All photos: Ethan Arpi
The great demigods of rock were smiling upon the 9:30 Club Friday night.
Prabir & the Substitutes warmed up and won over a sold-out audience for main act and Beatles cover band, the Silver Beats. The hyper-energetic and ultra-talented boys from Richmond, VA introduced their renovated old-school sound with quick, oldies-influenced riffs before plunging into their set list. Songs like “The Kiss” and “No More Pretty Girls for Me” were like neatly wrapped presents for the ears. Formulaic lovelorn melodies were optimistically tied up with shiny harmonized vocals and hopeful Major chord progressions.
The edgy, if not borderline-brassy, voice of frontman Prabir Mehta updated the band’s early pop sound with punk rock vocals. Suave-handed bass player Adam Thompson rounded out the edges with steady, warm, and funky bass lines that were featured in organ-laced ballad, “When Was the Last Time?” and the sexually frustrated “Everybody’s Got Someone.”
The only noteworthy low-point of the performance was the band’s shaky rendition of a capella song, “Everybody Falls in Love With You.” Their blunder was nothing a pitch pipe couldn’t resolve. Meanwhile, the group’s unsexy and innocently playful cover of Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” put Jessica Simpson and her daisy dukes to shame.
The Silver Beats were dressed to impress with matching black suits, sharp skinny ties, and polished leather boots. After opening with the chorus from “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” the Japanese fan band instantly won the trust of even the most maniacal Beatlemaniacs with Rubber Soul’s “Day Tripper.” The Silver Beats were at their best when performing early Beatles repertoire. They were at their worst when boldly tackling later songs like the tongue-twisting “Get Back” or the lyrical and vocally disrobing chorus of “Let it Be.” Hidemasa Mabuchi’s resemblance to John Lennon was uncanny, if not creepy. Mabuchi flaunted the best English and strongest voice of the four band members, but, aside from sporting the finest mullet, Tadaaki Naganuma (Paul) has 25 years of singing Beatles songs beneath his vintage belt.
The Silver Beats closed with a generous four-song encore. The band’s Yankee friend and guitar tuner, Geno McManus, was invited to join the band on “Mr. Moonlight” and “Don’t let me Down.” Geno’s pop-star status in Japan gave him the confidence to steal the spotlight and blaze on stage in his homeland. After hearing his hit single, “Ai no Fukattsu,” on YouTube, it’s clear that his rugged and powerful chops are best suited for rocking out and tingling spines in his native tongue.
Beatles songs were written well enough to withstand even the worst musicians. However, the dreadful making of the teeny-bopper musical, Across the Universe, proved that fab-four tunes are not entirely indestructible—their demolition a painful thing to endure. The Silver Beats’ faithful reproduction was beyond endurable; it was impressively enjoyable. “Hard Days Night,” “Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da” and “Hey Jude” made for 9:30 Club sing-a-longs that had baby boomers and their younger contemporaries shaking, coiling, and gyrating torsos of all sizes and ages.
Kudos and apologies to Robbie. I must have been looking at some old info.
January 14, 2008 at 1:41 pmI saw the show. It was rather gewd (to be read with Liverpudlian accent in mind).
January 15, 2008 at 5:23 pmRubber Soul’s’ Daytripper?’ Someone sure knows the beatles…
January 16, 2008 at 8:43 amOk. “…from-the-seperately-released-single-from-the-rubber-soul-recording-sessions, ‘Day Tripper.’” Better?
January 16, 2008 at 9:50 am
adam hasn’t played with the boys in months…
robbie king’s the man behind the bass.
January 14, 2008 at 1:29 pm