The Analogues


The Analogues were a Dutch tribute act dedicated to recreating the music of the Beatles. Founded in 2014, their goal was to perform the Beatles’ music from the band's later studio years live, using analogue and period-accurate instrumentation. The Beatles never performed many of these songs or entire albums live. The Analogues gained recognition for their meticulous attention to detail and authenticity. While they did not attempt to resemble the Beatles visually, their performances were celebrated for accurately reproducing the Beatles' distinctive sound and musical complexity. The project ended with a final concert on 28 December 2024 at Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam.

Touring

The Analogues went on their first tour in the Netherlands and abroad in 2015–2016, performing the Magical Mystery Tour album.
In 2017, the band toured a complete performance of Sgt. Pepper's [Lonely Hearts Club Band], which included a performance at the 17,000-capacity Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam on 1 June 2017 to celebrate the album's 50-year anniversary. In June 2017, Dutch public-service broadcaster NTR aired a one-hour documentary on the band's painstaking process of analysing the Beatles' compositions and their experimental use of studio equipment, as well as their acquisition of the correct analogue instruments, in preparation for performing the Sgt. Pepper's album live. Before an album was performed, complete multi-layered arrangements were written out by the band.
From 2018 to 2019 the Analogues toured the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and the UK playing The Beatles album, also known as The White Album. On 30 June 2019 the band recorded two live shows at Abbey Road Studios in London, where the Beatles had recorded.

War Child charity tour

In April 2025, preparations began for a special charity tour, ‘The Analogues Light: Ticket to Ride,’ which the band planned to complete by bicycle, travelling from the Netherlands to Ukraine. To mark the 30th anniversary of the children's aid organisation War Child, the band was supporting this campaign to raise awareness of the situation of children in war zones and collect donations for this cause. The proceeds from small, selected concerts along the route from Amsterdam to Lviv went to War Child.
To keep logistics for the tour to a minimum, The Analogues travelled with a small line-up: Felix Maginn, Diederik Nomden, Jac Bico, Bart van Poppel and Kees Schaper, Schaper replaced Fred Gehring, who was unable to perform because of injury. The set consisted of selected Beatles compositions, without orchestra. The charity tour started on 16 June 2025 in Amsterdam.

Recordings

The Analogues signed a six-record deal with Universal Music Group for five performed-live Beatles albums and one album of original material inspired by the Beatles.

Instruments

The Analogues amassed a vast collection of musical instruments in order to replicate the Beatles' original recordings as closely as possible. Their inventory included pieces like a black-and-white Rickenbacker guitar resembling John Lennon's, a light blue Fender Stratocaster similar to George Harrison's, and a Höfner 500/1 bass. They also incorporated Indian instruments into their performances, such as a dilruba, a swarmandal, a tanpura, a tabla, and a sitar. Notable speciality instruments included a one-metre-long harmonica for “The Fool on the Hill” and a clavioline for "Baby, You're a Rich Man".
The band’s principal analyst was bass guitarist and producer Bart van Poppel. After meticulously analyzing an album’s arrangements and consulting Beatles Gear, the band sought out the exact equipment needed, such as a 1965 Lowrey Heritage Deluxe organ, or one of only thirty known existing mellotrons from a specific series, famously used in the intro of “Strawberry Fields Forever.”

Reviews

In 2014, Het Parool reviewed the premiere of the Magical Mystery Tour and described the Analogues' sound as "eerily close" to the Beatles. In 2015, De Volkskrant wrote that the band brought the Beatles' sound back to life "frighteningly well." In 2016, the Eastern Daily Press reviewed a Norwich performance as a "musical wonder" providing a "truly magical experience".

Personnel

Current members
  • Jac Bico – guitar, vocals
  • Fred Gehring – drums, vocals
  • Felix Maginn – guitars, vocals
  • Diederik Nomden – keys, guitar, vocals
  • Bart van Poppel – bass, keys, vocals and producer
Former members
  • Jan van der Meij – guitar, vocals