The Mersey Beatles at WorkPlay

There’s a Beatles song for every occasion. Many of us have a fond memory or two tied to a Beatles tune. For quite a few, The Beatles provided the soundtrack to life. If you’re partial to the grainy black and white days of Please Please Me or the vibrant Technicolor of Sgt. Pepper’s, take this opportunity to relive those melodic memories on stage.

On Saturday, February 27, WorkPlay will host The Mersey Beatles, Liverpool’s official tribute to the Fab Four. The band lovingly recreates songs from The Beatles songbook, with a set list spanning their entire journey, from the Cavern Club to the Apple rooftop.

With so many songs to choose from, the band has a revolving setlist of instantly-recognizable hits, unforgettable classics, and some personal favorites thrown in. “You have to be quite ruthless with yourself and play the songs that even the casual Beatles fan will know,” says Steven Howard, who plays Paul McCartney’s role in the band. “In the end, 90% of the audience would be disappointed if you chose say “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road” over “Let It Be,” so you have to get the balance just right.”

During their ten-year tenure at the Cavern Club, The Mersey Beatles drew from nearly the entire Beatles Catalogue, acquainting themselves with an enormous range of songs, from the hits to the deep cuts. “This means that these days, when someone shouts out a request we often break away from the set to accommodate the real Beatles fanatic,” says Howard, “because that’s what we are too, Beatles fans who happen to play too.”

And every Beatles fan can expect to hear the sound that appealed to them in the first place, from the light-hearted early days to the artful trailblazing of the later years. “On this tour, we do at least one song from each of their albums, plus singles,” says Howard, “so we have a good chance of playing something to please everyone.”

The band pursues The Beatles’ revolutionary sounds via replica instruments and amplifiers. “Once you have a Rickenbacker or Gretsch and plug it into a Vox ac30, it’s hard not to get that sound,” says Howard, whose Hofner basses are faithful German reissues and originals.

The trick, of course, would be nailing the vocals. The Mersey Beatles have the unique advantage of all being born and raised in The Beatles’ home town of Liverpool. “We have the accents naturally,” says Howard. “The guitars and amps look after themselves.”

The only omission is forgivable. Even the casual fan may recall that The Beatles’ recordings sometimes featured special effects and audio samples, like jet planes and animal noises. “Now, you can get these effects on backing tracks, but we made a conscious decision that everything the audience hears is being played by a human being live,” says Howard, “so we leave the gimmicks and cut straight to the music.”

On stage, The Mersey Beatles take cues from The Beatle’s classic formation, standing with the three singers up front, drums just behind on a riser. The band’s fifth Mersey Beatle, Tony Cook, handles keyboard duties, as well as the role of Billy Preston for the rooftop set. The night’s setlists are designed to reflect The Beatles’ stylistic progression through their career. They’ll take the stage in suits, recalling the Beatlemania days, then reappear in the colorful Sgt. Pepper getups from the psychedelic era. Please note the band’s uncanny ability to sprout sideburns and mustaches between sets.

Where did the band draw the name “Mersey?” Howard points to the Mersey River, which has long served as Liverpool’s lifeline. As a trade route, sailors have shipped goods to and from the city for generations. In the 20th century, sailors brought rock & roll records up the Mersey. “They would give them out as presents to family and friends,” he says. “In this way, The Beatles and the rest of Liverpool got to hear those great American rock & roll records before anyone else in the UK.”

As rock & roll proliferated through the young minds of Liverpool, the city developed a distinct sound, known as the “Merseybeat.” In the ‘60s, bands like The Beatles and Gerry & The Pacemakers took the city’s beat and shared it with the world.

Now The Mersey Beatles are happy to celebrate their home town sound in tribute. “The best thing about Liverpool is the people, for their humour and resilience, and for their friendliness, and no shortage of talent,” says Howard. “We have singers and writers, artists and poets. It’s all here. We also have a reputation for being a little boastful about our beautiful city and its achievements, and I can’t deny that we are incredibly proud to be from Liverpool.”

Julia Baird, John Lennon’s sister, will be joining the band on their first U.S. tour. The author and director of the Cavern Club has praised The Mersey Beatles’ authenticity in the past, and will introduce the band on tour. After the show, she will sign copies of her book, Imagine This: Growing Up with My Brother John Lennon.

The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available here. WorkPlay is located at 500 23rd Street South, Birmingham, AL, 32533.

You can follow The Mersey Beatles on Twitter.

Image and video courtesy of The Mersey Beatles.