BAFTA award winner Richard Curtis has booked The Austin Beats twice in the past to entertain his party guests. The writer of Four Weddings and a Funeral and Love Actually first asked The Austin Beats to perform for close family and friends at his 50th birthday bash in 2006. During the evening, friends of Mr Curtis, including ITV's director of television, Peter Fincham, sung Hey Jude with the band before Mr Curtis himself took the stage to perform I Saw Her Standing There.
In 2008 Mr Curtis booked The Austin Beats once again but this time to entertain the cast and crew of his latest film - The Boat That Rocked. The film’s wrap party was held at Shoreditch House, London on 18th June and was attended by cast members including Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans and Kenneth Branagh. Associate producer Emma Freud (pictured left with Lee) said "as soon as we started making the film we decided that we would book The Austin Beats for the wrap party". Mr Curtis said that “The Austin Beats were the obvious choice”, as the film had been inspired by the
pirate radio stations of the 1960’s. During the evening, the dance floor was full with the cast, crew and guests as The Austin Beats reeled off hits from The Beatles, The Kinks and The Rolling Stones. The highlight of the band’s set was an impromptu and hilarious rendition of Wild Thing, as comic actor James Corden (pictured right) joined The Austin Beats on stage.
The Boat That Rocked had its world premier in London on 24th March
2009.
