IT'S a competitive market The Beatles tribute circuit, like a battle between Lennon and McCartney to have all their songs included on one of the Fab Four's many masterpieces.
There's The Bootleg Beatles, Beatnix, The Fab Four, The Australian Beatles, just to name a few.
Cashed up baby boomers love their nostalgia, not to mention subsequent generations of music fans who have been seduced by the magic of John, Paul, George and Ringo.
The latest shot of Beatlemania arrived at Wests NEX in Newcastle on Thursday night, not in the form of another gaudy tribute show, but a celebration of the Liverpool greats' music.
To mark the 50-year anniversary of Abbey Road, the foursome of Kram (Spiderbait), Davey Lane (You Am I), Darren Middleton (Powderfinger) and Mark Wilson (Jet) formed the supergroup of Australian '90s and early 2000s bands, known as ARC, to perform the last album The Beatles recorded in its entirety.
If that idea sounds familiar, you'd be right. In 2008 Phil Jamieson (Grinspoon), Tim Rogers (You Am I), Josh Pyke and Chris Cheney (The Living End) delivered a 40-year anniversary performance of The Beatles' White Album. They revisited the show to mark the golden jubilee of the double record last year.
Undoubtedly ARC lack the star power of their predecessors. Whereas the White Album foursome are all frontmen, only Kram is the lead singer of his band.
So ARC's point of difference from the White Album show was to perform Abbey Road as an actual live band, rather than as four individual frontmen backed by a "rock orchestra".
Even frontman Ashley Naylor, vocalist Linda Bull and drummer Brett Wolfenden rounded out the band and took lead vocals on several songs, but were bizarrely absent from any pre-gig promotion.
After a shaky start on Come Together, where Kram muddled up the third verse, ARC hit their stride as Naylor guided the three-quarter full NEX through George Harrison's magnificent Something.
The other early show-stoppers where Bull's soulful rendition of Oh Darling and the dramatic freak out of I Want You (She's So Heavy). It's absolute tragedy the world never heard John Lennon perform that live.
Kram described himself as a "cardinal of The Beatles", but said Lane is the "the pope." Undoubtedly the You Am I lead guitarist was the most enthusiastic member of ARC as he constantly bounced around the stage ripping out his finest Harrison guitar licks with an occasional Pete Townsend windmill added to the mix.
The multi-tracked harmony of Because is Abbey Road's most challenging moment and it proved beyond ARC and even the soulful vocal of Bull.
Wolfenden or "Wolfie" provided the humour when he jumped out from behind the drum kit to perform Ringo Starr's Octopus Garden in an almost cabaret style. Wolfenden looked the part too with his moustache and mop top.
As Kram commented, "Wolfie is the only member of our entourage who looks like an actual Beatle." Think Ringo circa Sgt Pepper.
Abbey Road's second-half medley was thrilling, and hearing it performed live only emphasised the brilliance of Paul McCartney.
With Abbey Road and the intermission complete, ARC returned to the stage to take the audience backwards from 1969 to their 1962 debut single Love Me Do.
Rather than punching out all The Beatles' biggest hits, there was a focus on their personal favourites and some of the Fab Four's most innovative moments.
Middleton outed himself as a McCartney acolyte when he sang I Will, Kram kept the Lennon vibe going on I Am Walrus and Lane provided the psychedelic haze of Tomorrow Never Knows.
The NEX audience was frustratingly reserved for the majority of the show, despite Kram's constant urgings. This crowd was a tad older than a Spiderbait one after all.
However, Hey Jude, led by Bull, finally got some folks singing.
Without a doubt the most amazing moment of the show was Lane's solo acoustic version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps. To fully showcase his Beatle-nerdiness, Lane even performed Harrison's alternative lyrics which appear on the Anthology 3 album.
You could have heard a pin drop. Lane commanded the room. It was breath-taking.
By the time ARC reached The Beatles mop top phrase with Help the crowd finally reached their feet.
It was followed by A Hard Day's Night (dedicated to Jackie Newton, the wife of Newcastle golf legend Jack, who actually appeared as an extra in The Beatles' 1964 film debut), It Won't Be Long, Please Please Me and Love Me Do.
Great songs and top musicians, it was almost enough to get NEX twisting and shouting. Almost.
Josh Leeson
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
