Who could fill John Lennon’s shoes? Probably no one. But DAN ROBINSON has spoken to a man who has done the next best thing

WHEN Adam Hastings first visited Newcastle City Hall 10 years ago, he left with a huge grin and a burning desire to emulate the new-found heroes he had just witnessed on stage.

Back then, he was just another fan of The Bootleg Beatles, widely regarded as the best tribute act of the Fab Four.

But on Saturday the lad from Jesmond, Newcastle, will be on the other side of the curtain to front some of the most famous songs ever to grace this planet.

Donning the familiar wig and iconic outfits, and adopting the correct guitar-playing posture, he has mastered the legendary vocals of John Lennon to look the real deal.

In fact, that’s arguably the easiest part for an act where detail is paramount.

“The way you carry yourself helps to convince people a little bit more,” says Adam, who is 24.

“The first thing is still the music, as that is what people loved most about The Beatles, but everything is important.

“It’s a big act and we’ll change our characters as we go through the eras.

“I’ve put a lot of work into getting the Liverpool accent right and the big test is always when we play there, but apparently there’s a couple of words I say when the Geordie comes through – like ‘orchestra’!”

The Bootleg Beatles formed in 1980 and have played more than 4,000 gigs, shared a stage with Oasis and performed in front of the Queen.

The other members of the band are David Caitlin-Birch, Hugo Degenhardt and Andre Barreau – with the latter described by Adam as the godfather of Beatles tributes.

Such is the universal love for The Beatles and the breadth of competition in the tribute industry – Adam counts up to 20 bands – that getting the ingredients right is vital.

But with no opportunity for fresh material, what sets the Bootlegs apart from the crowd?

“The attitude of the band is brilliant and is so important to where we are,” says Adam.

“There are still something like 250 songs to choose from. We could do 30 songs on one tour but then there’s still another 220 to do.

“We can mix it up by putting in different songs and fashion eras.

“So one gig, we might come out in polo necks and then the next one we will be in suits.

“Every gig is different, but for the tour we have a set format and songs we have been working on.

“It’s like a story as we use a linear structure of songs and outfits.”