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Attempting to recreate two of the finest albums ever made live on stage is like entering the ring with Mike Tyson and Muhammed Ali.
It's like joining a debate between Winston Churchill and Hitler, sharing a stand-up mic with Bill Hicks and Richard Pryor or meeting Oliver Reed and John Belushi for a quiet pint.
I could go on but you get the idea. Basically, it's tough.
Stupidly, outlandishly, ridiculously tough and only a bunch of foolhardy idiots with more gumption than sense would ever attempt such a thing. Step forward the Brighton Beach Boys...
The tribute band have won many fans on the South Coast with their respectful versions of Sixties surfing classics but this was a whole new level.
Pet Sounds and Sgt. Pepper's were made 40 and 39 years ago respectively and have been near the top of Best Albums Of All Time lists ever since.
Popular music was pretty black and white then - it was a blaze of colour after these recordings.
The first half of the show covered Pet Sounds and the BBB's four singers, keyboard players, three-strong string and brass sections and two percussionists did incredibly well to replicate the Grand Canyon-esque sonic depths of Brian Wilson's masterpiece.
It helped that there was a vast amount of musical talent on stage and the performers were clearly having a ball themselves.
Next up was Sgt. Pepper's, which not even The Beatles attempted live. Again, the performance was a triumph - perhaps even edging the first half.
It contained the night's finest moment - a heart-stoppingly gorgeous version of She's Leaving Home sung note-perfectly by Glen Richardson.
One very minor quibble was the choice of venue. St. Georges Church is beautiful, with good acoustics, but lends itself far better to soothing, unamplified music.
It's a bit awkward trying to shake your booty in a house of God, so maybe next time the BBBs could play somewhere more suitable.
And I do hope there is a next time. Sgt. Pepper turns forty next year and there wouldn't be a better way to wish him happy birthday.
Sam Thomson - Brighton Argus
Where else to perform two of the most innovative and cherished pop albums in music's rich history but in St George's Church, fitting considering to the iconic, near-religious status afforded to them by generation after generation. The Brighton Beach Boys attempted a huge feat performing Pet Sounds and Sgt Pepper live, but they only reinforced just how timelessly impressive these two albums are. The musicianship, energy and charisma that radiated from the close five-part harmonies, note perfect character voices and range of musical styles awarded our very own Beach Boys several standing ovations from an awe-struck, grinning audience. Tackling even the most musically challenging of tracks: Within You Without You, You Still Believe In Me and A Day In The Life, this performance made many music lovers' wildest fantasies a reality.
Three Weeks - rating: 5/5
Wouldn't it be nice if the Brighton Festival's 40th anniversary coincided with a full rendition of the two landmark albums from our era? Well, last night we were treated to just that.
A 14-piece band including string quintet and brass section filled the pews and pulpits with the sounds of the sixties using a plethora of authentic instruments, from Hammond organs and melodicas right down to tiny Indian bells.
Pet Sounds in album track order was first up, it was clear that countless hours had been spent mastering the six-part harmonies.
Manic throughout, the Bez-like drummer came into his own during Sloop John B, abandoning his kit to lead the rhythm section by merely clapping. Throughout the night there was inventive use of Samba and other forms to subtly re-interpret the songs in a uniquely Brighton-esque way.
Sgt. Pepper was dedicated to Paul McCartney. "Thanks for all the love over the years," said keyboard player Ralph Brown. You'd know him best as Danny, the drug-crazed hippy in Withnail & I.
In the second half a vastly appreciative Kemptown congregation was called upon for audience participation; clapping, laughing and rattling their jewellery on command with great aplomb.
A fascinating array of period guitars were on show, and all involved displayed musicianship on a level which performance enhancing drugs would be proud.
To pick out any one stand-out track would be impossible, but Within You, Without You was complete with tamblas and the aroma of joss-sticks.
For once on a Sunday, a transcendental experience in a church for all to enjoy.
Peter Styles, Southern Counties Radio