With a little help from their friends
IT'S going to be a hard day's night for brothers Martin and Keith Naylor unless they manage to find two new members for their Beatles tribute band. So if you've ever fancied your chances as George or Ringo, give them a call – and there's one advantage, musical ability is not essential.
JOHN and Paul are looking for George and Ringo – to put the beat back into the Beatles.
Devoted Beatles fans and brothers Keith and Martin Naylor started a tribute band four years ago but, with two members leaving, they are desperately seeking new recruits who can step into the musical shoes of guitarist George Harrison and drummer Ringo Starr.
The Karaoke Beatles were formed as an unusual golden wedding anniversary present to the Naylor brothers' parents. "Mum and dad loved the Beatles so, for a bit of fun, we brothers got hold of some backing tracks and instruments and put on a bit of a show for them, along with our nephew Christopher, at the anniversary party. It went down so well with everyone and we enjoyed doing it so much that we decided to try and keep it going," said Keith, who lives in Bailiff Bridge.
The word got round and before they knew it the unofficial band had bookings for parties, weddings and summer galas. They don't play their own musical instruments but they do sing along to backing tracks and have won praise for capturing the sound and the spirit of the Fab Four. For Keith, a sales administrator, the enjoyment comes from seeing the pleasure the Beatles' sound still brings to so many people of all ages.
He said: "We all love and respect the Beatles and their music so we try to be as authentic as we can. It's important to us to stick to the original arrangements and to recreate the Beatles image. If anything, doing this has given us even more respect for the fantastic songs the Beatles wrote and recorded - they're so clever and complex."
Martin, a school caretaker, and Keith don't claim to be musicians but they spend hours in rehearsal perfecting the Beatles' routines and practising the harmonies and the words of the songs.
"We have to make it look as convincing as we can. It is difficult to get the timing right but we always try to reproduce the sounds of the discs," said Keith who appears as John Lennon.
Though they usually appear in 'early period' Beatles uniform of dark suits, ties and distinctive mop-top wigs, they have also hired Sgt Pepper costumes and performed the entire 'Lonely Hearts Club Band' album in sequence.
"The Beatles stopped performing live quite early on in their career and certainly songs from their later period such as 'Penny Lane', 'Strawberry Fields Forever' and 'When I'm Sixty-Four' were never presented live. I think we're giving people a chance to enjoy the experience of seeing these songs performed."
Keith grew up listening to the Beatles and was a fan of early hits such as 'Love Me Do' and 'Please Please Me' though he says that his favourite album now is 'Rubber Soul'.
His brother Martin, who portrays Paul McCartney, said: "We do not do this to earn money, it is not a weekend job, we are doing it to please people and have some fun. All the 'work' we get is from word of mouth and we fund the band ourselves because we enjoy it.
"We are looking for someone who knows the Beatles and wants to get up on stage as one of them. They do not have to be a good guitar or drum player as the music side of the performance is already taken care of but, to fit in with the band, they should be between 30 and 55 years of age."
The search for George and Ringo is fairly urgent because the Karaoke Beatles have been asked to perform at a Beatles appreciation event at the Playhouse in Bradford in May and are keen to take up the invitation.
"This is a great chance for someone who loves the Beatles as much as we do. The most important thing is enthusiasm, dedication and spare time," said Keith.
To find out more information contact Martin Naylor on 07814 288431 or Keith on 07939 578566. They do not have to be a good guitar or drum player as the music side of the performance is already taken care of but, to fit in with the band, they should be between 30 and 55 years of age.”
The search for George and Ringo is fairly urgent because the Karaoke Beatles have been asked to perform at a Beatles appreciation event at the Playhouse in Bradford in May and are keen to take up the invitation.
“This is a great chance for someone who loves the Beatles as much as we do. The most important thing is enthusiasm, dedication and spare time,” said Keith.
To find out more information contact Martin Naylor on 07814 288431 or Keith on 07939 578566.
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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