Meet the next-best Beatles

Thai fans of the Beatles got a real treat on Monday night when the Bootleg Beatles performed at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, an evening packed with iconic tunes and memorable costumes.
Arriving at the show expecting “just another cover band”, we were surprised to see how elaborate the two-hour show was. The Bootleg Beatles redefine the term “tribute band”, maintaining an extraordinarily high standard, starting from the casting of the musicians.
They not only know the Beatles songbook by heart, they resemble the actual Fab Four. They went through a series of costume changes corresponding to the Beatles shifting style over the years, and when they spoke to the audience, well, that Liverpool accent sure sounded authentic to us. Even the mannerisms were spot-on.
Knowing the audience would be drawing comparisons all night long, the four Bootlegs evidently did their homework. All of them devoted Beatles fans since childhood, they’d clearly put in years of practice, studying not just the records but the old film footage too and then combining the skills of musicians and actors to look and sound just like their Merseyside heroes.
Anyone unwittingly stumbling into the theatre might have thought the actual Beatles had arrived in Bangkok via a time machine.
Looks aside, they are terrific musicians and performed with heart as well as authenticity.
The first half of the show traced the Beatles early days from 1963 to 1966 and included stage-shaking hits like “A Hard Day’s Night”, “Eight Days a Week”, “She Loves You”, “I Saw Her Standing There” and “Can’t Buy Me Love”. The Bangkok Symphony Orchestra joined in for an ethereal rendering of “Yesterday”.
Adam Hastings as John Lennon kept up the witty banter and Steve White as Paul McCartney (a right-hander accurately playing the bass left-handed) bobbed his head endearingly. Andre Barreau as George Harrison gave that trademark leg shake and Hugo Degenhardt as Ringo Starr kept grinning all the while.
After a short break, the Bootleg Beatles reappeared in the multicolour military tunics of the Sgt Pepper era and played not only that tune but also “I Am the Walrus”, “Penny Lane”, “All You Need is Love” and “With a Little Help from My Friends” (the last with Hugo/Ringo singing). There was a noticeable modernisation in the sound, again accurately capturing the more sophisticated effects of the late 1960s and another example of the smaller details that tribute bands tend to overlook.
Another change of outfits and the band was into the final parade of hits, among them “Come Together”, “Here Comes the Sun” and “Hey Jude”.
The Bootleg Beatles assembled in 1980 and are among the world’s longest-lived and most successful tribute bands. (The current Bootlegs are the second “generation” of members.) They’ve performed some 4,000 shows around the planet, including one occasion with George Harrison himself in the audience – and he evidently enjoyed it.
Proceeds from the Bangkok show went to the Vejdusit Foundation under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana to benefit disabled and underprivileged children.