The Beatles at the Grosvenor in 1963.
Friday,
May 17, 1963 was the day Beatlemania came to the city, when John, Paul,
George and Ringo performed at the old Grosvenor Rooms, in Prince of
Wales Road, supported by local band Ricky Lee and the Hucklebucks.
At the time, The Beatles had made an album, released Please Please Me and were on their way to becoming a household name.
They
were a definite hit with the Norwich gig-goers, with excited fans
snapping up the tickets. The queue on the night to get into the
Grosvenor Rooms stretched all the way back to the old ABC cinema further
up the road.
Half a century on, the Grosvenor Rooms are no more –
with a KFC fast food restaurant now on the site instead – but The
Beatles’ music continues to be as popular as ever, and to mark the
anniversary of their Norwich visit Mark Cousens, from Tasburgh, is
organising a tribute night in the city.
He has already booked Them Beatles as the tribute act to the Fab Four, and is now looking for a local support act.
“I
grew up listening to The Beatles because of my dad. It was the first
music I can remember hearing,” said 29-year-old Mr Cousens.
“I
just think they are timeless. Obviously I wasn’t there when they first
came along, but they changed everything and inspired so many people to
pick up the guitar and write music. I often wonder what things would
have been like if they had not come along when they did.”
He said that over the years he had read a number of stories in the Evening News and EDP about the 1963 concert.
“I read about the original Norwich gig in 1963 and the date kept coming up in my mind,” he said.
“There’s
been so many Beatles’ anniversary events going on recently and I
thought it would be nice to do something to mark the anniversary of The
Beatles coming to Norwich.” With the Grosvenor Rooms no longer there, Mr
Cousens has picked The Studio at The Waterfront for the tribute night
which will take place on Sunday, April 21.
Mr Cousens said: “After
putting on a punk gig with a friend at The Waterfront’s upstairs room,
The Studio, last year, with its capacity of 200 it seemed like the
perfect place for a recreation of an early Beatles gig. It’s intimate
and up close and personal.” He added that he had booked it as close as
he was able to the actual anniversary.
Now he is looking for a support act.
“I
am looking for someone who can play a lively 30-minute set, preferably
older music in keeping with the time, although it does not have to be
strictly 1960s,” he said, adding that he was encouraging people coming
to the event to dress in 1960s attire.
Anybody interested in
being the support act should contact Mr Cousens by the end of the week
by emailing vandelaypromotions@gmail.com or finding him on Twitter at
@VandelayPromo and @MarkEverclear.
The Beatles tribute night is at
7pm on on Sunday, April 21. Tickets cost £12 in advance and £14 on the
door. To book visit www.ueaticketbookings.co.uk
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