The Cheat Beatles
(Now known as The Mersey Beatles)

The Cheat Beatles are an established act, born and bred in Liverpool. These four Scouser's are the first Beatles band to be invited to go to Croatia, where they played for the loyal Beatles fans there. The band tour abroad regularly, and down that long and winding road - but told us "No matter were they roam there is no place like home!"
The band are popular with Beatle fans 'Across The Universe' and I was lucky enough to interview The Cheat Beatles 'Paul McCartney', Steven Howard.

Tell us how The Cheat Beatles came about and how you all got together?
Brian and I were at school together and Dave is my Cousin, I met Jay when I was in another group and he was just starting out as a musician, he later joined the group that I was in. The three of them were the best musicians from various bands that I had been in. We all got together and formed our own band. At first we recorded and performed our own songs, but we also wanted to make a living from our music without having to stack shelves! We had tried to do this in previous bands with a mix of songs - both covers and original material, but we realised we needed to choose one band to cover, and there really was no contest! Both original and Beatles projects are still going strong, but shelves around the country go unstacked!

As you are born and bred Liverpudlians, how does the town react to your tribute?
We find our best audiences are Scouser's. There is a place here called Coopers, which is our 'Cavern'. They are always our best shows - in our 'hometown'.

Being the same ages as The Beatles were when they were at their peak, and coming from Liverpool, how does it feel, working and walking in the footsteps of your idols? I heard that you, Steven, live near where Paul used to in Allerton and 'Ringo' lives near were Eppy lived that's amazing?
Well we are only slightly older on average to them, but we are all in our twenties. Liverpool is the most magical and yet the most real place on earth. Strawberry Fields is amazing but as anyone will tell you it's just a gate. You can walk around Liverpool with your head in the clouds but you must always keep your feet firmly on the ground, the people are friendly but they do have a tendency to 'cut the bull', so you really have to be good at what you do to please a Liverpool audience! We definitely have our best laughs and gigs at home in Liverpool. Every club we play here in Liverpool the owner will go "we have had the real Beatles here"… its great!

How long did it take you to learn your Beatle counterparts and to what lengths do you go, to make sure you have the ultimate Beatles show?
The truth is that we try to be as natural as possible. John Lennon once said, "we don't really have an act, we just do what we do". When the Beatles did covers of Chuck Berry or Little Richard they were not trying to be them, but just pay tribute to them.
Which is why we don't like the 'wig' bands because we feel its more a parody (sorry!), which is fine if you're doing a skit like The Rutles, but it must be hard to generate a lot of energy if your worrying about your wig falling off. Also we think that the real Beatles would just laugh their heads off! So wigs - never! Having said that we do try to sound as much like them as possible which we think is a lot more important and the sprit of our show is more Beatlish than any other group trying to stand like them or talk like them. We do have an advantage in all that, as we are Scouser's so we don't have to put on any silly accents. We have been told that our personalities are similar so that must help. Dave is the quite one, Brian the noisy one, Jay the funny one with the sharp streak and me the PR one, sorting things out and not wanting to upset anyone.

How do you come about getting the same instruments as The Beatles (Hofner Bass, Ludwig kit etc) and how important is the authenticity when playing The Beatles music?
Although we do have all the guitars and Vox amplifiers etc, we feel that the sound is more important. Maybe in a theatrical show the look is more important but that's not what we are all about. We do prefer the classic look; the music is original, and the early Beatles' 'live Cavern' sound.How do we get the stuff? Scrimp and save!

How does Liverpool still rate The Beatles? (Apart from Beatle Week) and are they still being remembered and loved in Liverpool as well as the whole world?
"There are three types of people in the world"
Those who openly love The Beatles
Those who pretend not to love The Beatles
Those who are The Beatles

The pretenders make it easy on themselves trying to go through life never having The White Album or Revolver.
In Liverpool the first type are extra passionate, the second type are extra country, the third type split up in 1970, worse luck!

Tell us fans where we can come and see your shows in Liverpool and what we can expect?
In Liverpool you can catch The Cheat Beatles at 'Coopers' (Pier Head), 'Chequers' (Wavertree), 'Yates' (Queen Street), 'O'Neill's' or at 'The Iron Door' (Birkenhead). Look out for us around the country at the 'Brannigan's' and the 'Chicago Rock' chains, and various hotels and holiday centres in North Wales and around the UK. You can expect to see energy, real Scouse accents, real hair! Imagine The Beatles last show was not at Candlestick Park, but a week later at home in The Cavern. Our sound is authentically raw, live, so there's a rattle and hum quality to it, everything cranked up and bouncing!

How long have you all been fans and which period of Beatles music do you most love to play and why?
We have been fans as long as we can remember. We love to play the Beatles early stuff, but we all prefer to listen to the post 'Rubber Soul' era. It works out great because we can still put 'Sergeant Pepper' on in the van and not get bored with it (as if that was possible!).
We are all songwriters too. Each member's favourite album is:
Ste: Please Please Me
Jay: Rubber Soul
Dave: Beatles For Sale
Bri: With The Beatles

What does it take to become a Beatles Tribute Band?
Well you must love the music; an audience can tell if you're faking it, even if you play all the right notes. Guitar tones and vocal harmonies must be correct; it's all about the music really. If you get too old to reach the notes and you're changing the keys of the songs then your selling the audience short. Being from Liverpool is an advantage, but not essential, but we would say that wouldn't we!

Why do you think we Beatles fans are such a dedicated lot (and we are aren't we!)?
Once you have heard a good selection of Beatles albums its hard for any other band to live up to the quality of song writing or the consistency of the performance, vocally, musically and compositionally. That the Beatles did it all in 8 years is amazing. It's not just the music though; their story is so interesting. They were funny yet serious; goofy yet articulate; Witty and intellectual; but most of all hungry for new ideas. They made giant leaps of creativity from album to album. Most bands are some of these things but no other band is all of them. It's easy to love them!

If you could recreate a Beatle happening/event in Liverpool, which would it be and why?
A Cavern Club show no question. We have played our original stuff at the replica in Matthew Street, and we are playing at The Albert Dock replica later this summer. Unfortunately it's a private booking but perhaps you could organize a fan club special and hire the place out!? A Scouse Beatles tribute band at The Cavern for 'The Word Is Love' magazine maybe?!!

When portraying a Beatle on stage - do you actually feel how he must have felt singing those songs, and can you understand where he was coming from when writing the lyrics?
No. We feel how it makes us feel and how it makes the crowd feel. I don't think Paul felt like Little Richard felt when he did 'Long Tall Sally' he just sang the hell out of it! When we listen to The Beatles we relate, like most people do, to the lyrics and melody, but when we sing the songs ourselves we do them the best we can. If the audience sees us trying to do a 'Paul' or do a 'Ringo' then its distracting them from the music. We have similar voices to each of The Beatles and we perform them in the original keys.

Tell us the highlights of The Cheat Beatles and what is the best thing about being in a Beatles Tribute Band?
We are all very good friends in the band, so the best times are spent in the van laughing our heads off at nothing in particular, on the way home to Liverpool from London or wherever. They are the best times of all!

Why do you think Beatles Tribute Bands are one of the most sought after tribute acts in the world and why do you think you continue to pack theatres, halls and pubs 35 years on?
Because it's the BEST rock n' roll ever made and unfortunately there's no chance of a Beatles reunion gig, so people want the next best thing.

Have you anything to say to The Beatles?
Thank you! You changed our lives even before we ever thought of pretending to be you for a living.

The next time you visit Liverpool, why not pop down to Brannigan's and Yates' pubs and experience The Cheat Beatles Live! What a perfect end to a perfect day that would be. The lads will even let you buy them a pint!

Jo Rishton
TWIL Issue Five August 2001