AT AROUND midday on cold and blustery January 30, 1969, The Beatles performed an impromptu 42-minute set on the roof of their Apple Corps HQ at 3 Savile Row in central London.

At around 9.30pm on a now thankfully dry October 2, 2021 The Bootleg Beatles recreated the event at Lighthouse, Poole, even down to the Ringo and George characters wearing their wives’ coats – and fab it was too.

The original event, the band’s final live performance, attracted thousands of lunchtime onlookers on the roofs of nearby buildings, blocked streets and led to the Met asking ’em to turn it down.

While the Bootleg’s version didn’t attract quite such a furore, it was certainly entertaining with an airing for songs this most celebrated of tribute acts wouldn’t usually feature – and a couple of dodgy looking coppers made an appearance.

Thus I’ve Got A Feeling, Dig A Pony and One After 909 were pleasingly set-listed alongside Don’t Let Me Down and, of course, Get Back.

The Bootlegs remain a phenomenon, still going strong after more than 40 years on the road and continuing to uncannily both resemble and sound like the Fab Four and mine their short career for ever more ideas.

They may refresh occasionally – like Trigger’s broom, but not to Sugarbabes standards – but the music goes on. And on. The world’s best-ever band lives on through the Bootlegs, with original members Andre Barreau and Neil Harrison now pulling the strings backstage.

Usually, if you rearrange the words ‘band’ and ‘tribute’ together I’ll run away faster than a selfish motorist sniffing out fuel and rushing an open petrol station to stick another three quid in the tank, but this lot are different. The Bootleg put on full show based on their idols.

Steve White has captured McCartney perfectly, even cracking a good joke about having seen the new Bond film – Goldfinger, while Stephen Hill’s Harrison perfected his Liverpudlian drawl. Tyson Kelly is suitable laconic as Lennon while I’m still not sure if Gordon Elsmore’s Starr was wearing a prosthetic nose.

The set commenced in 1963, the band suited and booted – with superb attention to detail down as far as White’s Cuban heels being higher than the rest of the band as he is shorter – and a first half of 21 songs from Please, Please Me and She Loves You through to Day Tripper and Taxman.

The second half embraced psychedelia through Sgt Pepper’s tracks and colourful uniforms and the band pushed on despite technical gremlins with the backdrop films. Savile Row followed, then another quick change for the final numbers Come Together, Here Comes The Sun, Revolution, Hey Jude and a rock’n’roll encore.

And if that whets your appetite, they’re back in the area next April.