The Sheffield Beatles Project

The Sheffield Beatles Project are back at the Octagon Centre on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 December, their annual Christmas gigs which have become a bit of a local institution. This year is a big one: they're celebrating ten years of making music together, and they've put on two distinct shows over the weekend.

The Saturday night is the main event. They'll be playing the complete Magical Mystery Tour album, from start to finish, just as it was recorded. The Sunday afternoon is a different affair: a selection of Beatles favourites and rarities, so if you're more in the mood for a mix of the hits and the deeper cuts, that's the one to go for. Between the two, you can either commit to the full album or just pick and choose your favourites.

For those who haven't come across them, the Project is a 30-piece band made up of some of the city's finest musicians. Their whole thing is to recreate entire Beatles albums note for note, harmony and detail, and they're pretty open about how they do it: they leave the wigs, costumes and dodgy accents at home and just focus on the music. It's a big ensemble on stage, and that's where the scale of the arrangements really comes through.

There are a couple of practical things to keep in mind. The Saturday night is mostly standing with a small number of seats, while the Sunday afternoon is fully seated; seats are unreserved at both, and there's an accessible platform. Under-18s must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets are £28 for standing or seated, with under-14s at £18, plus a £2.80 booking fee and a £1.00 transaction fee per order. On Saturday, doors are at 19:00 and the music starts at 20:00; on Sunday, doors open at 15:00 and the show begins at 16:00. The Octagon Centre is on Clarkson Street, S10 2TQ.