Bootleg homage to the Fab Four

BEATS: THE Bootleg Beatles will celebrate their 30th anniversary with a UK tour in homage to The Fab Four.

The band — Neil Harrison (John Lennon) David Catlin-Birch (Paul McCartney) Andre Barreau (George Harrison) and Hugo Degenhardt (Ringo Starr) — 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 was born.

Thirty years on, what started as four musicians with black polo necks and a wig has evolved into The Bootleg Beatles’ lauded show which combines note-perfect renditions of The Fab Four’s greatest hits, spectacular costume changes and a stunning video backdrop.

The Bootleg Beatles faithfully re-create six phases of the Beatles meteoric 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. Catch The Bootleg Beatles live at the Manchester Apollo on Saturday.