It was music that transformed the world and revolutionized rock and roll so completely as to make the old rock music genre unrecognizable.
When the four young 'moptops' from Liverpool calling themselves the Beatles released their first album (Please Please Me) in March 1963 it turned the music world on its head and that world would never be the same.
That music still has the power to bring broad smiles to music lovers, and on Feb. 8 folks in Sooke will have the rare opportunity to hear their favourite Beatles hits presented live by an incredible group of musicians.
The Sutcliffes will be appearing for one night only at the Sooke Community Theatre when frontman Shaun Wilson and his band will be rocking the house in an unforgettable concert that will leave the audience smiling and singing for days after.
“We are not a tribute band,” said Wilson. “We just love the music, and we play it in a way that doesn’t try to copy the Beatles note for note or anything. We play it because the music is great, and we have a good time doing it.”
Wilson is joined on stage by Terry Marshall and Chuck Simms on guitar bass and vocals and features Pedro Arbour on drums and Arman Tesoro on keyboards.
When the Sutcliffes first got together back in 2007, they travelled to the UK to play four headline performances at International Beatles Week as well as a performance at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, the place where it all started for the Beatles.
“We took a bit of a break in 2016, but the music kept calling to me and people kept asking me when we’d be appearing again so a couple of years ago, we put the band back together and it’s been great,” Wilson said.
Asked about the power of the music, Wilson recalls how, as a boy, his father took him to see Hard Days Night at the movies.
“I heard the music, and I knew that I wanted to do that. I’ve played all kinds of music with other groups over the years, but like a lot of people, Beatles music has always been the soundtrack of my life.”
Incidentally, in case anyone is wondering about the band’s name, it comes from a man named Stuart Sutcliffe who, along with Peter Best, originally played with Paul and John in the Beatles, but left the band to pursue other careers. (Look him up. It’s a fascinating story.)
“The music we play spans the whole incredible catalogue of Beatles songs and it really is the music that changed everything,” said Wilson.
The Sooke show will take place at the Edward Milne Community Theatre on Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at eventbrite.com or at the Sooke Community Theatre.
By the way, in keeping with the beginnings of the Beatles at the Cavern Club, the Sutcliffe concert will feature a cash bar.
