The Sheffield Beatles Project brought their annual celebration of the fab four to the University of Sheffield’s Octagon Centre last Saturday, performing the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in full, as well as the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds.
The feat of tackling two of the most intricate and complex albums of the 20th century didn’t perturb the Sheffield Beatles Project, who have proved their knowledge of the Beatles’ discography in the past with performances of Abbey Road, The White Album, and a sold-out performance of Revolver in 2022.
A 30-piece band that boasts strings, woodwind and brass, the Sheffield Beatles Project displayed the necessary technical ability and musical nous to do justice to two of the greatest albums ever produced in their latest performance.
Starting with Pet Sounds, Saturday’s set was a fantastic display of arrangement. The band’s five vocalists worked together masterfully, supporting each other with doo-wops and bee-baps to reproduce the Beach Boys’ iconic harmonies on songs like ‘Sloop John B’.
The set follows the album’s track list and when ‘God Only Knows’ comes halfway through the album, it provides the audience with an opportunity for a well-deserved sing-along. The emphatic orchestral arrangement of ‘Here Today’ gave fans a taste of what was to come.
The first half of the show is rounded off with a rendition of the Beach Boys’ Christmas classic ‘Little Saint Nick’ and reaches its climax with a stellar reproduction of the notoriously complex ‘Good Vibrations’.
After a brief intermission, the band reappears clad in sparkly outfits to tackle the Beatles’ classic 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
As with Pet Sounds, the band’s rendition of Sgt. Pepper’s follows the album’s track list, kicking off with the title track and jumping straight into ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ and ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’. Performing some of the Beatles’ most iconic music to a crowd of adoring Beatles fans must be an intimidating task, but the Sheffield Beatles Project took it in their stride. A well-rehearsed and excellently put-together show kept even the most purist of Beatles fans happy last Saturday night.
Their performance of one of the Beatles’ most ambitious albums displayed the sheer range of musical talent in the Sheffield Beatles Project’s ranks. A harpist appears for a hauntingly beautiful version of ‘She’s Leaving Home’ and a specialist takes the stage to play the tabla, the Indian drum that gives ‘Within You, Without You’ its iconic sound, with the violins doing an excellent job of standing in for the dilruba.
The stage fills for an exceptional rendition of ‘A Day In The Life’ at the climax of the set, with contributions from all elements of the band. The orchestral swells of the iconic track are masterfully reproduced by the Sheffield Beatles Project as they leave the stage, the audience demanding more.
“This is a new one”, the band leader jokes after the band start their encore with a rendition of ‘Now and Then’, the Beatles’ latest single released with the help of AI. The brass section shines through renditions of ‘Penny Lane’ and ‘All You Need Is Love’, the audience happily singing along.
An exceptional performance from some of Sheffield’s finest musicians, Saturday’s show was a festive celebration of everything we love about the Beatles. Much more than a cover band, the Sheffield Beatles Project put their own stamp on one of the Beatles’ most iconic albums. The adoring applause of the crowd after the set finally finishes is testament to the quality of the arrangement, the talent of the musicians on stage, and the hard work put in to produce a show of the highest quality. A must-see for any Beatles fan in Sheffield.
All photos by Calvin Merry (@calvinmerryproductions)
