Live Review: Rubber Soul Revolver

The Beatles' Rubber Soul Revolver was a premium quality show of epic proportions.

The production was rich yet slick and the large ensemble band was full of candour. The addition of four singers (Marlon Williams, Jordie Lane, Fergus Linacre and Husky Gawenda) who are not only among Australia's biggest vocal talents at the current moment, but also extremely vibrant personalities, made for a heartwarming evening. The production, which saw a massive ensemble of keys, percussion, guitars, bass, drums, violin, viola, cello, trumpet, flugel, tenor sax and trombone performing two of The Beatles' most popular albums of all time back to back was certainly super entertaining. Seeing Williams at the helm of Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) or Lane belting out Doctor Robert (with a cheeky nod from Linacre to the fact that he may or may not have taken LSD before the show) was a sight to behold. 

Some people may not have been happy with the way in which these songs were performed in a new light, but the object of the show was not to be The Beatles, nor to be "better" than them. The show was simply a celebration of the music loved by so many, and in that sense it was a whole lot of fun. When the entire company joined forces to sing Yellow Submarine or Got To Get You Into My Life, the result was superb. With their voices being their main role on stage, the young leading men seemed to be at odds with having so much time and space. The combination of awkward dance moves and almost bumping into each other was frivolously charming, especially since each of the frontmen come from different performing backgrounds, yet were nailing each line note for note. As psychedelic visuals poured over the large backdrop it was easy to say that the sonic engineering was of an extremely high quality in this show. All the elements blended impeccably well to create an upbeat and wondrous atmosphere. The magic really amped up to 11 during the encore, where the band performed some more obscure singles from the Rubber Soul and Revolver period. They ended the show to a standing ovation — it's recommended, whether you're a Beatles fan or not, that you give this show a shot!