Fab news! Dundee to host Scottish Beatles Weekend

Calling all fans of the Fab Four! It's been a few months in the planning, but Rocktalk can finally reveal that Scotland's first-ever annual Beatles convention — and the only one in the UK outside of Liverpool — is being held in Dundee.

By Alan Wilson, Rocktalk writer
Published in the Courier : 17.03.11
Published online : 17.03.11 @ 12.47pm

Around a dozen Beatles tribute bands, covering all "eras" of the Liverpool group's decade-long career, have been confirmed for the Scottish Beatles Weekend in August, including headliners The Cavern Beatles from Liverpool, one of the UK's leading stage tribute bands.

They're joined by BeApple from Holland, The Choking Smokers from France and Them Beatles from Glasgow. Add in Dundee's own Tripper, Ringer and Revolver — all of whom have performed at Beatles Week in Liverpool — and it's a fantastic line-up for fans of all ages.

From Love Me Do to Let It Be, the be-suited moptops to the psychedelia of Pepper, Wings to the Plastic Ono Band, hundreds of Lennon/McCartney songs will be performed over the weekend of August 12 to 14.

The weekend will centre on a full day of live music in Fat Sam's on Saturday, August 13, featuring some of the world's top Beatles bands, including a two-hour headline show by The Cavern Beatles.

A limited amount of early bird tickets for the Saturday only go on sale at Groucho's and Duke's Corner, plus Fat Sam's website, from Friday, priced at only £15.

The weekend will also host a number of free fringe events in Duke's Corner, kicking off on the Friday with Glasgow's Them Beatles and concluding on Sunday evening with more live performances from some very special surprise guests. The weekend will also feature a Lennon v McCartney play, the Scottish premiere of Let Him Be, a film from Vancouver, exhibitions and talks by guest artists, including the musician and actor from Liverpool, Sam Bell, who played George Harrison in the hit movie Nowhere Boy.

Sam is a massive fan of The View, so he's hoping to meet up with Dundee's own "fab four" when he appears over the weekend.

The brainchild of Ross Nicoll of Dundee's Revolver, the event is being organised by Ross and fellow Dundee musician Lorraine Wilson, in conjunction with Rocktalk, Fat Sam's and Duke's Corner.

Ross said, "Over the past two years, I've been lucky enough to have performed at festivals like this one all over the world with Revolver. The idea of bringing an event like this to Dundee had been in my head for a long time, but it was returning from our trip to Belgium last October that really spurred things on.

"We've got a great little committee together now, and it's amazing how quickly things are starting to take shape. It's something i'm very passionate about, so have invested every spare hour to try and get it off the ground.

"Everyone we've approached so far has been really enthusiastic and we've managed to get an excellent line-up with world-class musicians from all over the world coming to be a part of it.

"As well as my own band Revolver, the other local bands Tripper and Ringer feature members with a lifetime of musical experience and have appeared in various forms at Beatle Week for almost 30 years.

"It's impossible to contemplate a Beatles Weekend in Scotland without their presence. Featuring Beatle Week Hall of Fame members, and touring full-time musicians, these are two local bands whose input and experience is invaluable.

"We're also arranging a number of extra exhibitions and guests to be announced in the lead-up to the festival, so there's a wide range of entertainment on the day — from live music, film, photography and guest speakers.

"I've already had enquiries from fans in Europe, USA and even an expat in Australia asking for details, so we're confident the event will have a truly international appeal. Hopefully the event will prove popular, as the aim is to grow it into an annual one."

As well as the gigs in the two venues, Ross and Revolver will be recreating the classic Beatles Apple "rooftop" gig, on top of a building at Dundee University, to promote the weekend.

Also playing over the weekend are The Getback Band from Dunfermline, another regular performer at International Beatle Week, The Beatelles, an all-female group from Liverpool, and Wings tribute act, Bingo Wings, plus more local and international acts to be announced.

Ross added, "We're giving Dundonians a little head start with the early bird tickets announcement today. We feel that £15 is a fantastic bargain for a full day's entertainment from some of the best acts in the world. Full-price tickets will be on sale in a few weeks at £20."

Remember the Duke's Corner events are free and not ticketed, so are purely on a first-come, first-served basis.

A new website at www.scottishbeatlesweekend.com will be fully up and running soon, but you can already sign up for a newsletter there.

More line-up announcements will be made through Rocktalk over the coming weeks and you can also follow progress on the Facebook page and on Twitter.

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