One thing we love about our job is that it enables us to make peoples dreams come true. The BeaTrips are a band from the Osaka/Kyoto area of Japan who have spent much of their 3 year career to date playing at replica venues including the Kyoto Cavern Club and the Beatles-themed Studio 909, and imagining what it would be like to play in the birthplace of The Beatles, so many thousands of miles away. Well as you can imagine, they are ecstatic to be offered that chance this year, and consider the moment when they were told the good news to be one of their career highlights!

Formed as The Red Roads in 1999 by tribute band veterans Takao Kawabata (Paul) and Seiichi Matsumoto (John), the pair changed their name to The BeaTrips and recruited Takayuki Hojo (George), a newcomer to Beatles Tribute Bands and Takashi Yoshioka (Ringo) who was a locally-renowned drummer. The BeaTrips took up a monthly residency at Kyoto’s Studio 909, owned by fellow Beatles enthusiast Takashi Kimura who built it when the old Kyoto Cavern went out of business. Mr. Kimura has been instrumental in guiding the band. With absolutely no thought to making money, he has nurtured the BeaTrips from the start, providing free rehearsal space/time (at a premium in Japan), as well as promoting their performances and even supplying them with “authentic” instruments and equipment. Mr. Kimura is in fact financing the trip to Liverpool in 2003—simply out of his love of Beatles’ music.

The BeaTrips appreciate every era of the Beatles - from Hamburg right through to the latest solo releases, and this is illustrated in their varied and ambitious repertoire. They have recently added Magical Mystery Tour, Woman is the Nigger of the World and Driving Rain to their ever-growing selection.

As any discerning Beatles tribute band fan will agree, The BeaTrips consider the music to be the most important aspect, and with their painstaking approach to perfecting live performances, there is little doubt that The BeaTrips will leave Liverpool, dreams fulfilled and with a great deal more admirers.