Get back to The Beatles
Global Beatles Day lands each year on 25 June, the anniversary of their historic televised performance of All You Need is Love – the first global satellite television broadcast. To mark the occasion, and the return of The Mersey Beatles in Leeds next year, we’re taking a trip down Penny Lane to remember the legacy of the band.
Written by Aaron Cawood
Beatlemania
It’s a tale as old as time – and one retold, eight days a week. It’s a story with many possible starting points; 1940, with the birth of John Lennon. 1956, when Paul McCartney bought his first acoustic guitar. That same year, when John formed The Quarrymen – a band made up of his school friends. A year later, when Paul met John and the band for the first time, at a fete where The Quarrymen were performing. 1958, when George Harrison joined. 1959, when those school friends had departed the group, leaving our three soon-to-be-Beatles as Johnny and the Moondogs. The Stuart Sutcliffe era from 1960, their time as Beatals and The Silver Beatles until they eventually became The Beatles.
The Beatles in Leeds. Credit Paul Berriff via Photo North.
Alan Williams’ time as their manager during their Hamburg days, a heady time for a group of teenagers working long and late hours, unsupervised for the first time – a time that would lead to the Sutcliffe’s exit from the band, as he went on to pursue love and art. In the same era, their introduction of Pete Best as their drummer. Concerts and parties and coming-of-age, all amalgamating in a fateful meeting with Brian Epstein at The Cavern Club. Once they began recording their first EMI record, with Epstein now at the helm, Best would be removed to be replaced by Ringo Starr – so, maybe that’s the ultimate start of The Beatles as a musical monument, the way history has remembered them.
Whichever way you cut it, The Beatles took a long and winding road to stardom at a very early age. From Love Me Do’s release in 1962, the band saw a fast rise to fame that the industry had not seen before – and possibly has not seen since. Despite the sheer size of their cultural impact, it’s often forgotten that The Beatles were only in operation from 1962 until 1970, when McCartney filed for the band to be dissolved following ongoing personal tensions. In just eight years, The Beatles produced 18 chart-topping singles (including 2023 release Now and Then) and 15 albums in the UK, and the music encouraged the masses to come together in droves. People may not be chasing cars and stalking McCartney to his house anymore, but Beatlemania is still alive and well.
The Odeon Theatre, The Headrow, October 1964. Credit Leodis / Leeds Libraries.
And we’d be remiss to talk about The Beatles without referencing their history in Leeds. The Beatles performed in Leeds four times between 1963 and 1964 – once at the now-demolished Queens Hall, and three further times just down the road from The Grand at the Odeon Theatre, which is now Sports Direct.
Sgt. Pepper and beyond
2027 marks the 60th anniversary of The Beatles’ eighth studio album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – a time capsule into an experimental and definitive era for their sound. Featuring undeniable hits like Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, With a Little Help from My Friends and A Day in the Life (a personal favourite), this sound (and the album’s cover) might be one of the things people think of the most when they think of The Beatles.
To honour the occasion, City Varieties Music Hall is once again lucky enough to be hosting The Mersey Beatles, known to be “The best Beatles tribute band around.” (The British Beatles Fan Club). Having taken to our stage many times, The Mersey Beatles are bringing the magic of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band to life in all of its psychedelic glory, as well taking the audience on a journey from The Beatles’ humble beginnings to international fame.
Brian Ambrose as Ringo Starr
The Mersey Beatles performing at The Varieties
Steven Howard as Paul McCartney
Made up of Mark Bloor (John), Steven Howard (Paul), Brian Ambrose (Ringo), and Craig McGown (George), The Mersey Beatles is a tribute act with a similar story to The Beatles. Mark, Steven and Brian went to school together in Liverpool, and Craig (just like George Harrison himself) is the baby of the group. More than just getting on stage to sing the timeless hits, this is a band made up of true die-hard Beatles fans, bringing the authentic Liverpool pride and understanding to this celebration of the Fab Four.
The 60 Years of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band show is one of many historic tours for the group, and that’s without mentioning their time as The Cavern Club’s resident Beatles tribute from 2002-2012 – during which they performed in the iconic space over 600 times. They’re no strangers to The Varieties stage, and there’s a reason they’ve become iconic in Leeds and worldwide. With authentic vocals, rollicking rhythms, costuming and storytelling, The Mersey Beatles are your best bet at travelling back to a day in the life with The Beatles.
So, from The Quarrymen to Johnny and the Moondogs, all the way to the rooftop concert in 1969, to our stage in 2026, its evidenced time and time again that The Beatles have left an indelible mark on music, culture and their audience. Whether you want to get back to those glory days, or come find out what all the fuss mania was about in the first place, this will be the easiest day’s night of your life.
Craig McGown as George Harrison
Mark Bloor as John Lennon
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The Mersey Beatles: 60 Years of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Fri 7 May 2027
Get ready for a spectacular show like no other in 2027 as the world’s favourite Liverpool-born tribute to The Beatles celebrate the 60th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
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