One-day performance of all The Beatles songs from memory at Boxgrove

The Beatles Songs From Memory will be at St Mary’s & St Blaise, Boxgrove on Saturday July 2 from 9.30am – every song recorded, composed and released by The Beatles onto one of their albums. David is inviting people to drop in and listen at any point (free entry). He anticipates he will finish around 5pm

“I have performed a number of feats of memory in the past 30 years in order to raise money for charity – these include the New Testament, the operas of Gilbert & Sullivan and the Talking Heads monologues of Alan Bennett. I decided it was time for a new challenge and I thought The Beatles songs would be perfect. They have written so many memorable songs which resonate with great numbers of people, and they have also been prolific, composing, recording and releasing nearly 200 songs in total while they were together. This made it a perfect memory task – one that was challenging but manageable, and the performance of which would be enjoyed by those who had happy memories of The Beatles in their heyday.

“It was during the first Covid lockdown that, with time on my hands, I got going on the task. I learnt my first three songs on October 1 2020 and, learning three songs by heart every single week after that, reached the end at Christmas 2021.

“The task has proved to be an extremely enjoyable and fulfilling one and an excellent way of spending the lockdowns. I used many permitted exercise breaks walking the footpaths and pavements in my Yapton neighbourhood going over and over the songs I’d learnt. Naturally it was fun to commit to memory the classics such as Hey Jude, Help, Lady Madonna, A Hard Day’s Night, Here Comes The Sun, Let It Be and Yellow Submarine. But I’ve also come to enjoy getting to know some of their hidden gems such as Julia, I Will, Drive My Car, Taxman, Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite and The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill. There are some that I will admit to liking less than others but I will try not to let that show when I perform them! The biggest challenge has been not so much committing the songs to memory as mastering the unusual rhythms and keeping in time with the piano accompanist. I shall be accompanied mostly by talented local musician David Russell and, for the Connoisseur’s Corner, by fellow Boxgrove Priory Choir member Janet Reeves, although I will sing some of the songs without accompaniment.

“There will be a retiring collection which will be split between Boxgrove Priory funds and the Sussex Snowdrop Trust which provides support for families of local children who suffer life-limiting illness. You can donate via my Just Giving page which is www.justgiving.com/fundraising/DAVID-BATHURST2.”