CULTURE EDITION
T he Swinging 60s was an iconic era for pop culture, synonymous with the miniskirt, Twiggy, the moon landing and, of course, The Beatles. “It was a great decade for music,” says Steve White, who plays the lovable, mop-haired Paul McCartney as part of tribute band The Bootleg Beatles. “I always felt that I was born in the wrong era.” Steve started out playing in a 60s cover band, which evolved into a Beatles tribute. He taught himself to play guitar left-handed like his hero, Paul McCartney. “One day, I got a call from The Bootleg Beatles to ask if I wanted to stand in for their guitarist, who wasn’t well. So I did that, and then played with them off and on for about 12 months before joining the band full time in 2011. I’ve been with The Bootleg Beatles for 14 years now.” Touring with The Bootleg Beatles is quite an undertaking. “It’s insane,” says Steve. “We’re currently on a three-month tour of Europe. We’ve just done Denmark and Sweden, and now we’re in Holland. Belgium is next, then we’re doing France and a tour of the UK, including Cambridge Corn Exchange at the end of March. During summer it’s festival season; we tend to do Glastonbury most years – and the Isle of Wight. It’s absolutely full on! To do what we do, you have to be a massive Beatles fan. Luckily we all are, so it doesn’t feel like a real job. It feels more like we’re having fun.” Getting into character is a labour of love. “First and foremost we’re musicians, but obviously it also demands an element of acting,” says Steve. “Each of us has spent hours and hours watching old video footage and trying to emulate the body language of John, Paul, Ringo or George, and the way they present themselves on stage – all their little quirks and mannerisms. It takes a long time to master that. As soon as the costume goes on, about an hour before the show, you start practising a few of the moves in the mirror, so by the time you step on stage you’re something like the real guy. “People seldom notice that Paul himself changed throughout his years as a Beatle. Early on he was very eager to please, very excitable, lots of head wobbling, really A DAY IN THE LIFE The band members have worked hard to emulate the exact mannerisms and stage presence of their respective Beatles, even down to Paul’s head wobbling (top right) Performing at the Corn Exchange on 30 March, Bootleg Beatle Steve White describes how he gets into character as young Paul McCartney Playing Paul MUSIC
We try and project that on stage – even down to the exact amplifiers they used
animated. Then through the middle period he became a little bit smug because they were topping the charts left, right and centre. Towards the end, the band moved on from playing happy-go-lucky pop songs into a more groovy vibe. Paul’s movements became more self-indulgent and the music was much cooler. The whole band matured a lot in their seven active years. They’d seen so much of the world and done everything they wanted to do. We try and project that on stage using the different costumes and instruments – even down to the exact amplifiers they used.” Playing a tour date in Liverpool is like a homecoming for the band, even though Steve White is from Nottinghamshire, Gordon Elsmore (Ringo) is from the Forest
of Dean, Stephen Hill (George) is from Walsall in the West Midlands and Paul Canning (John) hails from Brackley in Northamptonshire. “The Liverpool audience is phenomenal,” says Steve. “Usually when we announce a tour, that’s the first date to sell out, straight away, within a couple of hours. It’s magical to be doing that in Liverpool. To go up there and play our music where it all came from, and to have those people love us, feels amazing. It feels almost like giving back to the community.” The Bootleg Beatles will be performing at Cambridge Corn Exchange on 30 March. For more information about the tour, see bootlegbeatles.com
16 MARCH 2025 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK
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