A New York State of Mind
The Fab Faux @ Liverpool Beatleweek 2001

It's hard to believe that just three years ago The Fab Faux made their Beatleweek debut. With their energetic shows, zest for life, passion for The Beatles and fabulous musicianship, they have quickly become one of the most popular acts at the festival. This year they were back, playing three shows in three different venues in Liverpool. The first was Chavasse Park, where the Faux were lined-up alongside acts who were re-enacting the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus. Throughout the afternoon The Maximum Who, The Counterfeit Stones, The Dayglo Pirates (Jethro Tull Tribute) & Gary Gibson entertained both Beatleweek participants, and Liverpool's public, as part of The Mathew Street Festival. The Fab Faux, who had arrived from New York on the Friday evening, set-up early Saturday morning before the festivities got underway, and the TWIL team were lucky enough to catch up with them during soundcheck. Their stage show requires many different keyboards, guitars and a large drum kit, and we were surrounded by flight cases and equipment, but Will explained that at their home shows they use even more equipment, but obviously have to reduce the amount they travel with! They did however bring one of the most important parts of the show - their guitar, keyboard and drum technician Brucie Churchill. He was running all over the stage getting all the gear in place, while Rich adjusted his drums, Jimmy restrung his fantastic 'Yellow Submarine' decorated guitar, and Will tuned his Hofner bass.

Several hours later they were introduced onto the stage by friend and fellow New Yorker May Pang. Opening with 'And Your Bird Can Sing' the Faux once again gave us a set of lesser-performed Beatles songs. Highlights (although it's difficult to choose!) included Jimmy taking lead on 'Baby You're a Rich Man', Frank singing 'Being For The Benefit of Mister Kite', 'Bad Boy' expertly executed by drummer Rich, who then sang with Will on 'If I Needed Someone'. The finale, in true Fab Faux style, was 'Helter Skelter' - sung, or rather screamed by Jack! The Faux were well and truly back at Beatleweek!!

Sunday was a long day for the TWIL team as we sold Beatles Tribute Band merchandise and met TWIL readers, but we were rewarded with another great evening! The Overtures' set included a guest appearance from Frank on the Badfinger classic 'No Matter What', which stole the show. The Fabs followed with yet more fauxtastic renditions of our favourite songs. Giving us a taster of their Christmas show in New York, they played six numbers from the 'White Album'; which is probably the album least attempted by Beatles Tribute Bands. The guitars rocked with the familiar riff and Rich belted out Lennon's 'Yer Blues', a difficult song to play and a real throat-ripper to sing; but of course the guys made it look easy!

And so it went on; 'Happiness Is A Warm Gun' breaking from the crisp, clean sounding vocal intro into the heavy driving middle-section (with Will's bass sounding awesome as ever), before levelling to the harmony-filled refrain and Jack giving McCartney's 'Why Don't We Do It In The Road' the real Faux treatment. 'Cry Baby Cry' is an oft-forgotten gem on the album, and with Jimmy on lead vocals and classy guitar, the accordion part played on keyboards and Rich's impeccably precise drumming; the song was re-created with the Adelphi audience singing along to the "Can you take me back…" fade-out.

Last year the Fab Faux performed the entire Abbey Road LP (twice) and they gave us a brief reminder of it with one of John's most melodic songs: 'Because'. This was the first song the Faux ever sang together, and it's the perfect number to demonstrate their accurate harmonies. A silence fell over the crowd as we listened, spellbound, to this beautiful song. Continuing the mellow mood and returning to the evenings 'featured album' Frank and Jack sang George's masterpiece, 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps'. After 15 minute solos from several bands last year, the Faux stuck to the original; Jimmy playing Eric Clapton's part note-for-note, as usual!

They closed the set with Revolution 1 (the LP version). The crowd cheered for more and there was time for one encore, but instead of the usual 'Helter Skelter' (Jack's voice was still suffering from the Chavasse Park performance,) Jimmy sang another lesser-heard White Album rocker 'Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me and My Monkey'. The place went wild, and onstage the band bowed graciously. So far we had seen two fantastic and energetic shows, and their main concert was still to come!

We were lucky enough to spend the day at the Royal Court on Monday, while the band rehearsed and prepared for their evening 'Grand Finale' show. In New York The Fab Faux play every show with a horn section and a cellist, but this was the first Liverpool concert where they were joined by other musicians. The Rhino Horns were enlisted to play the trumpet, saxophone, trombone, piccolo trumpet, flute and clarinet parts, which many of the Beatles post-Revolver songs used. These five guys spent much the day under the instruction of Jimmy, with Frank providing guitar accompaniment, practising all the scored backing. They only had a few hours to learn ten songs, but once the concert began you would have thought they'd been playing with the Faux for years! Various songs were rehearsed for the evenings show, with top producer Will Schillinger on the sound desk, and between numbers Jimmy and Frank exchanged riffs while Will thumped out various familiar bass-lines. Two moments I recall were a brief burst of The Who's 'Love Reign O'er Me', and Frank playing the guitar riff of 'I Call Your Name'.

Seven O'clock came fast and the fans, many of whom had been queuing for an hour to ensure a much-coveted place on the front-row filled the auditorium. Support was provided by Det Betales from Norway and this years surprise new band The Beatals from Australia - their 'George' impressively playing a sitar for 'Norwegian Wood'! We waited with the Fab Faux in the wings and could hear the anticipation of the eager crowd growing. The guys coolly took to the stage, picked up their instruments… and the next two hours flew by! With a list of songs varying from the serene 'For No One' to the funky 'When I Get Home' to the downright rocking 'Hey Bulldog', the Faux covered every possible aspect of the Beatles catalogue. They are musicians' musicians, and a die-hard fans ideal tribute band. I don't think anyone else attempted half of the songs in their set throughout the week; their selection of songs is astounding - but perfect!

The show opened with The Rhino Horns blasting out the intro to 'Magical Mystery Tour', every beat and every note following the original recordings and every song a surprise. 'Savoy Truffle', 'Lady Madonna', 'When I Get Home', 'Not a Second Time' (both highlights for us); 'Nowhere Man'; 'Dear Prudence', the excellent 'Getting Better', 'It Won't Be Long' (introduced by Will as the song sung at his circumcision!); The Word (the theme-song for the night, after Will dedicated the evening to 'Love'… "What is the word?" Audience: "The Word Is Love!" Thanks guys!) We really can't pick highlights as every song was wonderful, and we're sure anyone else who was there will agree, but the show continued with 'I Am The Walrus'; 'For No One'; 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da'; 'Penny Lane' (featuring an excellent piccolo trumpet solo and reprise at the end from Rhino Tony!); 'Got To Get You Into My Life'; 'Let It Be'; 'I Call Your Name'; 'Lovely Rita' (as Will said, "not many people do this one, and if they do they're crazy!"); 'Here There and Everywhere'; 'Hey Bulldog' (with which we boogied along not-so-discreetly at the side of the stage - you can't sit down with music like that y'know!); 'Come Together'; 'Day Tripper'; 'Tomorrow Never Knows'; Good Morning Good Morning (fantastic!); Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band', and finally 'A Day In The Life'. What a way to finish!

But wait - surely it's tradition to end with 'Helter Skelter', and this was their last gig in Liverpool this year… Poor Jack! The band coaxed him to just go for it, despite his ailing throat and boy, did he go for it! There can't have been one person in that theatre who wasn't stamping their feet or jumping up and down as the guys gave us every drop of energy they had left, and bought to an end one of the finest concerts we have ever seen!

The band were mobbed by well-wishers at the Adelphi hotel later; everyone wanted to thank them for such an amazing show!

Every song the Fab Faux play sounds as though it has come straight from the recording studio. Their attention to detail is amazing! Yes, they have keyboards, and three guitarists which is an obvious advantage in re-creating the heavily produced Beatles songs over their Mop-Top era colleagues, but their musicianship, charisma, harmonies and the obvious love for the music makes them one of the best live bands you'll ever see. The fact that the music they are playing is the best in the world, simply adds to the attraction!

Nina and Helen Douglas
TWIL Issue Six November 2001