Never-before seen photos of The Beatles at the Cavern Club found

The Beatles at the Cavern Club, July, 1961

Two never-before seen photos of the Beatles playing at the Cavern Club in Liverpool have been unearthed.

The photos were taken by a fan who followed The Beatles at the time and was “on speaking terms” with the band. The fan regularly carried a camera, uncommon at the time. The fan has requested complete anonymity.

The Beatles at the Cavern Club, July, 1961

The photos date from July 1961, just after The Beatles had returned from a residency in Germany.

Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn remarked the following on the photos:

“Just back from Hamburg, slogging 500 stage hours in 90 days, The Beatles are whippet-thin under-nourished lads of 20 (John), 19 (Paul and Pete), and 18 (George). So slender has this marathon made them, it’s as if their heads and bodies are stranger. A look emphasised by the unusual clothes – leather trousers and cotton tops. No other photos show them dressed this way. Three months from here, John and Paul went to Paris and returned with what became known as ‘The Beatle haircut’. Days later, Brian Epstein saw The Beatles in The Cavern, offered to become their manager and set them on (a) course that changed our world.”