As is their style, the British Chamber of Commerce is going all out for this year's Britannia Ball to be held tomorrow evening at the Grand Hyatt Taipei. NT$3,900 of real money will put you front and center for a concert by the Fake Beatles.
"What makes our ball stand out is that we really love to have fun," said Lee Ting (丁勵), executive director of the British Chamber of Commerce in Taipei. "In order to do that, we make it a point to introduce a British theme. This year's is "The Swinging Sixties." We've invited the fake Beatles and everyone is encouraged to dress the part in their favorite 60s outfit."
The band surely will be. Not only do they sound like the real Fab Four, they look like them too in their Chesterfield suits, mop-top haircuts and authentic instruments. They even boast a "left-handed Paul" and a "singing Ringo."
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ARTISTS
"Absolutely superb!" wrote Marie Varnava on the band's online guestbook after seeing them play at the Charlemont Social Club. "Everyone got totally caught up in the nostalgia. ? It was just like being there. In a word, FAB!!"
They'll be performing all the great Beatles numbers from 1962 to 1966, which they regard as the Beatles' "best years."
Your entry fee to this year's ball will include a champagne reception, five-course gourmet dinner, a selection of red and white wines and whiskeys, and prizes for the table voted "best dressed" apropos the 1960s theme.
"Last year's theme was 007 and we had a table of people that came dressed in SCUBA gear with tuxedos underneath," Ting said. "It was so hot that we had to vote quickly so they could take off their suits."
Ting stressed that the ball is not a walk-in event and that a limited number of seats are still available for anyone who calls the Chamber this afternoon. The British Chamber of Commerce can be reached at (02) 2356 0210. The Britannia Ball will be held from 6:30pm to 2am on the third floor ballroom of the Grand Hyatt Taipei, located at 2 Songshou Rd, Taipei (北市 松壽路二號三樓).
A real interview with the fake ringo starr
Taipei Times: How did you come to be the Fake Beatles?
Fake Ringo: We're just Beatles fanatics, really. We've all been in various 60s-styled bands before. Really it was the Beatles that brought us all together.
TT: So as a child growing up in England you heard the Beatles and said to yourself, `I want to be the fake Ringo Starr?'
Fake Ringo: Very much so. One of the first records I ever heard was the Beatles' song She Loves You. That was always my favorite song.
TT: And that made you want to take up drumming?
Fake Ringo: Very much so. My first recollection of drumming was at about the age of eight. I was such a big fan of the Beatles and of drummers over the years.
TT: But were you an especially big fan of Ringo?
Fake Ringo: Yeah, very much so.
TT: You're an authentic "singing Ringo." Do you sing like Ringo?
Fake Ringo: Very much ? Well, actually, Ringo didn't have a particularly good voice, so ? er ? that helps me out to be honest.
TT: Why not perform some of the later hits?
Ringo Starr: Most people regard the Beatles' best years as between 1962 and 1966. ? It was after 1966 that the they retired to the studio before the Sergeant Pepper era. It's really a hard sound to recreate on the stage.
TT: And the drugs are hard to afford on a fake Beatles salary?
Fake Ringo: Very much so.
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