The Jacaranda, reputedly the first venue to host the Beatles, is re-opening next month after a two-year closure.
Appearing
as Long John & the Silver Beatles before changing their name, the
Beatles helped to establish the club in Slater Street as the musical hub
of Liverpool.
Now its owners are hoping to replicate the success
with a new generation of local musicians, even relaunching their famous
open mic nights.
Graham Stanley, managing director of the
Jacaranda said he hopes to strike a balance between keeping the history
alive and bringing it into the 21st century.
He added: “The venue
has evolved and changed over the years since its opening as a coffee
shop in ’58, each new generation experiencing the Jacaranda in a
different way to the last.”
Mr Stanley and his team are even
offering local musicians the opportunity to rehearse there for free, in
exchange for a gig- just like original owner Allan Williams did for the
Beatles.
He said: “Providing rehearsal space in exchange for live
performances is our biggest tip of the hat to the Beatles and the Jacs
heritage,hopefully it will allow new acts the same chance to form, grow
and develop.
“You wonder where the Beatles would be if Allan
Williams hadn’t given them their first break and a space to rehearse
that they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford.”
Current
owner Graham Clarke bought the venue from Mr Williams 18 years-ago, and
has been renovating the much-loved venue for eight months.
Despite
the extensive renovation, Mr Stanley insists the “history of the Jac is
almost as important as its future”, so has kept the famous basement
vault booths.
He explained: “The features that made the Jac an iconic watering hole was something we couldn’t allow to be lost.
“The
booths are an integral part of maintaining the atmosphere that was
originally created over 50 years ago. There’s something special about
the two booths in the basement as anyone who’s ever spent a night in the
Jac has at some point ended up in one.”
The mural painted by John
Lennon and Stuart Sutcliffe has been restored to its former glory, and
the jukebox was considered so important that they’ve bought an
additional one for the basement.
Stanley admitted the club “lost
its way” back in 2011 when it closed due to a period of poor trading,
and said it was “one of the hardest decisions we’d ever made.”
Now Mr Stanley and his team are hoping for a repeat of the success of the 60s, bringing the Jacaranda to a whole new generation.
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