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*12th APRIL 2026*
Apologies to anyone who tried but couldn’t get on to the website for the last day or two. We upgraded the security with an SSL certificate and it caused a few issues. The web address should now show with the prefix https not http and you shouldn’t get messages about it not being secure. If you’re still getting the old http address you must have been on the website before and your browser is being “helpful” guessing where you want to go. It should sort itself out eventually but you can click the link from here: https://www.bootlegshadows.co.uk.

*MARCH 2026*
Tim Jackson stood/sat in for our gig on Sunday March 29th at Chipping Norton. Great to see Tim again. Lloyd McSweeney is doing a brilliant job as Tim’s permanent replacement but couldn’t do this one – back for the next one in Southampton on April 11th.

*FEBRUARY 2026^

Review of our show in Sturminster Newton, Dorset Feb 2026 from letter to Pipeline magazine.

Well we did see The Bootleg Shadows on Saturday! They were brilliant. Five top notch musicians. Thanks again for the recommendation

They spread the Shadows songs out between some 50’s music, Cliffs songs and an orchestral piece by the keyboards. They even had a small number of us up and dancing towards the end. They were very funny and improvised between songs. The new drummer who we chatted to afterwards did a splendid solo in the middle of Diamonds. As you said this was his first gig and the other four went off stage to let him free to bash around and he must have had 5-7 minutes. After the Tony Meehan start he said he made the rest up.

I hadn’t looked at your link so was not sure what to expect which with hindsight was good. When they all came on in their suits we thought they were five aged bank managers but as the evening went on they sort of became younger and their chat and jokes were spot on for the audience. Geoff is amazing. I know some of the nuances of Hanks playing and he picked those up. Nathan is a very smooth bass player and sings well. He also did a bit of a solo. As a failed bass player I envied his skills. The keyboard player whose name escapes me was also brilliant. I think they said he has played with them for twenty years so is probably an original? There is something about Howard. Great on rhythm and lead, very funny and he did a lot of the chat.

We loved seeing Justin in 2024 but he of course relies on backing tapes etc which makes it hard work on timing. The orchestral backing on the keyboards for Wonderful Land and Atlantis make the BLS a strong performance. If Geoff retires Justin would fit in well.

So great entertainment value and we may book to see them in the autumn in Wimborne

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The Beatles asked Hank for song advice according to this article. For those that don’t know we do a Beatles medley in the style of the Shads. https://guitar.com/features/history/the-beatles-hank-marvin-advice/

**: Beanie hats now available at our gigs and from our online shop:  Link here or via the Merchandise page, https://thebootlegshadows.square.site

*JANUARY 2026*
After 13 years Due to increased work commitments Tim Jackson left The Bootleg Shadows in December 2025. A fabulous drummer and friend – we will not lose touch as he’s agreed to to sit in when a dep is needed.
Our new drummer is (drum roll) the superb Lloyd McSweeney! See the Band page for a pic and biography.

We are very happy to says as well as our NEW “live” CD’ and NEW “live” DVD have been very popular at the Merch stand . All lovingly recorded, mixed and mastered from our performance last year at The Astor Theatre Deal.

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• 
  *SUMMER 2025 REVIEW OF OUR LIVE CD FROM ALAN TAYLOR IN PIPELINE MAGAZINE – www.pipelinemag.co.uk *The Bootleg Shadows are currently well into their 20th Anniversary Tour and have released their second live CD to tie in with it. Recorded at the Astor Theatre in Deal, Kent on June 22nd last year, this is with the current line-up of the band featuring Geoff Bearpark on lead guitar. Joining in 2012, Geoff is a stalwart of the South Coast Shadows Club and has played in many bands since the early ’70s including The Shadders who played the 2012 Pipeline Convention. On second lead and rhythm is Howard Gillespie, another experienced player who toured UK theatres with the Shadows tribute act Shadivarious, has run Oasis Musical Instruments Ltd since 1991, and is responsible for commissioning several Shads-related custom guitars.The longest serving member of the Boots is keyboardist Tony “Binks” Bayliss who stood in for their second gig and has been “standing in” ever since. On bass is their latest recruit Nathan J Hulse who many will recognise from his fourteen years with The Rapiers and subsequently with The Stingrays. Another familiar face has been in the drum seat since 2013 having wowed many crowds as the youngest of the young Foottappers, stars of Pipeline Conventions and Shadowmania.Importantly, and some might say most importantly, for the last fifteen years The Bootleg Shadows have Bob Dore who, as the band so rightly put it, has both the gear and the ear to produce an authentic Shadows sound.

  Now it’s one thing for a band to go into a studio to try to replicate Shadows music, song by song in such a tightly controlled environment, but to capture it in a live situation (and in a single performance as well) is testament to the talents of all six of the personnel involved. Mixed and mastered by Nathan, this set sounds great throughout and launches in fine style with Ghost Riders In The Sky – it’s very impressive indeed. With Geoff’s slide up at the start of Dance On you know you’re in the good hands of a band with a fan’s ear for the little details. Not wishing to duplicate too much from their first live CD, only Wonderful Land and FBI reappear here and there are welcome diversions in the Beatles medley of All My Loving (as the slow intro) and Please Please Me (as a romping rocker). The second medley introduces a mighty powerful Fanfare For The Common Man as a lead in to Time Is light. Finishing with the five star sequence of Wonderful Land, Apache and FBI and keeping the audience well out of the music tracks, this makes for an enjoyably nostalgic listen and a fine recommendation for catching the band live.

  Alan Taylor
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  As ever, Special Agents are still needed to help promote our shows throughout the country – you will be well rewarded for your efforts!

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