Last updated: 01 September 2009
Town Hall, Abergavenny
Saturday 22 June 1963
On 19 April 1963, The Beatles' manager Brian Epstein signed a contract with Abergavenny promoter Eddie Tattersall, for the group to perform for a fee of £250. By the time the event took place the group were commanding fees of twice that amount, but agreed to honour the booking nonetheless.
However, in the run up to the show John Lennon was booked to appear on the same day on the Â鶹Éç's Juke Box Jury. Epstein arranged for a helicopter, at a cost of more than £100, to take Lennon from Battersea Heliport in London to the concert venue, and he arrived at Penypound Football Ground in Abergavenny at 9.45.
The concert's support act was a local group, The Fortunes, who were paid £18.90. The Beatles took to the stage at 10.30pm. 600 fans watched the performance, each having paid 12/6d for a ticket.
The Beatles' performance lasted over an hour, and included a number of rock 'n' roll songs as well as much of the Please Please Me album.
After the event they were invited to a reception held by the mayor of Abergavenny, where they had tea and signed the visitors' book. That night The Beatles stayed at the nearby Angel Hotel.
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Welsh singer Bryn Yemm discusses The Beatles' appearance in Abergavenny, 1963.
From the Â鶹Éç Wales programme The Slate, February 1996.
