Since 1999 The Mersey Beatles have been recreating the sights and sound of the Beatles with a stunningly accurate tribute show - the closest you can get to the excitement of seeing The Beatles in concert. Natural, vibrant, funny and above all very talented musicians, The Mersey Beatles' love of The Beatles music shines through in their portrayal of their home city's most famous sons. The stage presence and sheer fun of the Fab Four is captured in every performance. Like the original Fab Four, The Mersey Beatles were all born in Liverpool and they have represented Liverpool at cultural events around the world.
*The Mersey Beatles are The Cavern's 'official' Beatles tribute band*
The Mersey Beatles formed in 1999, when school friends Steven Howard and Brian Ambrose got together with Steven's cousin David and fellow aspiring musician Jason Murray. Just like their musical role models, their early performances were around the social and cabaret clubs in their home city, including many venues where The Beatles performed.
The buzz they created in the early days soon caught the attention of Cavern City Tours, owners of the world famous Cavern Club and organisers of the annual International Beatles Week. The boys were given a Thursday night residency at The Cavern and have become the headline act at the Beatles Convention at Liverpool's Adelphi Hotel.
The Mersey Beatles are still honoured to be playing regular Thursday nights at The Cavern from 10pm and are well on their way to topping the 294 performances which The Beatles achieved at the club.
News of their success at The Cavern reached Liverpool City Council, who invited them to become the city's official tribute band. The boys have since represented their home town at various events, including the conferences of all three main political parties, investment initiatives and concerts across Europe to attract tourism to the 2008 European Capital of Culture.
Other trips abroad have included the inaugural Australian Beatles Festival in Adelaide and a headline set at the Hard Rock Cafe in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The band have headlined festivals in Mons, Belgium and Denmark's Faroe Islands, and topped the bill at outdoor events in Croatia, Norway, Italy and Germany. They also perform an annual headline set at the Swedish Beatles Festival in Vasteras.
2007 was a big year of anniversaries for Beatle fans - 50 years since John met Paul, 50 years since the Cavern club was launched, 40 years since Brian Epstein died, 40 years since Sgt Pepper was released. It has also been an eventful year for The Mersey Beatles, including some unique opportunities, such as the launch event for Royal Mail's Beatles stamps and a live set at Abbey Road studios.
The night before the official launch of Royal Mail's Beatles stamps, The Beatles Story Museum hosted a party to display the stamps for the world's press. The Mersey Beatles were honoured to play at the launch.
At the world-famous Cavern Club's 50th birthday celebration, The Mersey Beatles headlined an impressive bill of 32 bands in a show lasting 13 hours!
VisitBritain, the country's official tourism website, invited the boys to play at Abbey Road, the world's most famous recording studio. Veteran DJ David "Kid" Jensen hosted the night, and the live music took place in Studio 1. The Mersey Beatles closed the show with a 40 minute set of Beatles classics recorded just a few feet away in Studio 2 all those years ago. The highlight was having unlimited access to Studio 2 for the day, where they breathed the air, took photos, and even wrote a couple of songs when no one else was around.
The band also featured in a series of photos in various Liverpool locations as inspiration for paintings commissioned by Liverpool's new Hard Day’s Night Hotel.
The lads were delighted to play at celebrations to mark fifty years since John met Paul in July 1957, when John's skiffle group, The Quarrymen, played at the Village Fete near his family home in Woolton.
The original Quarrymen played a special concert to begin the Woolton Music Festival, and The Mersey Beatles rounded off the weekend's events.
This year the band has thrilled audiences in England and across Europe with rare performances of their critically acclaimed theatre show. They have been to Dublin, Cannes, Germany, Sweden and Norway, and performed on the QE2.
Watch this space as Liverpool's official Beatles tribute band goes from strength to strength.
4 piece - Male Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Drums (plus, keybaords)
Joe Flannery, The Beatles’ booking manager
When they play in The Cavern, they perfectly recreate the atmosphere that the original Beatles produced. I could close my eyes and it would be like listening to The Beatles again.
Steve Panter (‘Stevie P’), Cavern Club Entertainments Manager
The Mersey Beatles do all the same kind of banter and crowd involvement, but it’s not rehearsed or fake, that’s just how they are. If The Beatles were still going today, they’d be exactly like The Mersey Beatles.
Stan Boardman, Liverpool comedian
The most outstanding Beatles act I've seen....an immaculate performance.
Philip Key, Liverpool Daily Post, July 2007
The Mersey Beatles are the Cavern's house band, recreating the excitement of the original group in an authentic setting. They do not pretend to be lookalikes but they do sound like the band. And rightly so. They are one of the few tribute bands made up entirely of Liverpudlians. Unlike many tribute bands, the line-up has remained constant and they even have a "fifth Beatle", Tony Cook, who in the show slinks on at the back of the stage to play keyboards. He supplies all that orchestral backing that played such a significant role in The Beatles recordings, and Cook works on the arrangements. Meeting the band backstage at The Cavern proved that, like the early Beatles, they are all likeable lads.
Nigel Purves, Ball Organiser, May 2007
Cambridge May Ball crowds are not the easiest of crowds to play to at the best of times, but the Merseys managed to pack out the tent. Almost every single one of the 600 people in there were dancing and singing along to the set.
Rodger Karlson, Sundsvall News, Sweden, March 2006
Do The Mersey Beatles sound better than the real thing, live? All I know is I shivered some when they started the intro last night - a night full of memories at a sold out event. In the early Beatles songs which opened the concert the band is brilliant. The instruments sounded exactly as they should and the voices were in perfect harmony. Even the chat between 'John' and 'Paul' was perfect. All the riffs, every movement every guitar solo and every harmony was perfection. Today The Mersey Beatles could call themselves The 'Perfect' Beatles! They connected with the audience as we were invited on a fascinating two hour journey through a piece of pop history by a band which is something more than other tribute bands. After a short break they started off again in 1967 - here the music changes mood. The Mersey Beatles handled this so well and it all made for an unforgettable night. So we had heard it all before and do we really want to hear it again and again and again? If it's by The Mersey Beatles then the answer is Yeah Yeah Yeah!
N.Rama Lohan, Sunway Hotel, Malaysia, November 2006
The Mersey Beatles is a tight unit of highly competent musicians with great vocal harmonies. Jay Murray's voice was hauntingly "Lennon", Steven Howard sang with that familiar high pitched lilt of "McCartney", Dave Howard performed a beautiful version of George Harrison's classic ballad Something, and even drummer Brian Ambrose's rendition of With A Little Help From My Friends possessed that "Starr" charm. But it was the sense of nostalgia that the band was capable of evoking that really endeared it to the audience with encores Hey Jude and Twist and Shout almost putting a tear in the eye.
Joakim Sparv, Bargslagsbladet, Sweden, March 2006
The Mersey Beatles play with the same guitars and amplifiers as the Beatles used so the audience can hear how they actually sounded. And as it turned out, it sounded incredibly perfect. 'The Mersey Beatles showed that they mastered the whole song catalogue of The Beatles, and played with a fantastic sound.
Liverpool Daily Post, July 2005
Before the evening was out, many Italians had promised to visit Liverpool, if only to see the Mersey Beatles play their fortnightly show at the Cavern Club. Former Birkenhead man Frank Sheridan, who has lived in Pisa for 20 years, said: 'If anybody can attract more people to Liverpool, those guys can. They were brilliant.'
Morecambe Visitor, February 2005
This excellent tribute show...performed each hit remarkably like the original Beatles... 'The harmonies and on-stage presence were excellent... 'Hey Jude 'had the audience cheering for more...'
Southport Visiter, February 2005
... genuine camaraderie, talent and Scouse charm... they have what it takes to set them apart from other Beatles acts...
Buxton Advertiser, February 2005
... their profile has enjoyed an exponential rise from small beginnings on the cabaret and social club circuit to private and public bookings across the UK and abroad, along with regular requests to represent the city as Capital of Culture 2008.
The Mersey Beatles offer the following shows:
Standard Show: Recommended for your local club, family celebration or dinner dance. This quality show is 2 x 45 minute sets of Beatles hits with a costume change and the classic instruments of the early Beatles.
Songs include:
She Loves You
I Want To Hold Your Hand
Twist And Shout
Can't Buy Me Love
Eight Days A Week
All My Loving
And many more.
Deluxe Show: Dance, sing along or just sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds of Beatlemania. Recommended for theatre, corporate events or if you just want something really special. A critically acclaimed 2 x 1 hour set spectacular. The live show The Beatles never gave- a showcase of their entire musical career in one breath-taking performance.
All the early hits are here, PLUS the hits of the later years, including:
Magical Mystery Tour
Sgt Peppers
Lucy In The Sky
Penny Lane
Something
And many more.
With four era costume changes, eight authentic "Beatle" guitars, backdrop and drum front changes, this show can be adapted to suit your event.
The Mersey Beatles Unplugged: An acoustic set for restaurants, trade fairs and intimate venues.
Please Note: The fees indicated below are approximate and based on a central location for each county. They are intended to provide a rough guide only and exact quotes can only be given once the date and exact location of your event have been provided.
