Monday November 13, 2006
Mersey Beatles for sale
By N. RAMA LOHAN
What would the face of rock music look like if it weren’t for four mop-topped young men from Liverpool? That’s a scary thought but while the Fab Four has long been inducted into the history books, the band’s music survives, not only in software format but played live ? just like John, Paul, George and Ringo did back in their day.
Meet the Mersey Beatles, Liverpool’s No.1 tribute band and resident outfit at the renowned Cavern Club. The band comprises Steven Howard (as Paul McCartney), Jason Murray (as John Lennon), Steven’s younger cousin Dave Howard (as George Harrison) and Brian Ambrose (as Ringo Starr). Attention to detail is the band’s greatest priority, which is why it uses the same instruments (Hofner bass, Gretsch guitars, Vox amps, etc) and plays in the same key as the original Fab Four.
The Mersey Beatles’ stage performance is an accurate recreation of what it was like to watch The Beatles live in concert, from the early Cavern Club performances, through the all-out rocking and wild shows in the clubs of Hamburg, to the sell out theatre tours which inspired Beatlemania.
Unlike many other tribute bands, this foursome was born and bred in Liverpool, for that touch of authenticity.
But why would anyone want to assume someone else’s identity? Or not put their musical ability to more creative use?
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WE’VE GOT A TICKET TO RIDE: The Mersey Beatles are: (from left) Steven Howard (as Paul McCartney), Dave Howard (George Harrison), Brian Ambrose (Ringo Starr) and Jason Murray (John Lennon). |
Tribute bands and acts have always attracted an audience, but what is it exactly that has people singing along joyously or choked up with emotion?
“People come to watch a tribute band to get a flavour of what it was like back then. We see a lot of younger people coming to the Cavern Club now. We’ve even met people who’ve actually seen the Beatles live.
“One of the nicest compliments we’ve received is that people have told us that when they close their eyes, it’s like hearing the real thing,” proceeded Howard.
Though the Beatles themselves never really attempted to play any material from the psychedelic and later period live, the Mersey Beatles do play some of that.
“We first started with the early rock ’n’ roll stuff, because that’s obviously easier to play, but once we became more competent musicians, we started to try the stuff they did later. And many of the songs have keyboards, too, so we have a keyboard player who helps us but we didn’t bring him on this trip,” quipped Murray.
Working out the right configuration in terms of who looked like which Beatle and how everyone adjusted to their roles was a process in itself. Apparently, it didn’t all work out correctly at the start but everyone fitted in after a while.
“In terms of playing the parts musically, everything fell into place perfectly. We all know the parts so well and it’s not like we had to download the lyrics or anything ? we’ve got them all imprinted in our minds,” joked Howard.
During a fund-raising dinner for the National Kidney Foundation hosted by the Sunway Group at the Sunway Lagoon Resort Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, the band comfortably proved why it is invited by the Cavern Club to play there regularly.
The band kicked off with a rousing rendition of I Saw Her Standing There and stormed through a set that included many rock ’n’ roll era Beatles gems like Eight Days a Week, Can’t Buy Me Love, Ticket to Ride and I Wanna Hold Your Hand.
Howard sang with that familiar high-pitched lilt of McCartney’s but it was Murray’s voice and vocal delivery that was hauntingly Lennon. In tandem, the vocal harmonies were all spot on and even drummer Ambrose’s rendition of With a Little Help from My Friends possessed that Starr charm.
Just like the Fab Four
The Mersey Beatles’ faithful replication of Beatles tunes wasn’t just in terms of its performance, but the sound as well. Using most of the classic equipment the Fab Four employed, this Liverpool quartet was able to reproduce the guitar, bass and drum sounds of the original 1960s classics.
Murray’s jibe at Chelsea FC manager Jose Mourinho was a particular source of amusement as he dedicated Nowhere Man to the Portuguese, attesting to football rivalry’s voracious appetite.
Having plied its trade since 1999, it’s no surprise that the Mersey Beatles is a tight unit and its members highly competent musicians. But it was the sense of nostalgia that the band was capable of evoking, which endeared it to the audience in attendance with encores Hey Jude and Twist and Shout almost putting a tear in the eye.
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