Charlee Watt promises to beat up The Beatles and boy, she does not disappoint. It is no mean feat to cover such an enormous catalogue, but Watt manages to fit both classics and deep cuts into an hour, delivering a show which is guaranteed to please both novice and hardcore fans.

Watt is supported by some of Adelaide’s finest musicians who lay down a groovy foundation for her to soar. The beaten-up arrangements are executed cleanly, with clear symbiosis between Lewis Todd on drums and Declan Horan on bass. A particular stand-out is Andrew Casey on keys, who marries excellent groove with delightful interjections on voice and saxophone. Speaking of the sax, while the arrangements were initially unrecognisable as Beatles tunes (in the best way possible and to be expected), Jordan Noble’s alto saxophone brings us right back to the source material while cementing the arrangements in a completely different genre.

But it’s hard to go past Watt and her performance. With ultimate vocal control, Watt draws us in before blowing us away with power and grit, balancing us perfectly in the palm of her hand. She’s vulnerable, sharing stories of love and heartbreak and delving into the material with maturity, despite glancing at a script from time to time. Suitably awarded with a standing ovation, this show is for the Beatles fan, the jazz fan, the music fan… so that’s basically everyone covered then! 

Beating Up The Beatles, various venues, until Sunday 16 March, times vary; main picture: Mikaela Frick.