Ultimate Beatles

Last updated
Ultimate Beatles (UK Beatles tribute band)
Origin London, England
Genres Rock
Beatles Tribute UK
Years active2001–present
Associated acts The Forgers
The Strange Doors
Website Ultimate Beatles
MembersGrant Van Funkle
Max Wurr
Cliff Smith
Matt McLaughlin

Ultimate Beatles is a UK Beatles tribute band/tribute act based in London/greater London.

Contents

The band was formed in 2001 and since then has performed over 1,000 shows to audiences across the UK and internationally, including performances in Holland, Ireland, France, Latvia, and Beirut.

The band performs using authentic instruments, equipment, and costumes to represent the Beatles’ key eras, and draws from a large repertoire of hits by the Beatles when tailoring gigs for audiences.

Show Format

For big ticketed events such as Boogie in the Park (at which the band performed in 2005) or large venues like the Emirates, the band performs an original 2 hour theatrical production that consists of two, three, or four sets of Beatles classics, and involves two, three or four costume changes respectively. The band’s striking authenticity was noted following a theatrical performance in 2015:

“Polished as their musical delivery was, it was far from sterile. Their on-stage chemistry was akin to that of the original foursome, with John and Paul bickering, John teasing George and everyone piling in on Ringo.” (emphasis added). [1]

Members of the Band

Grant Van Funkle (John Lennon) - guitar, keyboards, and vocals
Max Wurr (Paul McCartney) - bass, keyboards, and vocals
Cliff Smith (George Harrison) - guitar and vocals
Matt McLaughlin (Ringo Starr) – drums, percussion, and vocals.

Recent notable performances

The band has performed for a large number of celebrities, including: Ian Botham, Denise Lewis, and Tim Rice. Krishnan Guru-Murthy said of the band, after their performance at his wedding in 2005: "[they] blow other Beatles tribute bands out of the water."

"I think my favourite famous person who we’ve entertained is Anna Friel." Van Funkle aka Lennon said in an interview in 2015, “She took to the stage when we were singing and was doing some very sexy dancing. She was a lot of fun.”. [2]

In 2008 the band headlined at the Box Moor Trust's biennial music festival, 'Music on the Moor', in front of an audience of 3000.

On 25 September 2013, the band performed Beatles hits on an episode of The One Show, which featured two Beatles fans reuniting after 40 years. The band appeared alongside other guests Mel C and Ronnie Corbett. [3] [4]

On 30 January 2014, the band performed live for Iain Lee on BBC Radio Three Counties [5]

Related Research Articles

Ringo Starr British musician, drummer for the Beatles

Sir Richard Starkey, better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame during the 1960s as the drummer for the Beatles. He occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, usually for one song on each album, including "Yellow Submarine", "With a Little Help from My Friends" and their cover of "Act Naturally". He also wrote and sang the Beatles' songs "Don't Pass Me By" and "Octopus's Garden", and is credited as a co-writer of others.

With a Little Help from My Friends 1967 song written by Lennon-McCartney

"With a Little Help from My Friends" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and sung by drummer Ringo Starr, his lead vocal for the album. As the second track on the album, it segues from the applause of the title track.

All Those Years Ago 1981 single by George Harrison

"All Those Years Ago" is a song by English musician George Harrison, released in May 1981 as a single from his album Somewhere in England. Having previously recorded the music for the song, Harrison tailored the lyrics to serve as a personal tribute to his former Beatles bandmate John Lennon, following the latter's murder in 1980. Ringo Starr is featured on drums, and Paul McCartney overdubbed backing vocals onto the basic track. The single spent three weeks at number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100, behind "Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes, and it peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart. It also topped Canada's RPM singles chart and spent one week at number 1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary listings.

The Bootleg Beatles

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We Can Work It Out

"We Can Work It Out" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon. It was first issued as a double A-side single with "Day Tripper" in December 1965. It also appeared on the 1966 US release "Yesterday and Today". The release marked the first time in Britain that both tracks on an artist's single were promoted as joint A-sides. The song was recorded during the sessions for the band's Rubber Soul album. The single was number 1 in Britain, America, Australia, Canada and Ireland. In the UK, it was the seventh highest selling single of the 1960s.

<i>Beatlemania</i> (musical)

Beatlemania was a Broadway musical revue focused on the music of the Beatles as it related to the events and changing attitudes of the tumultuous 1960s. A "rockumentary," advertised as "Not the Beatles, but an incredible simulation," it ran from May 1977 to October 1979 for a total of 1,006 performances.

Words of Love

"Words of Love" is a song written by Buddy Holly and released as a single in 1957.

Honey Dont

"Honey Don't" is a song written by Carl Perkins, originally released on January 1, 1956 as the B-side of the "Blue Suede Shoes" single, Sun 234. Both songs became rockabilly classics. Bill Dahl of Allmusic praised the song saying, "'Honey Don't' actually outclasses its more celebrated platter-mate in some ways." It has been covered by more than 20 other artists, including the Beatles, Ronnie Hawkins and Johnny Rivers. The song has appeared in the films Prince of Tides, Diner, and Perfect Sisters.

"Till There Was You" is a show tune written in 1950 by Meredith Willson, originally entitled "Till I Met You." It was originally recorded October 25, 1950 by Meredith Willson & his Orchestra and Eileen Wilson. The song was retitled and used in his musical play The Music Man (1957), and which also appeared in the 1962 movie version. It is sung by librarian Marian Paroo to "Professor" Harold Hill toward the end of Act Two.

"I Wanna Be Your Man" is a Lennon–McCartney-penned song recorded and released as a single by the Rolling Stones, and then recorded by the Beatles. The song was primarily written by Paul McCartney, and finished by Lennon and McCartney in the corner of a room while Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were talking.

I Saw Her Standing There

"I Saw Her Standing There" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles credited to Paul McCartney and John Lennon, but written primarily by McCartney. It is the opening track on the band's 1963 debut album Please Please Me.

<i>Birth of the Beatles</i> 1979 biopic film directed by Richard Marquand

Birth of the Beatles is a 1979 biographical film, produced by Dick Clark's company and directed by Richard Marquand. The film was released into cinemas worldwide except in the United States, where it was shown as a TV film on ABC. The film focuses on the early history of the Beatles. It was released nine years after the announced break-up of the Beatles themselves, and is the only Beatles biopic to be made while John Lennon was still alive. Pete Best, the Beatles' original drummer, served as a technical advisor for the production.

<i>Magical Mystery Tour</i> (film)

Magical Mystery Tour is a 1967 British made-for-television musical film directed by and starring the Beatles. It is the third film that starred the band and depicts a group of people on a coach tour who experience strange happenings caused by magicians. The premise was inspired by Ken Kesey's Furthur adventures with the Merry Pranksters and the then-popular coach trips from Liverpool to see the Blackpool Lights. Paul McCartney is credited with conceptualising and leading the project.

"I'm the Greatest" is a song written by English musician John Lennon that was released as the opening track of the 1973 album Ringo by Ringo Starr. With Starr, Lennon and George Harrison appearing on the track, it marks the only time that three former Beatles recorded together between the band's break-up in 1970 and Lennon's death in 1980. Lennon wrote the song in December 1970 as a wry comment on his rise to fame, and later tailored the lyrics for Starr to sing. Named after one of Muhammad Ali's catchphrases, the song partly evokes the stage-show concept of the Beatles' 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

The Fab Faux

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The Fest for Beatles Fans Biannual American music festival

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The Beatles' 1965 tour of the United Kingdom was a concert tour that took place between 3 and 12 December 1965, comprising 18 shows at nine venues across England, Scotland and Wales. It coincided with the release of the Beatles' studio album Rubber Soul and their double A-side single "Day Tripper" / "We Can Work It Out", and was the final UK tour undertaken by the band. Weary of Beatlemania, the group conceded to do the tour but refused to also perform a season of Christmas concerts as they had done over the 1963–64 and 1964–65 holiday seasons.

References

  1. Dorset Echo. "The Ultimate Beatles, Weymouth Pavilion: Paying the Ultimate tribute to Fab Four" . Retrieved 23 January 2015.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  2. Joanna Davis, Telegraph & Argus (9 January 2015). "The Fab Four return to Dorset with their Ultimate Beatles tour".
  3. BBC. "The One Show, 25/09/2013" . Retrieved 25 September 2013.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  4. BBC, Youtube (25 September 2013). "ULTIMATE BEATLES, UK Beatles Tribute band on The One Show".
  5. BBC Three Counties Radio. "The Ultimate Beatles pop in for a singsong!" . Retrieved 30 January 2014.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)