Traveling Band

January 26-29 1961

The Beatles play five gigs in four days, at the usual venues.  Thursday the 26th, they appear at the scene of their recent triumph, Litherland Town Hall.  Friday, they are back at the Aintree Institute. Saturday, they play a gig there as well as another at Lathom Hall (which will soon occupy a infamous niche in Beatles lore, due to the violence that was likely to break out there).  Finally, on Sunday, they bring the music to the Mona Best's basement Cavern Club.

The Beatles are still making do with whatever transportation arrangements that can be made, including using city buses when necessary.  Tony Bramwell, a friend from the earliest days and one of the Beatles later entourage remembers meeting with George who was carrying his own guitar on the way to a Litherland gig on the number 81 bus.  Tony offers to carry George's ax in anticipation of gaining free admission to the club ("I'm with the band").  Of course, George agreed.  Scousers are loyal to friends that way.

Note for the cognoscenti.  I just received in the mail a book that I'm really looking forward to reading, direct from Liverpool.  (Homeland security did open the package to make sure there was nothing dangerous in there.)  It's called Twist and Shout - Merseybeat, The Cavern, The Star Club and The Beatles, written by Spenser Leigh, who was in attendance at the birth of the Merseybeat and has more recently tracked down all the the denizens of the beat scene to document their memories of events.  (As of 2004, the live music was still going strong there.)  You can order the book direct from the author and he will personalize it for you.