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62
 Before
the Moptops, before the suits, before the screams,
before the British invasion… it was pure rock and
roll! ’62 are a band that captures the look, sound,
and energy of the Hamburg/Cavern era, and is one of
only a few of the Beatle tribute bands in the entire
world to focus only on this early period. This year
has been a busy one with the group gaining two new
members and being selected as the ambassador band
for the Finger Lakes Wine Country’s "Riesling
revolution" ad campaign. They toured several
state wineries, and were featured prominently on television
and radio. Dave Pal (John), John Doud (Paul),
Scott Benjamin (George), and Dan Naylor (Ringo)
ACOÚSTIKA
 Acústika
are four young Brazilian women, previously members
of a group called The Pancake Band that had
performed to large crowds in Rio de Janeiro and São
Paulo, who in 2003 decided to give a twist to some
of the greatest classic rock songs of the twentieth
century. Despite their unusual interpretations of
songs by artists from The Beatles to Coldplay, using
classical instruments like the violin, flute, piano
alongside electric guitars, bass and drums; even translating
the lyrics into Spanish, Italian, French & Chinese,
Acústika have a warm reception everywhere they perform.
Their exquisite vocals harmonies, exciting musical
arrangements and lively stage performances are captivating.
We have no doubt that this group will be the
buzz of Beatle Week talk! Meet Tayana Dantas, Jane
Soren, Luciana Guessa and Claudia Moreno – Acústika!
BBCEATLES
 Can
you guess which Beatles album this band is inspired
by…? Yes, the BBCtles aren’t obsessed about Eastenders,
they’re fans of the Beatles at the BBC album! The
BBCtles, who were founded in 1998 and play mostly
in the clubs around Vienna, feature Arthur Fandl on
vocals & bass, a music teacher who has composed
two musicals and along with vocalist & guitarist
Peter Pleyl played at Liverpool Beatle Week way back
in 1995 & 1996. Peter owns his own music studio
and has produced and recorded a lot of albums and
music for television (not the BBC?!). Hans Mayrhofer
(vocals & guitar) is also a music teacher and
plays in various other groups all over Austria including
Sinus & Co., and last but no means least, drummer
Ali Rammel who took part in a musical called "Into
the Woods" and spends his time away from the
BBCtles playing with other bands in Vienna. There
were 275 Beatles recordings for the BBC, 36 of which
were the groups only studio performance of those songs.
Shows broadcast between 1962- 1965 included Brian
Matthew’s ‘Saturday Club’, ‘Parade of the Pops’ and
The Beatles own shows ‘From Us To You’ and ‘Pop Go
The Beatles’. The BBCtles perform many of the songs
recorded for these shows so you can guarantee that
whether you’re whistling along to ‘Clarabella’, or
jiggling to ‘I Got A Woman’, you’ll be doing the ‘Hippy
Hippy Shake’ at he BBCtles shows!
BEATELS
 We’re
very excited to welcome a new band to Beatle Week
from Australia, The Beatels. This is an historic year
for fans of The Beatles in Australia and it has also
been a big year for The Beatels. In 1964, The Beatles
toured Australia, beginning in Centennial Hall, Adelaide
on June 12th. Ringo had been taken ill the previous
week and was replaced by Jimmy Nicol on this date
(and the preceding ones in Denmark, The Netherlands
and Hong Kong). Ringo rejoined the group in Melbourne
for the remainder of the tour in Sydney, New Zealand
and Brisbane. On 12 June 2004, forty years on, the
Sydney-based act The Beatels travelled to Adelaide
for its inaugural Australian Beatles Festival, where
they played on the same stage as the Fabs at Centennial
Hall. The Beatels also performed their own 40th Anniversary
tour (which included a once-only screening of the
Fabs in Melbourne in 1964 on the big-screen) playing
sell-out shows at the Orpheum Theatre in Sydney, His
Majesty’s Theatre in Perth, The Tivoli Theatre in
Brisbane and Her Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne, in
a line-up that included Pete Best, Richard Lush and
the man who ran on-stage 40 years ago in Melbourne
to shake John’s hand. And that was just after they’d
performed with Olivia Newton John! Many Scousers who
have frequented Bondi Beach in Australia would remember
these lads as the ones from the Cock and Bull in years
past. Those with a longer memory would also remember
John & Paul from The Beatels in the Beatle-version
of ‘A Stairway To Heaven’ that raised a chuckle in
the early 1990’s. Bruce Coble (John), Steve Shipley
(Paul), Marcus Phelan (George) and Neil Rankin (Ringo)
are celebrating their eighth year as The Beatels (although
most had already been doing this for many years previously
with another Beatles show, The Beatnix) and are they
are admired for their attention to detail and their
ability to do justice to a broad range of the music
of The Beatles. They perform regularly in theatres,
clubs & at all kinds of special events: They played
at the launch of the new Volkswagen Beetle in Sydney
in 2000 and the new Mazda in Queensland in 2002; they
were selected by EMI in Australia to launch the re-mastered
‘Yellow Submarine’; they regularly perform at major
events throughout Asia, such as last years Cold Storage
festival in Singapore (which was attended by 80,000
people over 2 days, sharing the stage with Hong Kong
pop-stars!), and earlier this year they featured
in the NTV nightly news in Malaysia.
BEAT
BROTHERS
 The
Beatbrothers are Phil Gillespie, 15, on lead guitar
and lead vocals, Eddy Gillespie, 13, on drums and
Shaun Gillespie (their Dad, struggling to keep them
in check!) on bass. The band’s first big break was
playing at the Beatles Convention in 2001, and they
haven’t looked back since. Eddy is the youngest drummer
ever to have played at The Cavern Club; he was just
10 years old in 2001! Their highlight so far in 2004,
was a 30-minute spot on Spencer Leigh’s Saturday night
BBC Radio Merseyside programme "On The Beat",
where two of the lads original songs were played,
as well as a live studio performance of severa
songs by George Harrison, The Who, and The Beatles.
Look closely at Dad Shaun’s bass guitar; the Fender
Precision he plays was once owned by John Entwhistle
of The Who, and was bought from the much missed bass
guitarists estate in 2003. It only comes out for special
occasions, and there’s no better one that CCT’s Beatle
Weekend! The Beatbrothers play 60’s music, mainly
Beatles, but also their own energetic versions of
classic songs by The Who, The Rolling Stones, The
Kinks and Spencer Davies Group. If you enjoy music
played with passion and loads of energy then this
is the band for you!
BEAT
GENERATION
BEATALLS
The Beatalls are thrilled to be returning to Beatle
Week for the fifth time. The last year has seen Andy
(John), Ian (Paul), Mel (George) and Steve (Ringo)
busy with lots of functions around the UK, but as
well as that there have been many stand out occasions.
Firstly, they were invited to perform at Beatle Conventions
in Buenos Aires, Argentina, at their hometown’s Nottingham
Beatles Day and at the first Liverpool Easter Eggman
Convention; all of which were excellent and enjoyable
events. They performed at a huge event in Paris to
a large, multinational audience and undertook two
great Christmas gigs at Liverpool’s one and only Cavern
Club; all very good fun! There’s been the release
of The Beatalls first CD; a 2004 remake of ‘A Hard
Day’s Night’ as well as a CD by Ian called ‘Some Macca
Songs’ which as well as including many McCartney solo
songs also features the bands good friend Johnny Silver.
Both CD’s will be available throughout the festival
from the band. The Beatalls also recorded a promo
video for an up and coming BBC director. The Beatalls
have continued to build upon the largest and most
accurate Beatle Instrument collection in the UK with
recent additions including a Gretsch DuoJet, a left
handed Hofner ‘Cavern’ Bass, a rare Epiphone Texan
McCartney acoustic and a perfectly Lennonised’ 325
Rickenbacker. At last years Liverpool Beatle Week
they performed a memorable set of ‘Beatles at the
BBC’ songs and at the Eggman Convention The Beatalls
gave us the entire ‘Please Please Me’ album. For this
year’s event they are taking on ‘With The Beatles’
as the album of choice along with more sets of BBC
and Please Please Me songs, both will be performed
in the usual Beatalls ‘full-on upbeat energy style’!
So, whether its your first time with The Beatalls
or not, be sure to go along and say "Hi",
and as Ian says; "shake yer bums, wiggle yer
hips", and have a good dance in the true spirit
of Beatle Week!
BEATBOYS
It’s always
nice to say ‘you’re welcome’ to a new band. As Shalil
Shankar said from the Chavasse Park stage last year,
Liverpool really is the equivalent of Mecca for musicians.
For many Beatles tribute bands, it must seem like
they have been waiting for the day until they come
to Liverpool for what seems like forever. Well, for
one lucky group of competition winners from
Mexico (that’s just to the south of California, girls),
this is the year their dreams come true. TheBeatboys
won the Battle of the Bands at the 9th annual Beatles
Festival organised by Ricardo Calderon. The Beatboys
were founded by Christian Miranda, 25 years old (bass),
Eber Lopez, 26 years old (keyboards and vocals) and
Jonathan Miranda, 28 years old (drums). Staging their
first performance on December 8th, 1998, In Pebruary
2001 Mauricio Rosas, 20 years old, joined the group,
as percussionist, later providing backing vocals on
some songs, and then playing the guitar. In 2002 the
group is completed with the arrival of Daniel Rosas,
on lead guitar. Daniel at the tender age of 17 amazed
everyone with his mastery and command of his instrument.
BEATLEMANIACS
Since last years festival, The Beatlemaniacs have
achieved a great deal in terms of boosting the band’s
profile. The UK’s youngest Beatles Tribute Band, with
all members being the age the real Beatles were in
the 1960’s, they are the ultimate interms of capturing
the energy of a live Beatles show. The group have
a sense of humour and energy which comes across in
their electric performances. Formed only 2 1/2 years
ago this will be their third appearance at Beatle
Week, and in such a short time they have become a
crowd favourite. They are looking forward to performing
another selection of great shows, to once more rave
reviews. The Beatlemaniacs are also looking forward
to a weekend of running through the streets of Liverpool,
escaping the clawing hands of young girls on their
suits as they go!! They performed at the Cavern during
our Easter Eggman Weekend and enjoyed a two-night
stint there again in June; performed live on BBC Television’s
prime time kids show Blue Peter, and have recently
performed a string of UK theatre performances. All
four members are based in the North- East of England;
Rich Jordan who plays John in the band also performs
as a solo ‘John’ tribute artist. His brother, James,
keeps the beat at the back as Ringo, while Chris Johnson
performs as bass guitarist Paul, and lead guitarist
Greg Alderson completes the four as George. Cavern
shows are always extra special to The Beatlemaniacs,
so the crowds will be in for a treat; there may even
be some surprises thrown in!! They will be playing
in and around the Mathew Street area all weekend,
so catch them if you can!
BEATVOX
 The
Beatvox are looking forward to playing at this year’s
convention
in Liverpool for the first time since their dream
came true in November 2002 when they played at The
Cavern Club. The overwhelming reception at The Cavern
Club has made the quartet eager to play at the famous
week dedicated to their idols, The Beatles. The Beatvox
formed in October 2000, consisting of Naoki Sakamoto
(John), Ryoichi Takeda (Paul), Kazuhiro Itoh (George)
& Akira Ozawa (Ringo); all of whom had previously
been in various other bands. The group enjoy playing
a variety of Beatles music, especially the early rock
and roll songs. Most of The Beatvox’s performances
take place in Tokyo and Yokohama where they have many
loyal followers. They have played at the Beatles Official
Fan Club events in Japan, and at charity concerts.
The Beatvox also perform in other major cities including
Osaka and Nagoya. Some of these memorable performances
include, sharing the same stage with Pete Best’s Band
in Japan 1995 and when playing ‘Dig a Pony’ in front
of George Martin in 1996. But of course the most memorable
event of all is playing here in Liverpool at The Cavern
Club in 2002.
BOB
BARTEY & BANNED ON THE RUN
 Banned
On The Run are the Brigadoon of Beatle Week… they
only exist for the duration of the festival and then
they disappear into the mists of Halifax and Hertfordshire,
never to be seen for 51 weeks! Bob Bartey and his
comrades Marcus Lazarus, Sean Fitzpatrick and his
brother Kevin Fitzpatrick gave-up the ‘Silly Love
Songs’ when Marcus moved down south a couple of years
ago. However, they do reform just to play at Beatle
Week every year, which we are very grateful for because
they’re our very favourite Macca band! Last year they
were joined onstage by former Wings/McCartney band
members Henry McCullough, Steve Holley, Denny Seiwell,
Chris Hall & Howie Casey at the Royal Court. It
was a fantastic concert with just one of the many
memorable moments being Henry McCullough playing that
oh-so famous guitar solo during ‘My Love’. One of
McCartney’s other love songs was the Bridal March
for our Beatle Week wedding in 2003. Gill walked down
the aisle to Calico Skies on her 25th August wedding
to Paul Shedden. Our happy couple will be celebrating
their 1st anniversary this week so be sure to wish
them many happies when you see them! On the subject
of nuptials, guitarist extraordinaire Marcus married
the lovely Lucie this summer. Many congratulations
from us to Mr and Mrs Lazarus! So BOTR are back again,
sans famous friends and doing their own great show;
you’ll be able to ‘Listen To What The Man Said’ and
Banned on the Run may even play your ‘Baby’s Request’
at their ‘Rock Show’!
BRAZILIAN BLACKBIRD
 Paul
McCartney played his 3000th gig this year in St Petersburg,
as part of another highly successful tour, but back
in 1990 the Brazilian fans really showed their appreciation
for Macca setting a new world record for the largest
stadium audience when 184,000 people filled the Maracana
Stadium in Rio De Janeiro. The Black Bird Band are
from Rio, where, since their formation in 1997 they
have been voted Best Beatles cover band in Brazil
by Radio Emperor FM, at the Liverpool Night’s contest
in São Paolo and by the British community at the Queen’s
birthday celebrations in 2000. Alan Marques,
Thiago Henrique and Kico Ferreira are the groups lead
singers and guitarists, Ivan Barros plays the bass,
Flávio Armony plays the keyboard and Xande Maio
plays the drums and also sings. Black Bird Band’s
repertoire consists of both Beatles and solo compositions
including It Don’t Come Easy, My Love, Imagine
and My Sweet Lord. Black Bird Band has played over
600 shows and has a hugely popular fan club with over
5500 members. They are now preparing to record their
first album to be entitled "Beatles Brazil Black
Bird Number One".
BRITISH EXPORT
 Not
yet quite celebrating their 10th Anniversary of Beatle
Week appearances, but check back in 6 years time as
this Illinois band are becoming a bit of a fixture
here. At least, some of the members are… Davey Justice,
the founding member of British Import (as they were
originally known) has rejoined in the role of Paul.
Davey has just completed a 5-month stint in Las Vegas
as the Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino with the
Legends of Yesterday Show. Of course, with Davey playing
Paul, you may be wondering what’s happened to Paul
Lynch... well he’s swapping names and roles, reverting
to his given first name James (he really is James
Paul!) and he’s trading his Hofner bass for a Rickenbacker
guitar and taking on the role of John! He’s been told
for many years that he’d make a great ‘Lennon’ and
now he’s finally succumbed to the pressure to move
from stage right to stage left! Completing the line-up
are fellow founding member Jim ‘Ringo’ Martin, with
the most famous face furniture in Beatledom, and Gavin
Pring – who can, of course, also be seen at Beatle
Week with George Harry’s Son. The Chicago four played
at Ohio’s Abbey Road on the River a couple of weeks
ago, and now are back in Liverpool for to unveil their
new line-up. Welcome to James, Davey, Gav and Jim
- the all-new British Export!
CLUBE BIG BEATLES
 If
you haven’t experienced this remarkable band before,
your week won’t be complete unless you’ve seen them
at least once. Their outstanding sets run the gamut
from the Hamburg days to the solo years and are always
of the highest quality. No show is ever the same and
in true 60’s spirit the performance often turns into
a ‘Happening’ full of visual and aural surprises!
This year we’re promised more surprises (What? Edu’s
learnt English at last?). We’ve had one already. Lead
singer and guitarist Saulo Simonassi has left to concentrate
on his solo career and is replaced by Leo Vaccari;
bass player Otavio Ribeiro is replaced by original
member Leo Teixeira. The other guys in the band -
drums Babi Vaccari; keys/guitar Mark Fernandez; and
founder member Edu Henning (percussion) who, when
not presenting the long-running Clube Big Beatles
radio show, is news/sports anchorman on Brazil’s biggest
TV network. Clube Big Beatles are from Vitória, near
Rio de Janeiro. Just a group of friends who got together
to play Beatles’ songs. When they were offered their
first gig they locked themselves away for 3 months
producing a well honed set – and this attention to
detail is still evident 15 years later. Throughout
the years Clube Big Beatles’ popularity in their hometown
and around Brazil has been built not only on their
music, but also their charity work using the messages
in John, George, Paul and Ringo’s songs. They attract
big names from the Brazilian music scene to play Beatles
classics at the same time helping the less fortunate,
drawing crowds of up to 40,000 people. Entrance to
these fund raising shows is with the donation of goods.
In 1992, celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Love
Me Do, admission to the show was a book, resulting
in 5,000 books being collected for the city’s public
library. Then there were the charity premiere of the
film Backbeat and the John Lennon Tribute shows where
admission was a minimum of 2 lbs of food. Over 9 tons
of food was distributed to the city’s poor. Liverpool
highlights from Clube Big Beatles include; opening
the Yellow Submarine Mathew Street Festival celebrations
in 1999; filling the Adelphi stage with audience members
for a David Frost Show authentic rendition of
‘Hey Jude’; distributing little bags of Brazilian
sand to be scattered around the world in memory of
20th anniversary of John’s death; the appearance of
the Liverpool Samba School; guest videos from Pelé,
the king of football and long-time George Harrison
pal racing driver Emerson Fittipaldi; and who could
forget those giant hands of Edu’s? Yep! Those who
have been lucky enough to see a Clube Big Beatles’
performance in Liverpool know that they have been
a part of something special.
DET BETALES
 Det
Betales like Clube Big Beatles and Liverpool are celebrating
their tenth year at the Festival. With the huge demand
to play Beatle Week, this is a testimony to the profssionalism
and ability of all three bands. Furthermoreit says
a lot about them as people, as one of our major aims
is to give Beatle fans the best music played by the
best people. As Bill Shankly, legendary manager of
Liverpool FC said to an opposing chairman: "Yes,
obviously we know what your player is like, we’ve
watched him ten times. We wouldn’t be putting
in a bid to buy him if we didn’t rate him as a player!
But what’s he like as a person? That is just as important!"
Headlines acts come and go at Beatle Week but the
real glue that holds the show together (apart from
us fans of course), are guys like Rolf Øyvind Hæg
(drums), Magne Frydenlund (bass), Dag Svartskuren
(lead guitar) and Tor Olsen (rhythm guitar) who make
up Det Betales and have been entertaining the Beatle
Week crowd forever, it seems. The world wouldn’t
be quite right if they weren’t in Liddypool with us
every August would it? There’s a certain quirkiness
to their performances which makes their
shows fun –any band that comes up with stage names
like Bingo Stærk, Paul McEplecarth, George
Harryseth and John Ramon is unlikely to be run-of-the-mill
– and if they’ve bought it with them, we recommend
that you get hold of a copy of their promo CD
‘Norwegian’s Would’ (ho ho ho!), which as well
as displaying their Beatles repertoire includes
a touching tribute to John called, of course,
‘Dear John’.
FAB FAUX
Did you see it? Were you there? The show everyone
was talking about last August was the Fab Faux' Monday
night Royal Court Theatre performance of the White
Album. In its entirety. Yes, even Revolution #9. It
was more of a happening than a concert, and
it left a theatre-full of Beatle Weekers gobsmacked!
This year the guys are back, and as usual they've
got some exhilarating sets planned for us. The last
year has seen the Fab Faux add a further 21 Beatles
songs to their ever-increasing repertoire; they can
now perform 159 of the 211 officially released songs.
They have continued to perform sell-out shows in New
York and the surrounding area; as well playing for
the National Basketball Association All-Star Weekend
in Hollywood, California. Their day jobs keep them
pretty busy: Jimmy Vivino plays guitar for the Max
Weinberg 7 on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Will
Lee is bassist in the Late Show with the David Letterman
Band, Rich Pagano runs a busy recording studio and
has toured recently with Rosanne Cash, Jack Petruzzelli
has been on tour with this year with Rufus Wainwright,
and Frank Agnello works for the major music
performance rights society ASCAP. Jimmy and Rich have
recently started a side-project; the late 60's/early
70's power trio Steaks and Chops. Rich recently spent
time playing with one of his idols, Bob Dylan, including
a rehearsal vocal session singing 'I Shall Be Released'.
To top it all off, Will has been awarded a Lifetime
Achievement Award by Bass Player Magazine - a true
honour which he will receive this coming October.
Of course, the Fab Faux' link to the Beatles' 40th
Anniversary U.S. TV debut can't be overlooked either
- the Letterman show is recorded in the Ed Sullivan
Theater where that historic appearance originally
took place, so the famous venue is Will's place of
work. Will was honoured to be allowed to sing "Hey
Jude" on the Letterman Show on February 9th this
year - he was in fact, the only non-Beatle to perform
that evening as CBS also showed a clip of the Beatles
performing in the same studio 40 years earlier. The
Fab Faux return to Beatle Week with three thrilling
shows; Monday at the Royal Court and two shows at
the Cavern on Tuesday. They will be contrasting our
'64 theme with an all-out psychadelic show at the
Royal Court . . . and knowing the Faux as we do, it
will be yet another happening! Turn on, tune in, Faux
out!
FAB
5
 In
July 1964 The Beatles returned to their hometown for
the northern premiere of A Hard Day’s Night. Had they
held a US premiere of the film they may have chosen
to hold it in The Fab Five’s hometown; Liverpool New
York State! Looking forward to almost a week of Hard
Days and Nights, The Fab Five are thrilled
to be chosen to represent our sister city this year.
The band was formed on February 9th 2001, which was
of course the 37th anniversary of the Beatles US TV
debut. Gary Frenay (rhythm guitar/bass) and Arty Lenin
(lead guitar) have been friends for over 30 years,
playing in various bands including The Flashcubes
and working with the likes of U2, The Police and The
Ramones. In fact in the 70’s they were friends with
a local drummer called Joe English. Joe later joined
Wings – apparently Macca thought he had a hip last
name! Guitarist Dave Novak was a teenager when he
attended the historic Shea Stadium concert and caught
the Beatle bug. Dave’s been playing ever since, and
with Paul Davie (bass/piano) and Dave Miller (drums)
completing the line-up, The Fab Five have recently
played with Joey Molland of Badfinger and Terry Sylvester
of The Hollies & The Swinging Blue Jeans.We welcome
The Fab Five from Liverpool NYto Liverpool, England!
FAB FOUR
 Every
year Charles F. Rosenay!!! brings a large group of
Beatlefans across to Liverpool from America, accompanied
by a band which hasn’t played at Beatleweek before.
This week the lucky Magical History Tour crew have
spent time in Hamburg & London prior to arriving
in Liverpool and they’ve been entertained every step
of the way by The Fab Four. The Fab Four have performed
to audiences all over the world including Japan, Malaysia,
Hong Kong, Mexico and Brazil and have spent much of
this year playing regular engagements at the Hilton
Las Vegas. The band’s founding members are Ardy Sarraf,
who is one of the most critically acclaimed Paul McCartney
impersonators in the world, and Ron McNeil, who, as
a youngster, was first inspired to follow in the footsteps
of his hero John Lennon after seeing the Broadway
show Beatlemania in 1979. Ardy and Ron joined forces
in 1998 and were soon joined by talented lead guitarist
Michael Amador as George Harrison and Beatles tribute
band veteran Rolo Sandoval as Ringo Starr. They played
to 60,000 fans at a football stadium in Buenos Aires
and have been honoured to play twice at the famed
Hollywood Bowl, where the Beatles first played 40
years ago this month. In fact, The Fab Four recreated
both that 1964 and the 1965 Beatles concert on the
very same stage in May 2001, having previously appeared
on the same bill as Sir George Martin at the
venue in 1999. They’re thrilled to be playing in the
birthplace of the Beatles, and we’re certain that
you’ll be just as thrilled when you see them play!!
GEORGE
HARRYS SON
 Last
year at Beatle Week Gav notched up a massive total
of fourteen gigs in three different guises and won
audiences over with his natural wit and charm (Well
he is from Liverpool so what did you expect?). Gav
celebrated George Harrison’s solo career by recreating
‘The Rock Legends Tour’ of 1991 in Chavasse Park on
the Saturday with his own band ‘George Harry’s Son’.
They performed a memorable set, one of the highlights
being their blistering rendition of ‘Isn’t It A Pity’.
They reprised the set in front of a capacity crowd
in the Cavern on Monday. ‘George Harry’s Son’ make
a welcome return to Beatle Week albeit with a slightly
different line-up. Gav is again joined by Richard
Smith, with his unique style and superb slide guitar
playing; Richie ‘the Sticks’, as he is known, still
providing the steady beat, and Kate Cave providing
backing vocals alongside new addition to the band;
Paula McCool. On keyboards this year is John, and
on bass a new, but familiar face in the line-up is
Gav’s fellow British Export member Paul Lynch. In
2003, hot on the heels of his success in the park
Gav provided the George content at Saturday evenings
‘Unplugged’. Forget ‘Hell’s Kitchen’, The American
Bar was the hottest place in town that night. Gav
notched up two notable firsts during the gig; he gave
us the first ever Beatle Week performance of George
Harrison’s ‘Pirate Song’, and he became the first
Beatle Week artist to cover a track from George’s
latest album ‘Brainwashed’ with ‘Devil and The Deep
Blue Sea’. Since last year’s Beatle Week Gav has been
busy working with British Export, not only fitting
in another tour of South Korea but also appearing
on several American television programmes when the
40th Anniversary of the Beatles first US visit was
celebrated earlier this year. He has enjoyed
another busy summer, culminating in Abbey Road on
the River in Cleveland where he performed with Tim
Piper in the Fantasy Reunion concert. You’d think
that was enough for most people but Gav is a talented
musician in his own right playing a range of instruments
and writing his own songs. Recently he has been
busy recording his original material and his
debut CD will be available soon.
Dios
Salve A La Reina
 Dios
Salve A La Reina or God Save the Queen is Argentina’s
most popular Queen tribute band. This four-piece group
formed in 1998 in Rosario, Argentina, and their reputation
has continued to grow since then with ever increasing
popularity in South America, and a highly successful
recent visit to the UK and Europe. In fact, following
their amazing concerts as part of our Easter Eggman
Weekend, we just knew we had to get Dios Salve a
la Reina back for Beatle Week! Queen are certainly
one of the greatest bands of all time, and with such
a rich catalogue of songs to chose from, Dios Salve
A La Reina’s concerts are packed full of classics.
Pablo Padín is Freddie Mercury… and we don’t just
mean he plays the role of the Queen front man – he
really becomes Freddie on-stage! With guitarist extraordinaire
Francisco Calgaro as Brian May, Matías Albornoz in
Roger Taylor’s seat behind the drum kit and Ezequiel
Tibaldo as the ever cool bassist John Deacon, the
band are able to play songs that Queen never really
played live. One of the sets highlights, unsurprisingly,
is the 1975 number one Bohemian Rhapsody… their performance
is just astonishing. Whatever you do, however many
of the other bands you see this year, make sure you
make time to see one of Dios Salve A La Reina’s shows.
As the band say, "Our aim is to rock the audience
and make them feel they’re seeing Freddie Mercury
and Queen live", and you’d be Stone Cold Crazy
to miss them! Why are they playing Beatle Week? Bill
Heckle has two answers, one, Queen played The Cavern
so it is relevant, but maybe the real answer could
be that Bill thinks they are one of the greatest tribute
bands of all time.
GREEN VILLAGE
On 6th July
1957 John met Paul and soon after invited him to join
his band The Quarry Men. Just a few months older than
Lennon and McCartney were on that historic day, the
three members of Green Village are only 18 and
already two of them have followed in Lennon’s footsteps
having played at Quarry Bank School back in 2000 when
Beatle Week regulars will remember them
as Two Of Us. Mind you, Joel and Rasmus Ek did
start playing and singing together at the age
of 5 so they’ve already been together longer
than The Beatles! The cousin’s return to Liverpool
with their Stockholm High School friend Andreas
Westerlund, and with a new name; Green Village.
The trio cover every aspect of the Fabs career
from early Beatles to the latest Paul
McCartney songs, as well as writing their own
material, which they will be releasing on CD
very soon. All three are very excited to be
invited to this years Beatles festival. Rasmus and
Joel know from experience how much fun it is, and
Andreas has heard all about it from them! Catch
Green Village throughout the weekend at the Cavern
Club and Pub.
HAL BRUCE
 Celebrating
his fifth consecutive appearance at Beatle Week, Canadian
Hal Bruce arrives in Liverpool following a successful
year that has seen him attending Beatles festivals
all over the world! He attended the first Australian
Festival, along with The Mersey Beatles and The Beatels,
in Adelaide in June, and earlier this month played
at Cleveland’s Abbey Road On The River, where one
of his four concerts was a one hour non-stop 209 song
Beatles medley . . . in order of release, in the original
keys etc, and all alternating between an acoustic
guitar and a piano! He is due to perform this amazing
medley on the Yellow Submarine Podium in Church Street
on Monday. It’s certainly a first, as far as we know!
But how did this guy from Nova Scotia become one of
the world’s greatest solo Beatles performers? Well,
Hal saw The Beatles on Ed Sullivan and formed his
first band shortly after at the age of 14, having
purchased a $10 pawnshop guitar! He fronted a full-time
band for many years before beginning a solo career
in 2000. He has since released two Beatles tribute
CD’s: "In My Life …" in 2002, was followed
this year by "I Will …" with Hal performing
all vocals (lead and background), guitars and bass
on all the tracks. Hal Bruce’s outstanding talent
has won him many Canadian music awards, and
we’re always thrilled to welcome this fantastic musician
back to Beatle Week.
INSTANT
KARMA
 Any
body at Chavasse Park last year on the Saturday would
probably agree with me if I said "It was the
highlight of the week!" It was more like
a comedy sketch with Yoko (Victoria Sharpe) confirming
her love of John at every opportunity! We can all
feel free to express our love and thanks to Jon (as
in Keats) for his (almost) unrivalled input into our
annual shenanigans. He has of course been a
stalwart (look it up Jon, it means you are no spring
chicken!) of Beatle Week for many, many, many years.
He brings a spark and a twinkle to the proceedings
and I suppose he will have etched upon his memorial
the simple epitaph ‘Serve yourself’, cos that’s what
he is going to be remembered for. Jon is now a successful
entrepeneur (he can go into the preneur whenever
he likes!) with his Blundell Street Empire of restaurants
and bars. His enthusiasm and drive have helped make
Blundell Street a huge local success story.
But it is in the guise of ‘Our John’ that Jon really
excels and he brings to the party those vital, genuine
Liverpool ingredients that cannot be mimicked. You’ve
either got it or you haven’t and Jon definitely has
it! This year after eleven and a half months without
practice, he brings to us the first Beatle Week Bed-Inn
at the Adelphi.God knows what it’s gonna be about,
he won’t say cos I don’t think he’s sure himself yet.
One thing is for sure, it will be irreverent, dead
funny and it will capture the essence of the great
man. It is also a welcome return for Yoko and i am
sure this will be a highlight of the whole weekend.
So, join John and Yoko in the main lounge at 2.00am
(Friday into Saturday) for a real treat. If you can’t
stay up for that catch Jon with his band, Instant
Karma at the Mathew Street festival. Bring your pj’s.
JAN OWEN
 Like
many musicians and Beatle fans in the United States,
Jan Owen’s life was changed 40 years ago when The
Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. Say’s Jan;
"I knew I wanted to become a musician when I
saw that," and he spent his teenage years developing
his guitar skills in his first band performing regularly
in an exotic dance lounge – the gig with the topless
dancers ended when a TV repairman recognised Jan in
front of his Dad! Jan is now a solo performer and
brings his highly acclaimed one-man ‘Fab Fouray’ show
to Liverpool for the first time. He comes very highly
recommended – having won two successive Beatlefest
sound-alike contests. His energetic sets include songs
that would be challenge enough for a four-piece band,
let alone a solo guitarist. At his shows throughout
Beatle Week you can look forward to I’m Only Sleeping,
where he ‘sings’ the backwards guitar lick; the entire
Abbey Road Medley and most amazingly A Day In The
Life, with Jan simulating the 42-piece orchestral
crescendo on his acoustic guitar a truly impressive
performance which has to be seen to be believed. Jan
is also a songwriter and has penned over 40 songs.
His CD, available at his shows throughout the festival,
features his most requested Beatles covers, some great
classic songs by the likes of Eric Clapton, Elvis
Costello, Donovan and Elton John as well as several
of his own excellent compositions. Make sure you check
Jan Owen out!
JOHNNY
SILVER
 In
October 1973 John Lennon left Yoko Ono and went on
his ‘lost weekend’. Hanging out in LA with Keith Moon
and Ringo Starr, John dated May Pang and they spent
15 months partying and making music. Lennon released
his Phil Spector produced ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ album in
1975. So what better name for a band who knows how
to party, and loves to rock and roll than ‘Lost Weekend’,
which is exactly what Johnny Silver’s calling his
band this year. Johnny, who also performs with The
Silver Beatles, first got together with the band in
1999 and they became the Lennon Revival. Featuring
Mike Doring (vocals, lead/rhythm guitar & keyboards),
Andy Sindt (bass), Rick Pohlman (drums) and Chris
Alexander (keyboards), the band have played at all
of the major Beatle Week events including Strawberry
Fields in 1998, the Casbah in 1999, Quarry Bank School
in 2000 and Live Peace in Chavasse Park last year.
Johnny Silver has had great success with the self-written
and produced musical shows "She Loves You"
and "Yesterday", both of which toured extensively
round Europe. This year he is unveiling a new show
called "A Day In The Life", which is a multimedia
crossover project, devised by Johnny, Mike Doring
and Ian Watts of The Beatalls. Over the last
few years Ian has made numerous trips to Germany to
play with Johnny and the band, and this Beatle Week
he will be joining them on-stage at some shows. Johnny
Silver and Lost Weekend will be at The Rawhide Comedy
Club on Friday, as well as various other venues throughout
the festival. And if you’re reading this programme
on the way home from Beatle Week and you missed their
shows, remember what John Lennon wrote in the sleeve
notes of that ‘Lost Weekend’ album … "You Should
Have Been There." Dr Winston O’ Boogie.
KAPPA
Are you
ready to rock? Kappa certainly are and you’d better
hold on tight if you want to join them for a ride
through some of the best rock and roll to come out
of Liverpool in many years. Known as ‘The Amazing
Kappa’, there is no doubting the validity of this
moniker afteryou’ve witnessed their show. Fronted
by guitar supremo Paul Kappa, the band performs his
original songs and currently has a residency at the
Cavern Club. Bass player Martin Byrne and drummer
Tony O’Keeffe have both worked with other local bands,
and together they provide fantastic backing for Paul’s
songs, showcased perfectlyon the bands debut
album ‘Living @ The End Of The World’, which range
from country style folk-ballads to mid-seventies all-out
rock, suggesting influences including Free, Led Zeppelin,
the Stones, The Byrds and even The White Stripes.
There is absolutely no doubt that Paul Kappa is an
amazing guitarist and his fingers areliked greased
lighting on the fretboard of his beautiful Gretsch
White Falcon. With rave reviews of their first album,
success is surely just around the corner. Catch them
at The Cavern, while you can! If you love him as much
as we do then come back on November 26th at the Royal
Court Theatre for his ‘Guitar hero Show’ – unmissable!
LAWRENCE GILMOUR
 There
is no disputing Lawrence Gilmour’s right to be billed
as the World’s Number One Paul McCartney impersonator.
Even the great man himself looked no further than
Lawrence when he required a lookalike for his video
shoot of ‘No Other Baby’. They hung out together for
several days, shared the same dressing room - sung
together - even had lunch together. As Lawrence said
at the time "I was very impressed with him. I
admired him before but now I admire and respect him
even more. He even took the time to show me a few
things on my own Hofner violin bass. We may never
meet again, but I think I had more than my fair share
with my idol and mentor." Lawrence was a Beatle
Week regular until he moved to the United States 3
years ago and so it’s with great pleasure that we
welcome him back again to this year’s Convention.
He appeared as Macca in ‘Stars in their Eyes’ ten
years ago and has appeared in numerous TV shows since
including TFI Friday and a Channel 4documentary about
the Beatles. He also sang live on LWT’s ‘Best of the
Week’ and Channel 5’s ‘Night Fever’. He is an experienced
and versatile performer, working both as a solo artist
and accompanied by bands including Beatle Week friends
Itchycoo Park, and has performed in large Conventions,
clubs, pubs, holiday camps, theatres, private and
corporate functions all over the world. And, like
|
We’re
eagerly anticipating Working Class Hero’s shows – they’re
a band we’re been trying to get to Beatle Week for ages!
Anyway, they’re finally here and we’re sure it’s going to
be worth the wait. Tim Piper is one of the foremost Lennon
impersonators in the world, so much so that he has been
chosen to portray his hero in TV movies such as E! Network’s
‘Beatles Wives’ and CBS’s ‘The Linda McCartney Story’. Not
only does Tim physically resemble Lennon, he sounds uncannily
like him too, and he and his band Working Class Hero have
been invited to play at many celebrity parties including
lifelong Beatles fan Tom Hanks 10th Anniversary and celebrations
at the homes of Tom Cruise and Steve Spielberg. Tim also
portrays John in a Beatles tribute band called Revolution,
along with bass-playing brother Greg Piper. They created
Working Class Hero in 1999, joining up with Gretsch
aficionado Don Butler on guitar. Don, who is well respected
in the guitar community, is actively involved in both
the Rickenbacker and Gretsch online forums, as well as owning
‘Toneman’, a vintage valve/tube amp and guitar service.
The line-up is completed by ace sticksman Les Perez on drums.
Working Class Hero are the only tribute band to have performed
at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, where they
celebrated John Lennon’s birthday in 2001. Cheered and acclaimed
everywhere they play, there is no doubt that the Beatle
Week audience will give Working Class Hero the rapturous
reception they deserve.