The Bootleg Beatles

The Bootleg Beatles play The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on Wednesday 9 December, starting at 7:30pm. It's a full-scale Beatles tribute, and they're not just running through a greatest hits set. The whole show is built around seven of the Fab Four's most famous live performances, and it follows the band's trajectory from a tiny stage in a legendary Liverpool cellar all the way to the rooftop of central London. The Bootleg Beatles perform it with their own orchestra, so the sound is bigger than just a four-piece band.

That's the core of what they're doing: recreating specific moments from the Beatles' live history rather than just playing the songs. The set takes you from those early, sweaty Cavern Club days through to the rooftop concert, so you get a sense of the band's whole run in one evening. It's a long way from a cellar in Liverpool to a rooftop in London, and the show traces that distance. The orchestra fills out the sound, too, which is a fair bit more than the original four-piece could do on their own.

They've picked up some strong reviews along the way. The Liverpool Echo described the musicianship as "nothing short of stunning", and Jeremy Vine called it "just incredible — you are in the room with The Beatles". If you've never seen them, that's the best way to get a feel for what they're aiming for.

Tickets are £49.10, £44.62, and £40.14, and those prices include the booking fee and restoration fund. A couple of things to keep in mind before you book: the venue advises the concert is for over-14s only, and under-16s have to be accompanied by an adult. With the 7:30pm start on a Wednesday, it's a mid-week night out in the city centre.