The Fab Faux in Liverpool

Liverpool Beatle Week 1999
Saturday August 28th, 1999.
We're standing near the stage at The Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool. We have just seen a wonderful Brazilian Beatle tribute band, and now it's time for the newcomers - The Fab Faux from New York City. They start a little tentative with 'Can't Buy Me Love' and some other early hits. Will Lee in his beautiful yellow suit tells how honored they are to play in Liverpool - the hometown of The Beatles!
Then something magic happens! Jimmy Vivino's stand-in Andy York sings a happy and wonderful version of 'The Word'. This band can play! They continue with 'Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey'. Wow! What power! Watch out, The Beatles!! And now Jack Petruzelli sings 'Helter Skelter'! A pure knockout! They surpass The Beatles themselves! We're in a total chock when we leave the theatre. How was this possible? What a sensational debut! But not a surprise, really. They are all professional studio-musicians having played with lots of world-famous stars.

Everybody's talking about The Fab Faux now. So when they play again at The Adelphi Hotel on Sunday night August 29th, the floor is crowded. Impossible to get near the stage. Another outstanding concert! Played with greater self-confidence now, obtained after their success at The Royal Court the night before. When they play 'Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey' again, we almost blow over!

Bank Holiday Monday, August 30th and the 'Yellow Submarine Mathew Street Festival'.
The whole city is crowded with hundred of thousands of people drinking beer and listening to music at hundreds of stages all around the city. The Fab Faux play at the main stage at Castle Street, just in front of Town Hall, where on the balcony on July 10th, 1964 in presence of Lord Mayor himself, The Beatles received a hero's welcome from tens of thousands of their Merseyside fans. Thousands of people on the street today when The Fab Faux perform. Very honorable for them to play for the people of Liverpool! Another success, Will looks great in his red suit. The Beatles didn't sound that good themselves in 'Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey' for instance! The Fab Faux become the major memory from the 1999 Liverpool Beatle Week!

Liverpool Beatle Week 2000.
Friday 25th, 2000.
We meet 'Fab' Frank Agnello at The Adelphi. I introduce myself. He becomes very happy: "Oh, you're Bengt!" We have had contact with each other by e-mail after he had found my web site with some pictures and nice words from their 1999 shows in Liverpool. "Your web site was the first that mentioned us on the Internet. We got so inspired, that we decided to make our own!" Very nice said by a professional artist, and their web site is much more professionally made than mine. (Well, now mine is updated.) Wonderful with such nice and gentle people! "This year you will find us even better than last year, since we've got our ordinary guitarist and keyboard-player Jimmy Vivino with us", Frank says.

Saturday 26th.
Back at the Royal Court Theatre again. Very near the stage this time. Because we're waiting for last year's sensation. And here they come! The Fab Faux enter the stage in colorful suits and line up with their backs towards the public. Then they start with 'Tomorrow Never Knows' of all tunes! A knockout start! And Will with - a megaphone! Wow! The band mix earlier and later Beatles songs without any problems. 'And Your Bird Can Sing' - fantastic! 'Across The Universe' - so beautiful! And what power and enthusiasm! The band is much tighter than last year, ordinary member Jimmy Vivino giving it the utmost power! We are lifting from the ground! Then Jimmy's guitar-solos in 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps'. Wow WOW!! The song of the festival! And all these lovely pins they throw out to the audience! I'm lucky to fetch one!

Could it be better? Yes, the ENCORES! First 'Everybody Got To Hide Except Me And My Monkey' (Thank you, Frank! He had promised me that song by e-mail, and he smiles so beautiful at me afterwards.) The whole arena boil! Then Jack pop up to the middle of the stage and sing 'Helter Skelter'!!! Unbelievable - wowWowWOW!!! We are all flying around high up in the sky! We have just heard THE BEST BEATLES TRIBUTE BAND IN THE WORLD! The band's performance is very improved since last year. They move with better self-confidence, and the solo singer is now always found in the middle at the front of the stage. And how they sing and play! This band even surpass The Beatles' original versions!

Sunday 27th.
The Beatles Convention at The Adelphi. Lectures, flea market and music all over. The main attraction being in the Adelphi Ballroom, where the best bands play 'The Album Years', that means every Beatles album is played. There has been music all day, and now it's time for The Fab Faux and the real challenge. They are going to play The Beatles' most advanced album - 'Abbey Road'. The floor is crowded. But me and my wife Ulla have managed to get a place very near the stage.

After long preparations by the roadies the show starts. 'Come Together' with beautiful guitars and wonderful drums by Rich Pagano. He is said to be one of New York's most busiest drummers and that is obvious. Also a very good singer. Frank and Jimmy make some nice guitar-work. Then the rascal Jack makes his way to the middle of the stage. Oh Jack! Your version of 'Oh Darling' is one of the highlights of the whole Beatle Week! We have never before heard such a powerful version. thankyouThankYouTHANKYOU!!!! I push my way up to the front of the stage, between the legs of a couple of young British groupies. They don't move, but I push harder. I'm just under Will, when he give us full guitar power in 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)' - SO HEAVY! I take some beautiful photos of him. Also some nice shots of Frank and Jimmy doing some beautiful guitar work. The band is not only hard-driving musicians. Their five-part harmonies sound fantastic as well. 'Sun King' is SO beautiful! The finale with the 3 guitars lineup on 'The End' is just FANTASTIC! Exactly as The Beatles did it - But THE FAB FAUX SOUND BETTER!

When Frank end the concert with 'Her Majesty', we just cry with happiness, flying around up in the sky! What a show! Could anything be better?! Yes! THE ENCORE!

Now Cavern City Tour's own manager Bill Heckle go up on the stage and introduces The Fab Faux as "THE BEST BEATLE BAND IN THE WORLD!" He also regrets, that the next song wasn't included on the 'Abbey Road' album. And now they start to play 'Helter Skelter'!!! Jack's vocals - wowWowWOW!!! And the rest of the band! So POWERFUL! Unbelievable! With Rich's powerful drumbeat, the band SURPASS The Beatles' version! This is the way The Beatles would have liked to sound on stage! We stumble out from the Adelphi Ballroom, just having heard THE BEST BEATLES MUSIC EVER PERFORMED ON STAGE! I'm still dreaming, haven't landed on the earth yet!

What we have just heard is probably the way the 'Abbey Road' album originally was intended by The Beatles themselves! The Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick has said he was very disappointed with the sound on 'Abbey Road' album. Because he had to soften the sound more than he wished. The reason was that they had just thrown out the original tube-equipped mixing-console at Abbey Road Studios and changed it for a transistor-equipped one. No chance to overload it then to get the intended thrilling distorted sounds.

Monday 28th.
It's time for the 'Let It Be Mathew Street Festival'. The Faux Faux play 'Abbey Road' again. Same power and magic as at The Adelphi the night before. But tonight Castle Street is jammed! Tenth of thousands! How nice, that so many people get the chance to see THE BEST BEATLE TRIBUTE BAND IN THE WORLD in the hometown of the Beatles! The band look so beautiful with Jimmy in red suit and Will in the middle of the stage with his white suit glowing in the afternoon sun. And we get an encore as well! 'Helter Skelter'!!! The public on the street cannot believe their ears, and eyes! How can this little man get so much power in his voice, Jack that means! And the rest of the band - heavy Heavy HEAVY METAL!!! WOWWOWWOW!!!

We go backstage and manage to meet Frank and the others again. He sees my Fab Faux-pin on my sweater, and very kindly gives one to my wife Ulla too. We thank the band for an unforgettable week. We will be back for the 2001 Liverpool Beatleweek, be sure! We'll meet you there again!

You will find lots of photos from The Fab Faux Liverpool concerts on my web site 'The Magical Beatles Tours' at http://hem.fyristorg.com/Resa

Bengt Warmlind, Sweden
TWIL Issue Five August 2001