The Merseybeat Goes On

Spencer Leigh at Liverpool’s Beatle Week

Every year thousands of fans flock to Liverpool in August for its Beatle Week and Mathew Street Festival. This year everything was thrown into confusion by an inexcusable press release from the Culture Company, which implied that everything had been cancelled. Politicians, the public, the local press and the directors of Cavern City Tours were shocked by this announcement. Although the outdoor stages were prohibited for safety reasons, everything else was on and indeed, after frantic activity, several more venues presented live music.

The launch of the 3CD set, The Cavern: The Greatest Club In The World, took place at the Cavern and featured the Overtures, who had played at Elton John’s wedding reception. Their high energy and hugely enjoyable set concentrated on songs from the album. They accompanied Gerry Marsden (making his 200th appearance at the Cavern), Denny Laine (with an impassioned Go Now), Tony Crane and Billy Kinsley (with a heavy rock version of their hit, Sorrow) and Chris Sharrock of the La’s (brilliantly impersonating Keith Moon on Substitute). The audience loved the contemporary band, 10 Reasons To Live, but they played too loud and it was impossible to tell how good the songs …

by Spencer Leigh
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