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60th anniversary of The Beatles first visit to Stoke-on-Trent

The Beatles played in Stoke on five occasions. The first was on Saturday the 26th January 1963 at King’s Hall, Glebe Street. Backstage, John and Paul began writing ‘Misery’, a song that they intended to gift to Helen Shapiro and whom they’d meet the following week.

The second took place on the 3rd March 1963 at the Gaumont Theatre, Piccadilly, Hanley where they appeared as one of the support acts on the Helen Shapiro package tour.

By this time the group had grown in popularity and were subsequently elevated on the bill from playing the first spot to the final act in the first half.

The third took place on Friday the 19th April 1963 when the Beatles returned to King’s Hall. This performance was the second of the 6-date Mersey Beat Showcase tour.

Two further shows took place on the 19th May 1963 at the Gaumont Theatre and on the 11th October 1963 at the Ballroom, Trentham Gardens, Stone Road, Trentham.  

The below photos were supplied to us by Tracks Ltd and were taken by a fan on the 3rd March 1963 at the Gaumont Theatre, Piccadilly, Hanley where the Beatles appeared as one of the support acts on the Helen Shapiro package tour. Helen can be seen on two of the photos.

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