The first Scottish Beatles Weekend held in Dundee has been hailed an “overwhelming success” despite the late cancellation of the event’s biggest name band.
Hundreds of people had poured into Fat Sam’s on Saturday afternoon for a full day and night of live music, featuring 14 bands from across Britain and Europe including Dundee stars The View.
However the four Dryburgh boys, who were looking forward to playing an acoustic set of Beatles songs on the main stage, were forced to pull out after lead singer Kyle Falconer contracted laryngitis.
Their non-appearance failed to put a damper on the occasion though, as Dundee “supergroup” the Anderson, Webster, McGinty, Ward and Fisher Band came to the rescue and filled the vacant slot at a couple of hours’ notice.
Telling the audience they were neither The View nor The Beatles, they were given a tremendous ovation from around 700 impressed fans in Fat Sam’s Live!
They were followed on stage by event headliners The Cavern Beatles, whose two-hour set had the packed auditorium dancing to every tune, finishing with a massive arms-in-the-air singalong for Hey Jude.
Hundreds more visited Duke’s Corner for an afternoon and evening of Beatles-related events, including a film, play and talk as well as live music.
A crowd of around 400 music fans had also danced to the sounds of Dundee-based Beatles band Revolver at a rooftop concert on Saturday afternoon on the grass outside Dundee University Students’ Association.
The festival continued all day on Sunday with more Fab Four-related sounds in Duke’s Corner.