THE BEATELS

In case you were not aware, THE BEATELS are Bruce Coble, Steven Shipley, Simon Merlo & Marcus Phelan, & night after night, in venues everywhere, they play Beatles music the way the Beatles did, using authentic instruments (such as the distinctive Rickenbacker & Gretsch electric guitars, & the Hofner bass) & with period costumes.

THE BEATELS look & sound like the real thing - you'll swear you were watching the real thing. Soaring (live) 3-part harmonies, outstanding musicianship, & the Liverpudlian accents - this is one of the world's greatest tribute acts.

Explore the site, & find out about the outstanding tribute group from down-under Australia. You can download MP3 audio recordings & (movie samples coming soon). You can find out about upcoming shows as well as past highlights. You can 'meet' the musicians. You can even e-mail them & tell them your favourite Beatle song! So Roll Up For The Magical Mystery Tour!

[Special Note: Sadly, last year we lost the services of our long time George, David Wood, who left to spend more time with his family & his Northern Beaches music store, Amazon Music. THE BEATELS are very fortunate to have engaged the services of Marcus Phelan. In 1992 & 93, Marcus performed with Bruce & Steven in The Beatnix, so he is no stranger to the Harrison persona. In his time, Marcus has played with many great Australian acts, such as The Numbers, Spy vs Spy, Jeremy Oxley (of The Sunnyboys) & most recently with The Allniters.) Most of the photos on this site still feature Dave, but we will have new ones featuring Marcus on the site soon.

BRUCE COBLE - AKA JOHN LENNON
Bruce plays a 1964 Rickenbacker 325, a blonde Casino Epiphone & a sunburst Jumbo acoustic guitar. He bears a disturbing resemblance to John Lennon (circa 64/65), sings & plays all of the parts that the great man played. If he seems a natural, it's because he's been doing this since 1990. With a Bachelor of Arts in Communications & Politics under his belt, he spends his time working with new media & computers. He sometimes finds time to play in an originals band, with some of his other mates, called The Future Eaters. They've just (Dec '99) released their debut self-titled CD. And by the way, he made this website...

STEVEN SHIPLEY - AKA PAUL McCARTNEY
Steven plays a classic 1962 Hofner bass guitar, which gives that unmistakeably warm Beatles bass sound. When he sings, most people stare in disbelief - his is truly the voice of McCartney, with all its nuances & inflections. Steve is a gifted vocalist & bass player, who spends much of his time producing recordings for Sydney bands. He also makes all of the orchestral backing tapes that the band uses on stage.

MARCUS PHELAN - AKA GEORGE HARRISON
Marcus plays a beautiful walnut 1964 Gretsch 'Chet Atkins Country Gentleman' for that classic George early rock n'roll sound. He uses a fluorescent stratocaster, painted exactly as George's was, for the psychedelic material. He sometimes plays a walnut telecaster for the later material. Marcus is one of Sydney's top guitarists, having played in a number of infamous Australian bands, such as The Numbers, Spy vs Spy, & he currently doubles up in ska-outfit The Allniters.

SIMON MERLO - AKA RINGO STARR
Simon joined the group in 1997, & has proven to be a perfect choice for Ringo. His voice captures that Ringo 'spirit' & his attention to detail has allowed him to master the idiosyncratic Ringo drumming style to perfection. Simon follows Ringo by only using one tom drum-head for early material, & adding a second tom for later material.

THE BEATELS perform music by The Beatles covering the entire period that they recorded together as The Beatles (ie, covering the albums Please Please Me to Let It Be). They use a variety of costumes, but they generally perform a 2-set show, featuring a 'Black & White' set (1962-1965) anddd a "Psychedelic