Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band & Abbey Road – they are, quite simply, the two most iconic albums of rock’s golden age. This August, they will come to life for the first time in history in the hands of a 17-piece band and six of our most accomplished rock performers.
So let us introduce to you –
MARK SEYMOUR: Enigmatic singer-songwriter and mercurial former front man of pub rock legends, Hunters & Collectors, now with a clutch of acclaimed solo albums to his credit.
IRWIN THOMAS (Jack Jones): Powerhouse vocalist / guitarist known for his work with Southern Sons and John Farnham, his solo work and bands Electric Mary and She Said Yes.
JON TOOGOOD: Superb rock vocalist and incandescent front man of Kiwi hard rock juggernaut, Shihad.
RAI THISTLETHWAYTE: Charismatic and electrifying vocalist, classically trained musician and songwriter from Sydney’s Thirsty Merc.
DEAN McGRATH: Singer-guitarist with Triple J-conquering indie pop outfit Hungry Kids of Hungary.
TIM MORRISON: Awe-inspiring rock and roll crooner from power indie rock band Trial Kennedy.
The Beatles Back2Back has been painstakingly arranged by the same musical production team that filled theatres around Australia with The White Album Concert in 2009 and the Let It Be concerts in 2010.
Taking on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road is arguably even more ambitious: the two best-loved albums in The Beatles’ canon range from the unprecedented orchestral grandeur of A Day in the Life and She’s Leaving Home to the raw rock intensity of Come Together and the lyrical beauty of Something.
There will be horns and strings and Indian instruments with the Dilruba, Sitar and Tablas to provide the diverse instrumentations and style of songs like Harrison’s Within You Without You.
The albums will be performed in their entirety, in original song order, including Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, When I’m Sixty-Four, A Little Help from my Friends, Something, Octopus’s Garden, Here Comes the Sun and Golden Slumbers.
“Recreating some of the most elaborate and audacious songs in the Beatles’ catalogue calls for a rare combination of emotional energy, bravado and considerable expertise,” say Back2Back co-producers, Tim Woods and Phil Bathols. “With these six guys, and seventeen handpicked musicians lead by Stewart D’Arrietta and Rex Goh, we reckon we’ve put together an awesome ensemble that will do the songs proud — and that’s saying a lot!”
SECOND CONCERTS ANNOUNCED SYDNEY AND MELBOURNE
Due to popular demand, second concerts in Melbourne at the State Theatre (The Arts Centre), on Thursday, 11 August and Sydney’s State Theatre on Saturday, 13 August will go on sale on at www.ticketmaster.com.au on Monday, 20 June at 9.00 am.
Please note Jon Toogood is not appearing in the second Sydney show.
THE BACKGROUND:
In 1967, Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was the psychedelic explosion of craft and imagination that illuminated all that followed. Recorded in the aftermath of The Beatles’ retirement from touring and at their collaborative peak, it remains a benchmark of studio invention and songwriting expertise, and the definitive statement of the peace/ love era.
In 1969, The Beatles were near collapse under myriad personal and professional pressures. Abbey Road was conceived as an artistic sanctuary and swansong. Its dual character – one side discrete songs, the other a continuous symphony — accommodated the divergent ambitions of Lennon and McCartney and the ascent of George Harrison as their songwriting equal.
For full details and news please go to www.beatlesback2back.com and Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/The-Beatles-Back-to-Back/174348259277421.
THE BEATLES BACK2BACK: Sgt. PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND and ABBEY ROAD
TOUR DATES
Saturday, 6 August – Adelaide Festival Theatre (8.00pm)
Tickets available from www.bass.net.au or 131 246
Sunday, 7 August – Convention Centre, Perth (7.00pm)
Tickets available from www.ticketek.com.au or 132 849
Tuesday, 9 August – QPAC Concert Hall, Brisbane (8.00pm)
Tickets available from www.qpac.com.au or 136 246
Wednesday, 10 August and Thursday, 11 August – State Theatre, Melbourne (8.00pm)
Tickets available from www.theartscentre.com.au 1300182183; www.ticketmaster.com.au or 136 100
Friday, 12 August and Saturday, 13 August – State Theatre, Sydney (8.00pm)
Tickets available from www.ticketmaster.com.au or 1300 139 588
