The Beatles live: Riverboat Shuffle, MV Royal Iris, River Mersey

This was the second of four appearance by The Beatles aboard the MV Royal Iris, a River Mersey ferry commonly known as The Fish And Chip Boat.

The events, known as Riverboat Shuffles, were put on by Ray McFall, owner of the Cavern Club. A variety of entertainers normally appeared, to attract the widest possible audiences.

On this occasion, as with the first, The Beatles were second on the bill to headliner Acker Bilk, trad jazz clarinetist, and his Paramount Jazz Band. Bilk’s single Stranger On The Shore was still a top 10 hit over six months after its release.

Acker Bilk normally wore a black bowler hat on stage, and during this evening he gave The Beatles – John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Pete Best – each a hat of their own.

The Riverboat Shuffles began and ended at the Pier Head, Liverpool. Other such events at which The Beatles played took place on 25 August 1961, and 10 August and 28 September 1962.