The Bootleg Beatles | |
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 The Bootleg Beatles performing on the Dutch television programmeShowbizzquiz on 14 October 1981 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | Rock music |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Members | Paul Canning Miles Frizzell Stephen Hill Gordon Elsmore |
| Past members | Steve White Tyson Kelly Adam Hastings Hugo Degenhardt Andre Barreau David Catlin-Birch Neil Harrison Rick Rock Paul Cooper Jack Lee Elgood |
| Website | BootlegBeatles.com |
The Bootleg Beatles are aBeatlestribute band. They have performed over 4,000 times since their establishment in March 1980.[1]
The Bootleg Beatles were formed byAndre Barreau,Neil Harrison andDavid Catlin-Birch, fellow London cast members ofBeatlemania, following the final show of theWest End musical.[2] The band invested inEpiphone andGretsch guitars and twoVox amplifiers, four black polo-necks, and a wig.[3]
Their first performance was at a small student gathering inTiverton, Devon, England. Following more low-profile gigs, the band performed a 60-date tour of theSoviet Union;[4] further tours followed in Israel (1982 and 1986), theFar East, and India. In February 1984, they were invited to perform in the United States,[5] to commemorate The Beatles' initial US tour 20 years earlier.
UK success continued to prove elusive. In 1990, the Bootleg Beatles booked 10 shows in cities in which the Beatles had performed in their final UK tour in 1965. A second tour the following year proved more popular. Finally, a gig inSouthampton caught the attention ofOasis, leading to the Bootleg Beatles supporting Oasis atEarls Court andKnebworth. This gave the band a contemporary audience and led to appearances on the European festival circuit.
On 30 January 1999, the band played on the rooftop of3 Savile Row, London, where the Beatlesperformed on the building's roof in 1969. In 2009 the band hoped to mark the 40th anniversary by recreating the performance again, buthealth and safety concerns prevented the appearance.[6]
In 2002, the band played atElizabeth II'sGolden Jubilee Party atBuckingham Palace.[7]
In 2010 the band made their first headline appearance on the Acoustic Stage atGlastonbury Festival. They also made a number of appearances onBBC television, includingThe One & Only,The One Show andI'm in a Rock'n'Roll Band, as well as on theChris Evans Breakfast Show.[8]
Founder memberNeil Harrison left the band in 2011,[9] and was replaced by Adam Hastings.[10] It was announced in September 2012 that longtime memberDavid Catlin-Birch was leaving the group.[11] He was replaced by Steve White.[12]
The band returned to the Acoustic Stage at Glastonbury in 2013,[13]Andre Barreau, the last of the founding members, retired from the band following their performance atHyde Park in London on 13 July 2014.
In 2017,Nigel Osborne (Edinburgh University) was commissioned by theRoyal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra to arrangeSgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band for concerts with the Bootleg Beatles, who performed to capacity crowds at theRoyal Albert Hall[14] andEcho Arena Liverpool.[15][16]
The band made their third appearance on the Acoustic Stage at Glastonbury in 2023,[17] and in 2024 performed at theIsle of Wight Festival,[18] before returning to Glastonbury to perform on the Acoustic Stage atGlastonbury 2024.[19]
Their first meeting was in 1996 atDavid Gilmour's 50th birthday party. Gilmour booked both the Bootleg Beatles and theAustralian Pink Floyd Show as he had "always wanted to have the Beatles support Pink Floyd".[20][21]George Harrison was in the audience and quipped "you probably know the chords better than I do" and "Where's the BootlegBrian Epstein? 'Cos he's got all the money!"[22]
The second meeting was at theParty at the Palace for theGolden Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2002, where McCartney headlined.
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