1963 Darwen Beatles performance ticket put up for auction

1:09pm Thursday 22nd November 2012 in News By Dick Barton

1963 Darwen Beatles performance ticket put up for auction 1963 Darwen Beatles performance ticket put up for auction

IT cost only six shillings (30p) to see The Beatles perform live at Darwen in 1963, but now nearly fifty years later a rare ticket for that historic show is set to fetch between £800 and £1200 at an auction.

And if the ticket does sell for anything like those figures at Christie’s South Kensington in London next Thursday, November 29, it will be worth considerably more than The Beatles received for playing at Darwen Co-Operative Hall on Friday, January 25, 1963, as they were paid less than £100 for the gig.

The three and a half inches by four and a half inches ticket, described by auctioneers Christie’s as ‘rare’ was produced for what the organisers, the local Baptist Youth Club, called ‘The Greatest Teenage Dance’.

It promised non-stop dancing between 7.30pm and 11.30pm and the entrance also included support acts The Electones.

The Mike Taylor Combo and The Mustangs With Ricky Day.

The ticket also covered the cost of the buffet.

The Beatles came to Darwen just weeks before they became world-famous superstars.

It was a momentous year for the Fab Four, as later in 1963 they went to number one for the first time with From Me To You taking the top spot on May 2.

They then followed this with two more number one hits that year, She Loves You in September and I Want To Hold Your Hand in December.

At the time the average weekly wage was fifteen pounds seventeen shillings and three pence (£15.87p), a pint of beer cost one shilling and five pence (about 7p), a gallon of petrol four shillings and ten and a half pence (24p), while the average house cost £3,160.

It was also the year when US President John Kennedy was assassinated, the Great Train Robbery took place and the British political establishment was rocked by the Profumo Scandal.

It is not known exactly what The Beatles received for their Darwen gig but it was definitely less than £100.

According to Mark Lewisohn in his book The Complete Beatles Chronicle, the band’s first £100 booking happened five weeks later when they performed at the Plaza Ballroom, St Helens.

Comments (9)

4:36pm Thu 22 Nov 12

CapitaBackHander says...

I 'have' a signed ticket from when they performed in Darwen.
I 'have' a signed ticket from when they performed in Darwen. CapitaBackHander

9:23pm Thu 22 Nov 12

DEO VOLENTE says...

It is time that we got over the Beatles. They are hanging around like a bad smell. Resign them to the history books! and for the record they were not fit to lace the boots of the great Velvet Underground! Now there is a really influential band."Imagine" a better life without the boring Beatles! Just "imagine" if the Beatles had never existed we would not have to put up with the dire Oasis. Imagine their are no Beatles quite easy if you try

Deus Vobiscum

Deus Vobiscum
It is time that we got over the Beatles. They are hanging around like a bad smell. Resign them to the history books! and for the record they were not fit to lace the boots of the great Velvet Underground! Now there is a really influential band."Imagine" a better life without the boring Beatles! Just "imagine" if the Beatles had never existed we would not have to put up with the dire Oasis. Imagine their are no Beatles quite easy if you try Deus Vobiscum Deus Vobiscum DEO VOLENTE

9:29pm Thu 22 Nov 12

DEO VOLENTE says...

It is time that we got over the Beatles. They are hanging around like a bad smell. Resign them to the history books! and for the record they were not fit to lace the boots of the great Velvet Underground! Now there is a really influential band."Imagine" a better life without the boring Beatles! Just "imagine" if the Beatles had never existed we would not have to put up with the dire Oasis. Imagine their are no Beatles quite easy if you try

Deus Vobiscum

Deus Vobiscum
It is time that we got over the Beatles. They are hanging around like a bad smell. Resign them to the history books! and for the record they were not fit to lace the boots of the great Velvet Underground! Now there is a really influential band."Imagine" a better life without the boring Beatles! Just "imagine" if the Beatles had never existed we would not have to put up with the dire Oasis. Imagine their are no Beatles quite easy if you try Deus Vobiscum Deus Vobiscum DEO VOLENTE

11:17pm Thu 22 Nov 12

Major Tom says...

JFK assassination
Profumo scandal
Great train robbery
Beatles play Darwin
Moments that shook the world... not!
JFK assassination Profumo scandal Great train robbery Beatles play Darwin Moments that shook the world... not! Major Tom

6:47am Fri 23 Nov 12

jmulrooney says...

I was there (didn't keep my ticket, unfortunately). The way I remember it is that they played the Co-op hall gig one week after "Please Please Me" went to number one on "Top of the Pops". Their first hit single was "Love Me Do" in late '62. They followed up "Please Please Me" with "From Me to You" and then "She Loves You".
Anyway, it was one helluva party!
I was there (didn't keep my ticket, unfortunately). The way I remember it is that they played the Co-op hall gig one week after "Please Please Me" went to number one on "Top of the Pops". Their first hit single was "Love Me Do" in late '62. They followed up "Please Please Me" with "From Me to You" and then "She Loves You". Anyway, it was one helluva party! jmulrooney

8:58am Fri 23 Nov 12

Sad Darwener says...

Velvet Who?
Velvet Who? Sad Darwener

10:01am Fri 23 Nov 12

gutterpress says...

Deo Volente
Is there not room for the Beatles and Velvet Underground? I like and listen to them both. Far better to have an eclectic mix rather than a one track mind.
Deo Volente Is there not room for the Beatles and Velvet Underground? I like and listen to them both. Far better to have an eclectic mix rather than a one track mind. gutterpress

12:06pm Sat 24 Nov 12

Ribbleman says...

Deo Volente - You seem to be a very bitter man for no good reason. Many people enjoy music from a whole range of genres. No need to get nasty about the ones you don't like. The pic in article is not representative of the Beatles at that time.
Deo Volente - You seem to be a very bitter man for no good reason. Many people enjoy music from a whole range of genres. No need to get nasty about the ones you don't like. The pic in article is not representative of the Beatles at that time. Ribbleman

9:53am Wed 28 Nov 12

Return of the Magnificent se7en says...

DEO VOLENTE wrote:
It is time that we got over the Beatles. They are hanging around like a bad smell. Resign them to the history books! and for the record they were not fit to lace the boots of the great Velvet Underground! Now there is a really influential band."Imagine" a better life without the boring Beatles! Just "imagine" if the Beatles had never existed we would not have to put up with the dire Oasis. Imagine their are no Beatles quite easy if you try

Deus Vobiscum

Deus Vobiscum
The Velvet Underground can't even grace the same music store. A very bad singer and average repetative monotany. Underground music should have stayed there. You obviously know very little about music as Lou reed must consider himself one of the luckiest out of tune buskers to ever get air time.
The Beatles are where they are in musical history for a reason.
You obviously need to get your ears waxed and stop taking mounds of heroin if you think Reeds contribution to music deserves such credance.
Its a good job they had proficient session musicians and producers in Reeds day as he fails terribly even singing his own songs. Take walk on the wild side, the whole tune WORKS because of the Bass line and thats it. Had Herbie flowers, an exeptional english session muse not been involved the whole song would have been as dross as lou reeds voice. Just singing another drug fuelled rant.
Velvet Underground = Heroin worshipping rubbish. I think the beatles went well beyond C and F6, they are the chords of a smack head because thats the only ones he learns and then mumbles over them before passing out. Lou Reed is still a beginner after 40 years.
I'd have been impressed if he'd have played the bassline in walk on the wild side and sung it at the same time, even as out of tune as he is, but no, he can't even manage that..
[quote][p][bold]DEO VOLENTE[/bold] wrote: It is time that we got over the Beatles. They are hanging around like a bad smell. Resign them to the history books! and for the record they were not fit to lace the boots of the great Velvet Underground! Now there is a really influential band."Imagine" a better life without the boring Beatles! Just "imagine" if the Beatles had never existed we would not have to put up with the dire Oasis. Imagine their are no Beatles quite easy if you try Deus Vobiscum Deus Vobiscum[/p][/quote]The Velvet Underground can't even grace the same music store. A very bad singer and average repetative monotany. Underground music should have stayed there. You obviously know very little about music as Lou reed must consider himself one of the luckiest out of tune buskers to ever get air time. The Beatles are where they are in musical history for a reason. You obviously need to get your ears waxed and stop taking mounds of heroin if you think Reeds contribution to music deserves such credance. Its a good job they had proficient session musicians and producers in Reeds day as he fails terribly even singing his own songs. Take walk on the wild side, the whole tune WORKS because of the Bass line and thats it. Had Herbie flowers, an exeptional english session muse not been involved the whole song would have been as dross as lou reeds voice. Just singing another drug fuelled rant. Velvet Underground = Heroin worshipping rubbish. I think the beatles went well beyond C and F6, they are the chords of a smack head because thats the only ones he learns and then mumbles over them before passing out. Lou Reed is still a beginner after 40 years. I'd have been impressed if he'd have played the bassline in walk on the wild side and sung it at the same time, even as out of tune as he is, but no, he can't even manage that.. Return of the Magnificent se7en

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