Last night at The Music Room, Liverpool, a revolving cast of musicians took on an ambitious challenge: performing Help! and Rubber Soul in their entirety. The concept turned the evening into both a time capsule and a celebration of reinvention, as artists from across the city brought their own sensibilities to two of the Beatles’ most pivotal albums.
This wasn’t the first show of its kind. The tradition began in 2016, when a collective of local and national, musicians, led by Roxanne de Bastion and Thom Morecroft, gathered at LEAF on Bold Street to mark 50 years of Revolver. The following year, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band received the same loving treatment. In 2018, they tackled the entire White Album, and in 2019 celebrated 50 years of Abbey Road. Plans for Let It Be in 2020 were sadly shelved due to the pandemic.
Having reached the end of the Beatles’ studio catalogue, the collective rewound the tape in March 2023 to honour 60 years of Please Please Me and With The Beatles, followed by A Hard Day’s Night and Beatles for Sale in December 2024. And now, the journey continues.
The first half centred on Help!, delivered with a buoyant energy that leaned into the album’s pop immediacy. Novelty Island’s faithful rendition of ‘Help!’ set the tone, while their other contributions, ‘You’re Going to Lose That Girl’ and ‘Ticket to Ride’, were pure, authentic mid-’60s pop.
Many artists took the opportunity to reimagine the songs with inventive arrangements. No one missed their mark, but standout moments included Nicola Hardman’s emotional piano-led ‘It’s Only Love’ and Danny Bradley’s stripped-back ‘Yesterday,’ which held the audience rapt. Even with performers switching nearly every song, the sequencing remained coherent, echoing the album’s blend of bright melodies and underlying tension.
After a brief reset, the ensemble shifted into Rubber Soul. The mood in the room settled, the audience now accustomed to the technical choreography required by the rotating lineup. Despite the constant changes, transitions stayed crisp, thanks to compères Morecroft and de Bastion, whose steady presence anchored the shifting cast.
Where Help! felt like a celebration, Rubber Soul unfolded more like a conversation. De Bastion delivered a hushed, tender ‘In My Life,’ dedicated to those lost since the project began a decade ago. Novelty Island turned ‘Drive My Car’ into a full-room singalong. Musicians seemed to find extra space in these songs, stretching tempos and emphasising harmonies that the crowd greeted with warm recognition. Jessica Davies and Grace Elizabeth Harvey’s highly original takes on ‘Girl’ and ‘I’m Looking Through You’ were particularly well received.
The audience responded with clear affection, especially during staples like ‘Michelle’ and ‘Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown),’ though the quieter moments drew the most focus. Between songs, the room buzzed with the sense of witnessing something at once familiar and freshly imagined.
By the end of Rubber Soul, the evening felt less like a nostalgia trip and more like a living conversation with the Beatles’ music. Hearing the albums back-to-back, interpreted by so many voices, underlined the durability and adaptability of these songs. It was a reminder that even the most iconic music can sound newly minted in the right hands.
But the night didn’t end there. Four non-album tracks from the era followed, culminating in a joyful, all-hands-on-deck finale of ‘Day Tripper.’
It’s worth saying plainly: this was a difficult review to write, because every artist gave their all. Different reviewers would pick out different highlights, so it feels right to credit those not yet mentioned; Liz Owen, Mike Ryan, Barry Jones (the ensemble’s Ringo), and David Jaggs you were all brilliant.
As a final note, each artist donated their time for free, with proceeds from ticket sales going to Choose Love, a humanitarian charity supporting refugees and displaced people.
Reviewer – Adrian Cork
On – 02.12.2025
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