Review by Donna Jackson
The official book launch for Angie McCartney's memoirs took place at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Hall last night.
As well as containing memories of her fascinating life, the book, "My Long and Winding Road: the first 82.9 Years" contains a selection of family photographs, many of which feature Paul.
The book is sure to be of interest to many Beatle fans and we are delighted to announce that we have
FIVE copies to give away in a forthcoming competition so
WATCH THIS SPACE for a full review of the book and the competition details!
The magic of Beatles music is such that it is guaranteed to get the room rocking and last night was no exception! Bands from around the world entertained the crowd with a selection of songs from the Beatles' full catalogue.
The Tetrads from Japan opened the show and they were absolutely adorable! Even though their knowledge of English is limited, they each made a speech thanking the crowd and expressing their joy at being in Liverpool. They performed songs from the early years including Love Me Do, Roll Over Beethoven and I'll Get You with energy and enthusiasm. It was clear that they loved the music, and it was impossible not to love them back!
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The Tetrads
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The Backwards from Slovakia and Pangea from the Czech Republic represented Europe with more songs from the concert years. Pangea, who are Beatle Week favourites, opened the second half of the night's celebration with a lively performance and their musical talent was evident, particularly when 'George' switched to the 12-string guitar for If I Needed Someone.
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Pangea from the Czech Republic |
The final Beatle tribute band to take the stage was The Fab Beatles from the UK. In addition to performing a selection of songs from the Beatles 'studio years', they recreated the Apple Rooftop Concert in honour of the 44th anniversary.
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The Fab Beatles |
In between each band, the big screen showed video clips featuring selections from the book with voice-overs from both Angie and Ruth McCartney, although these did seem to drift into infomercials for Angie's tea business.
The part of last night's celebration that promised the most, but perhaps ended up being the most disappointing, was the discussion panel between Angie, Freda Kelly (the secretary of the Beatles Fan Club), Billy Hatton of the Fourmost (the band who supported the Beatles for Ringo's first performance at Hulme Hall), and Kevin Roach (in the opinion of the BBFC, the best and most reputable Beatles historian in Liverpool). Unfortunately, because of time pressures, the discussion was limited to one question from each of the panellists to Angie. Speaking personally, I would have rather had one less band on the bill, and more time for a proper discussion between four people who, between them, could have provided some fascinating and intriguing insight into the one and only Fab Four!
Still, it was a night to remember and, if you missed out last night, it's not too late! Tickets are still available for tonight's performance! Click
HERE for more information and to buy tickets.
And, even if you can't make it to Liverpool, you needn't miss out! The show is being streamed live from the Philharmonic's website. Follow
this link after 7.30pm tonight and click on 'Watch'.