2 February 1963
Concert:
Gaumont Cinema, New Victoria Street, Bradford, Yorkshire
Chains
Keep Your Hands Off My Baby
A Taste Of Honey
Please Please Me
The first night of a month-long package tour headlined by Helen Shapiro. Other numbers performed during the tour included "Love Me Do" and "Beautiful Dreamer".
"A recent appeal on this page for memorabilia from the Beatles' Bradford gigs sparked memories for Terry Bostock, who was a young autograph hunter at the time.
"In 1963, I was a 13-year-old, living in Girlington, and regularly stood outside both the Alhambra and Gaumont collecting autographs," recalls Terry, of Brighouse.
"On the Beatles' first visit (in February 1963), I knew that Helen Shapiro was also performing at the Gaumont and thought I'd try and get her autograph.
"I went down that afternoon and stood outside the stage door in Quebec Street, along with a number of girls. "One of the girls noticed that a small door near the stage door, where they unloaded props, was insecure and they went through. Not one to miss a chance, I followed and ended up on the stage where we found all the acts on that evening. I went up and got Helen's signature, along with those of the Honeys, Danny Williams and Kenny Lynch.
"Most of the girls were flocking around four lads in leather jackets and jeans with quiffed hair, I hadn't a clue who these lads were, but I got behind the girls and had just got my first autograph when a man shouted from the balcony for us get out.
"I'd like to think this was Brian Epstein, but it could just as easily been the Gaumont manager." Terry adds: "After this the rest of them refused to sign my book. The autograph I did manage to get was John Lennon's."
Source: Bradford Telegraph and Argus, 26 April 2010
This was possibly the first night Ringo's bass drum was adorned with a new "antennae" band logo (although the earliest photographic evidence is from 17 February). Designed by signwriter Terry "Tex" O'Hara (brother of the Fourmost's guitarist Brian O'Hara), it would last until Ringo upgraded to a Ludwig kit on 12 May.
Paul's initial design idea
Tex O'Hara's preliminary sketches
The final design, hand-drawn on a linen cloth band which Ringo attached across the front of the bass drum
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