Entertainment
Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck’s previous collaborations as actor rocks up for England gigs-Rachael O'Connor-Entertainment – Metro
The pair have teamed up several times before.
Johnny Depp shocked music fans as he made a surprise appearance on-stage with Jeff Beck at recent UK gigs (Picture: PA)
Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck have teamed up to perform together at multiple gigs across the UK.
As the Pirates of the Caribbean actor awaits the verdict of his trial against ex-wife Amber Heard, his appearances on-stage in Sheffield and London were a surprise, to say the least.
But while the timing may be surprising, his collaboration with the Led Boots musician is not.
At the surprise Royal Albert Hall appearance, Beck introduced Depp by saying the actor had ‘come knocking on my dressing room door about five years ago and we haven’t stopped laughing since.’
So, what is Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck’s friendship like and have they performed together before?
2019: Depp and Beck perform at Crossroads charity event
Depp and Beck have collaborated multiple times going back years
Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck have been friends for years, often performing together at events, recording cover songs or collaborating on new music.
Beck’s official website describes the actor and musician as ‘musical soulmates,’ and explained the pair have been ‘working behind-the-scenes for the past several years on new music’
This is no secret: in 2019, they played together at Eric Clapton’s charity event in Texas, an annual event Beck had played at many times previously.
The Crossroads Music Festival in Dallas turned out to be the first place Depp and Beck would play their cover of John Lennon’s track Isolation – but it wouldn’t be the last.
2020: Depp and Beck release cover of John Lennon’s Isolation
Back in 2020, when the world was in lockdown, Beck and Depp released their cover of John Lennon’s track Isolation, which went viral on social media.
Musician Beck said at the time that the pair had been working on music together for some time, with Isolation having been recorded and produced the year before.
While they had performed Isolation live previously, they decided to release the official version, along with a lyric video, in April 2020.
Just as the Covid-19 pandemic and associated restrictions forced everyone to remain indoors, Beck and Depp decided ‘now might be the right time to let you all hear it.’
Beck promised at the time that audiences would be ‘hearing more from Johnny and me in a little while.’
2021: Depp and Beck ‘secretly collaborate’ in the UK
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And, in the summer of 2021, the Daily Mail reported that Depp had travelled to the UK to take his mind off his messy divorce and recent court battles.
There he met Beck, and the pair reportedly spent weeks writing and recording tracks as Beck worked on a new album.
A source told the outlet at the time: ‘Jeff has been a great friend to Johnny during a very difficult time, and being away from Hollywood has been exactly what Johnny needed.
‘He wants to take a step back from everything and focus on a comeback through music.’
2022: Depp joins Beck on stage at UK gigs
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The year 2022 brought the high-profile court case between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, and as the trial reached its end, Depp immediately flew to the UK to join Jeff Beck on tour.
He stepped onto the stage in Sheffield to fans’ absolute shock, where he and Beck performed covers of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On and Jimi Hendrix’s Little Wing.
They also, of course, played their special cover of John Lennon’s Isolation.
At the Royal Albert Hall show, crowds reportedly gave the actor a standing ovation, with many heard chanting his name amid the applause.
Introducing the actor to the stage, Beck said the pair ‘haven’t stopped laughing’ since they first met.
He added that Depp’s surprise appearances were kept quiet ‘‘for obvious reasons’ as he appeared to avoid mentioning the trial.
More: Showbiz
It’s unclear just yet whether the Pirates actor has any other shows lined up in Beck’s UK tour, with a verdict in the Heard trial expected in the coming days.
Watch this space.
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