It’s hard to comprehend just how omnipotent the Beatles are in Liverpool, until you are here. The Beatles presence within their hometown, with tours, statues, bars, restaurants and museums catering to the thousands of fans who visit the city from all over the world is simply overwhelming. However, it wasn’t until the death of John Lennon in December 1980 that any semblance of Beatles tourism began to take root in Liverpool. Beatles tourism is now the key component of the new Liverpool economy, but that has not always been the case. During the 1960s and 70s, many residents and community leaders felt that the Beatles had abandoned the city after they conquered England, America and the rest of the world, and were thus not worthy of remembrance or accolades. The city even demolished the original Cavern Club! An injustice to the boys, when we consider how they connected themselves to Liverpool and were arguably the first rock band to make their local origins a part of their commercial success. They wrote nostalgic songs about their city, and emphasized their Liverpool origins and identity in media interviews, and their local ‘Liverpudlian’ dialect was a feature of their singing style as well as their speech. We did the ‘Magical Mystery Tour’, we spent 2 nights in the Cavern Club, we did the ‘Beatles Story’. The Beatles relationship with Liverpool and the importance of Liverpool’s Beatles heritage for the city, simply can’t be understated and the real fifth Beatle is the city of Liverpool. Bailey summed it up perfectly as we were departing: “I feel like I’ve just spent 48 hours in an alternate Beatles Universe”. She was not wrong, but oh what a magical musical universe to be immersed in.
The Keeler's 
Brilliant! A musical family’s heaven. I am now hoping to see you all re-enact the Abbey Road cover!
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Love the photos x
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