatle admitted to the Bootleg’s that they “probably know the chords better than I do”.

All Beatles fanatics since childhood, The Bootleg Beatles are:-

  • 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

Full tour details

Date City Venue Tickets Box Office
December        
Mon 1 Brighton The Dome £22.50 01273 709709
Tues 2 Cardiff St Davids Hall £22.50 02920 878 400
Wed 3 Bristol Colston Hall £22.50 0117 922 3686
Thurs 4 Leicester De Montfort Hall £22.50 0116 233 3111
Sat 6 Poole Lighthouse £22.50 08700 668 701
Sun 7 Liverpool Philharmonic Hall £22.50 0151 709 3789
Tues 9 Glasgow Royal Concert Hall £22.50 0141 353 8000
Wed 10 Glasgow Royal Concert Hall £22.50 0141 353 8000
Thurs 11 Sheffield Sheffield Arena £22.50 0114 256 56 56
Fri 12 Harrogate International Centre £22.50 01423 537 230
Sat 13 Newcastle City Hall £22.50 0191 261 2606
Sun 14 Edinburgh Playhouse £22.50 0844 8471660
Tues 16 Manchester Apollo £22.50 0870 401 8000
Wed 17 Birmingham NIA £22.50 0121 780 4444
Thurs 18 Nottingham Royal Concert Hall £22.50 0115 989 5555
Fri 19 London IndigO2 @ The O2 £22.50 / £32.50 0871 230 0333
Sat 20 London IndigO2 @ The O2 £22.50 / £32.50 0871 230 0333

Book online at www.bootlegbeatles.com. 24 hr Ticket Hotline: See Tickets 0870 0603797/ Artist Tickets: - 0871 230 0333. All tickets subject to booking fee.

This year The Bootleg Beatles are supporting “Peace One Day” (www.peaceoneday.org). The Peace One Day film will be shown in the foyers of all their UK shows and has been described as ‘One of the most engaging, inspiring films I’ve ever seen’ by Nick Fraser, Commissioning Editor, Factuals BBC.