They sold countless records. They were worshipped across the planet. They changed the state of music forever. But would The Beatles have achieved it all without Nottingham? Well, probably - but we’d like to think we played some part in their success…
You may have heard of The Beatles. You know, one of the most influential bands of all time - or the most influential, if the frequent, passionate rants of our former Editor, Ashley Carter, are to be believed. The creators of beloved bangers like Yesterday, Let It Be and Come Together. The group of four Liverpudlians who created an entire genre of music and made their mark on pretty much every other genre thereafter. Yeah, those Beatles.
Yet what you may not know is that Nottingham, as is the case with so many of our country’s finest musical acts, played an important role in the rise of the planet-dominating performers, and the explosion of Beatlemania that followed. You see, a full six decades ago, in 1963 - a year that also saw the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the launch of Doctor Who - The Beatles rocked up in Nottingham, but to relatively little fanfare.
It was the eve of Thursday 7 March, and the band were booked in at the Elizabethan Ballroom on Upper Parliament Street. It was their first visit to the city, and preceded the release of their debut studio album, Please Please Me, by just a few weeks. Rock ‘n’ roll had yet to properly stretch past the River Mersey, and talk of the Fab Four was nowhere to be heard.
Playing as part of a Mersey Beat Showcase, The Beatles were joined by the likes of Gerry and the Pacemakers, the Big Three, and Billy J. Kramer, offering a night-long introduction to the fresh flair of scouse sound. While a decent local crowd were expected to turn up, tickets were hardly flying off the shelves, and record label NEMS Enterprises decided to book two coachloads of Liverpudlians to fill the modest venue - bringing eighty fans down from Merseyside for the mighty price of £1.50 in today’s money, according to Mersey Beat.
A full six decades ago, in 1963 - a year that also saw the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the launch of Doctor Who - The Beatles rocked up to Nottingham, and to relatively little fanfare
A mere fifteen days later, though, everyone across the country was checking out the gang for themselves. The release of Please Please Me was an overwhelming success, topping the UK album chart in May 1963 and remaining there for thirty weeks - until it was eventually replaced by, um, The Beatles, with their second album, With the Beatles.
Only two months after their relatively quiet debut in Nottingham, on Thursday 23 May, the band were back in our city - this time taking over the Odeon to a slightly busier, and louder, reception. “It was a great occasion,” muses Helen Stirland, who was there on the night. “It was really difficult to get to the show. For their first gig in March, promoters were almost giving tickets away as there weren't enough people interested. But I had to spend quite a bit of money to get a ticket this time, and they weren’t easy to get your hands on. I was still in school at the time, and I don’t think my parents were too happy about the fact I was going to this rock ‘n’ roll concert…
“I feel incredibly lucky that I got the chance to see them, though. You could tell during the night that they were a special band with a big future ahead of them. I’ve listened to them ever since; I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of them. I even joined the Beatles Fan Club after that - it’s the only fan club I’ve been a part of!”
Playing a seven-song setlist that included timeless classics like Do You Want to Know a Secret and Twist and Shout, the rising stars performed not as part of a large line-up, but alongside The Big O, Roy Orbison, as part of his run of UK gigs. While the latter initially bagged top billing for the tour, the popularity of The Beatles meant they soon became co-headliners, and by the time they reached Nottingham, there were arguably more fans there for the floppy-haired foursome. Poor Roy.
The Beatles would return to Odeon one more time, in 1964, rattling off classics like Can't Buy Me Love and A Hard Day's Night before bringing their association with Notts to a close
“I definitely think most of the girls were there for The Beatles,” Helen laughs. “Roy Orbison and The Beatles were so different that you couldn’t really compare them, but they were definitely as much the headliners as Roy was. I remember leaving the concert out of the side door and there were loads of girls outside screaming, and the band were a couple of floors up shouting over to them. It’s safe to say they were already building up quite the following!”
However, it was on their third - yes, third - visit to Notts that year that the true grip of Beatlemania took hold. As David Whitfield recalls, when the band hit up Odeon once more on Thursday 12 December, this time as outright headliners, the entire city went into meltdown, with the group receiving “a tumultuous reception from thousands of ecstatic young fans. All police leave in the city was cancelled and a fleet of ambulances were put on standby.”
One of the super supporters that night was Audrey Pridmore, who writes about experiencing the chaos of Beatlemania for the Loughborough History and Heritage Network: “In the early 1960s I was a very young teenager and a huge fan of The Beatles. It seemed to be the trend that you were into either The Beatles or The Rolling Stones, but didn’t generally admit to liking both,” she muses. “Aside from the music, I think a lot depended on which member of the group you happened to fancy, so that played a big part in which one you followed. Paul was my favourite, with George a close second.
“I saw The Beatles when they appeared live on stage at the Nottingham Odeon Cinema, after applying by post for tickets. As I remember, it was just pot luck as to whether you were successful or not, but on this occasion my best friend was the lucky one so I got to go along too,” she continues. “However, the tickets were on the back row and although we could just about see the stage, it was impossible to hear anything because of the constant screaming. No matter, the fact that we could lay claim to ‘being there’ was enough and I can still picture the famous four in their grey collarless suits in my mind’s eye today.”
From taking a punt on a relatively unknown group in a relatively unknown genre, to supporting their meteoric ascent to global stardom, Nottingham provided a platform for these boundary-pushing artists
The Beatles would return to Odeon one more time, on Thursday 5 November 1964 (they seemed to love their Thursdays), rattling off classics like Can't Buy Me Love and A Hard Day's Night across two separate shows before bringing their association with Notts to a close. Yet, while their focus may have shifted towards bigger cities like London and Los Angeles following their time in the East Midlands, the impact of our own city on the band - and of the band on our city - is unmistakable.
From taking a punt on a relatively unknown group in a relatively unknown genre, to supporting their meteoric ascent to global stardom, Nottingham provided a platform for these boundary-pushing artists when few venues south of Mathew Street would do so. And, while limited gigs meant few people living in Notts actually got to see them in Notts, their impact on those who were lucky enough to catch them here is still felt today - not least by Douglas Colton Lee, commis chef at the Swan Hotel in the early 1960s, who tells Mersey Beat, “My girlfriend at the time loved the Beatles. I had been given a complete set of autographs, personally, the last time they stayed at the Swan. I gave my girlfriend the autographs. I didn't really think about it again until this year when I discovered how much they would be worth today. I was mortified.” That’s the price of generosity, Doug.
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