PUNTERS will have a chance to get their fab four loving hands on the original poster advertising the legendary night The Beatles played Abergavenny later this month when it and other assorted Beatles memorabilia go under the hammer.
The only trouble is you’ll need a little bit of spare cash because it is estimated to fetch somewhere between £10,000 and £15,000.
You might think that’s a bit extravagant for the sort of poster people used to pin to their bedroom walls, but The Beatles are quite a big band and it was a big night for music lovers in Abergavenny.
As legendary concerts go, it’s not really in the same league as when the Beatles played New York’s Shea Stadium in 1966.
However, for the 600-plus people in the audience when the mighty Scouse mop tops played Abergavenny on June 22, 1963, it was destined to be written into the town’s folklore.
Not least because John Lennon famously arrived by helicopter at Pen-y-Pound.
Lennon became the most famous person in history ever to grace the Abergavenny Thursdays FC’s turf because he was late for the gig due to recording an episode of Jukebox Jury in London for the BBC.
Lennon didn’t finish filming until 9.15 pm and was instantly ferried to Battersea Helipad and raced to the ‘Gateway to Wales’ in a manic race against the clock.
Consequently, Pen-y-Pound pulled its biggest crowd of the season as hundreds of people packed into the playing area to wait for the arrival of Lennon and grant him a hero’s welcome.
Paul, George, and Ringo had earlier made the journey by road and were granted the rare rock n’ roll treat of a civic reception hosted by Abergavenny’s mayor and mayoress.
It was ‘Macca’s’ 21st birthday a few days before the concert and on the night he was presented with a huge birthday card signed by hundreds of those present. The card was given to him by Miss Lorraine Tattersall.
Although riding the swelling crest of a wave caused by the dynamic ripple of having ‘Please, Please Me’ reach the number one spot in early 1963, the Beatles were nowhere near the global pop phenomenon they would later become. Yet they were already commanding twice the fee their manager Brian Epstein had agreed (£250) with Abergavenny promoter Eddie Tattersall in April of that year.
Originally from Manchester, Mr Tattersall found himself in Abergavenny on army service in 1941. He liked it so much that he decided to stay and married a local lady in 1943.
As a music promoter, he would later be instrumental in bringing not just The Beatles but such heavyweights as Status Quo, Pink Floyd, The Hollies, and Gene Vincent to the area.
Although the helicopter that ferried Lennon to the ‘Gateway to Wales cost Epstein more than £100, the band agreed to honour the booking and were supported by local act ‘The Fabulous Fortunes’.
The Beatles finally appeared on stage at 10.30 pm, and in a set that lasted over an hour, rocked the rafters doing what they did best.
Abergavenny photographer Albert Lyons who famously took photos of The Beatles on stage and in the Mayor’s Parlour met the band and said, “I had the pleasure of meeting The Beatles, individually, finding Paul McCartney to be a very intelligent person, ab,e to speak three languages, while Ringo Starr explained that his nickname was the result of his fondness for wearing large numbers of rings.”
After the concert, all four Beatles signed autographs which were sold to fans for threepence each, with proceeds going to the local branch of the Freedom From Hunger Campaign.
The Beatles spent the night after the gig in the Angel Hotel and there’s a curious little story that a local character by the name of Bunker got into some verbals with John Lennon and ended up smacking the man from Liverpool on the nose.
The poster may be a little torn and frayed around the edges but it is a slice of cultural history. So get it while it’s hot!
It and other Beatles-related memorabilia will be auctioned by Tracks Auctikons.com. The auction will start on September 27 and will continue for 10 days.
