This was The Beatles’ first show of 1 February 1963, prior to a late-night performance at the Assembly Rooms in Tamworth.
Maney Hall is also known as St Peter’s Church Hall, and stands on Maney Hill Road in the Warwickshire town.
Last updated: 25 January 2024
Also on this day...
- 2024: Beatles painting Images Of A Woman sells at auction for $1.74 million
- 1990: Paul McCartney live: The Palace, Auburn Hills
- 1970: Ringo and Maureen fly to New York from Los Angeles
- 1969: Allen Klein discusses The Beatles’ purchase of NEMS
- 1968: Ringo Starr rehearses for Cilla Black’s television show
- 1967: Recording: Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
- 1965: US EP release: 4 By The Beatles
- 1964: The Beatles live: Olympia Theatre, Paris
- 1963: The Beatles live: Assembly Rooms, Tamworth
- 1962: The Beatles live: Thistle Cafe, West Kirby
- 1962: The Beatles live: Cavern Club, Liverpool (lunchtime)
- 1961: The Beatles live: Hambleton Hall, Liverpool
Want more? Visit the Beatles history section.
And ohhh I was there. We had no idea what would become of the band playing on stage… and to think I sat there, on the stage, drinking my orange juice ๐
Oh how times have changed
Regards
Hi Sherry. Do you have any more memories of the show? Please do pass on any details you can remember, no matter how minor – I’d love to hear them.
Sorry for the delay Joe, been in hospital ๐
Well can’t remember much. We would get the bus (10 minute journey) and queue to get in. I know we both (my friend Sheila and myself) sat on the stage with our orange juice (it was a Church hall). We did that every week ๐ You have to remember that at this time they weren’t big. I think they’d been on ‘Thank Your Lucky Stars’ a couple of weeks prior to their gig at Maney.
I’m pretty sure we would have ‘snuck out’ (rubber stamped wrist to get back in) and down to the pub… I know I was 14 lol, but they let us go in the ‘snug’ at the back and we had a vodka and orange lol. Oh memories. Naughty, yep ๐
There was usually a supporting band for those appearing, local lads, and I’m sure there was a supporting band that night.
We all just carried on dancing… jiving…. false nails flying off and landing on the floor lol. I hate to say this but they really didn’t errr register with me that night, sorry. ๐ I saw band called The Uglys (Steve Gibbons) and they had far more of an impact on me. But all that was to change ๐
Maney had live music every Saturday night and sometimes Friday… and we were all very sad when they decided to close it :(.
To give you a taste of the times, we moved on to Erdington, about 3 miles up the road from Sutton Coldfield, to the Carlton Club. There we had the likes of Carl Wayne & The Vikings (Move), Denny Laine & The Diplomats (Moodies) playing 4 times a week and once again we just sat on the stage chatting with the bands ๐ and no we weren’t groupies, we just loved music and dancing.
My life has been music. Saw Status Quo in their psychedelic days at the Swan Inn, Yardley. Spencer Davis Group, Idle Race, Rockin’ Berries (Birmingham bands) were around.
Saw the Rolling Stones several times at the Odeon Birmingham. Saw Cream at the Carlton. Amen Corner at the Plaza Handsworth. Led Zep many times. Beach Boys at the Odeon Birmingham. Monkees in Wembely. Then at the end of that era ended up at the Isle Of Wight and saw the likes of Free and Hendrix ๐
I know I digresses, but I did want you to know what it was like to be a teenager back then. Truly wonderful. We started with Elvis and rock’n roll (full skirts with wonderful net underneat), then came Mary Quant with wonderful hair and mini skirts, followed by hippies and flowers in our hair (and on our faces), long skirts and wonderful music. And of course at this time Sgt. Pepper ๐ which did, indeed, change everything (along with Pet Sounds).
Just a little note to set the scene… As you walked into Maney hall the stage was at the far end in front of you. There was a wooden dance floor and two rows of seats either side where the girls and boys sat waiting for someone to ask them to dance ๐ Cute eh! It was really just a glorified hut, but we loved it. It was ours. We were (young) teenagers and it was somewhere just for us to have a wonderful time once, sometimes twice a week.
I’m sorry I can’t tell you more about the Beatles themselves, but we would have just carried on dancing, sat on the stage and chatted with them all. Then they’d go and we’d go home, waiting for next week’s band.
I do hope I haven’t rambled on too much and that you’ve found some of this interesting, even if it maybe a little off topic ๐
Very interesting! Thanks Sherry – it’s great to get a flavour of those times. It’s so hard to imagine The Beatles as ‘just another band’, but I guess in early 1963 they still had massive fame and fortune to come. Thanks again for sharing your memories with us.
Yes, well, that’s what they were.
Back then every weekend (sometimes weekdays), bands would be off in their vans (sleeping in them) all round the UK getting themselves known. As with the Beatles that night, playing two venues, all over by 10.30pm. ๐
Many of the bands would meet in the middle of Birmingham (at the Baked Potato stand by the station – yep, I tell no lie lol) after their gigs, normally around 11pm to discuss what went on, how it was, was the venue ok, how big the crowd etc etc. And the visting bands also went there.
Err you say “it’s hard to imagine them as just another band” – Imagine how Sheila and I have felt for the rest of our lives ๐ We sat on the stage, we chatted…. no autographs for us ๐ No photo’s for us ๐ We errr just literally took them for granted …. I used to look at George on TV (my favourite) and think ‘IF ONLY’ lol. But I wouldn’t change a thing, I know they were there, we knew we were there ๐
I was there, they were excellent, have no recollection of who the other bands were – a Friday night later on Joe Brown came and played Maney – the evenings were entitled Say Mama “Snips Parson” had something to do with them, he later went on to the Belfry
hi sherry, can you remember any songs they sang that night please.
I’m sorry, no. To us they were just another band ๐
they did, Boys, Roll Over, Postman, Hold on Me, Take Your Hands Off my Baby… probably Yaste of Honey, Please Please and Love Me do… Rock n Roll Music – a great set…
Hello there my mom.was there that night aswell were going to drakes drum.this saturday to watch letibeatles should be a good night my mom.used to tell me say mamma club lol
I would just add that the map above is as it is today, not back then.
St Peter’s Church Hall, known locally as Maney Hall, was a wooden building located on the corner of Maney Hill Road and Birmingham Road, next to the Church, (which sadly appears to have been rebuilt/relocated).
Sherry, if you do get to read this, thanks for all your memories. Joe, I’ve recently found an article in the Tamworth Herald newspaper reporting the gig this night that states the Beatles played for 30 minutes from 11:45pm-12:15am, AFTER travelling over from Maney Hall. If you look at the poster for Tamworth it says doors open 9pm and dance finishes at 1am, while Sherry indicates that the show she attended was over by 10:30pm. So the two performances do appear to be the other way round than that which we thought. Hope this helps.
Thanks Steve! That’s very helpful. I’ve swapped around the two shows, and have amended the times/text accordingly.
Thanks Joe
Hallo – just a quick note – along with my mate Dave and 2 girls, we were at The Beatles show at Maney Hall. It’s a long time ago but they were considered to be ‘just another’ group at that time, although, I think, ‘Love Me Do’ was in the charts. I do recall that they were very good, and seemed to be enjoying themselves on stage. One song I recall is ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ which is a good, lively, tune and had us all boppin away – jiving!
Most other bands appearing there were local – eg Denny Lane & Diplomats, Gerry Levene etc., although I think Ricky Valance appeared once – him of ‘Tell Laura I love Her’ fame.
At the time it was a popular venue, it wasn’t licensed, but sold pop and crisps! You could get a pass-out and nip up the road for a quick pint at the Horse & Jockey. You went through the small entrance, paid at a kiosk, and you were in. The stage was at the far end, doors either side of it, and there were chairs placed around the walls. There could, occasionally, be a ‘disagreement between the lads from Kingstanding and those from Sutton, but otherwise it was quite orderly. The lads wore suits and ties and the girls dresses – this was (sadly) before the mini skirt I think. Most were out for a good time and danced together for ages.
If my memory serves me right The Beatles stayed overnight in Shenstone – the pub on the main road – The Bull? The bedrooms then were upstairs, where the toilets are now!
If we’d known then what we know now then we’d have taped the show, got photos with the band and obtained autographs, which now would be worth zillions of ยฃ’s. But there you go.
The 4 of us who were there that evening ARE still alive and still rockin’ – at least me and Dave are, don’t know about the 2 girls.
Wonderful comments..brilliant!!
Danny
Hi I was at Maney that night and like Sherry says they were just another band with a new record out. They were paid ยฃ 50
between them for the gig and they were using a blue Commer for transport. The Maney dances were called “Say Mama”.
Others I remember seeing there were The Animals, Joe Brown,The Swinging Blue Jeans and Denny Laine was a regular there and changed his groups name a couple of times. The Carlton mentioned was a rock n roll venue and I saw a lot of
the American stars there. Sharon Osbournes dad, Don Arden was an agent and bought them to the UK. One night I went
to the pub opposite the Carlton, The Acorn at half time and shared a couple of pints with Gene Vincent, he was on in the
second half..The Carlton became Mothers and for three years was one of the top music venues in the world.All the top
US & UK musicians played there. And we were so spoiled for choice we took a lot of it for granted. But very happy days.
Tried to find it today…but it has gone and flats built in it’s place….would recommend putting this info in the main blurb!!
Danny
In May 1964 I played in a group from Crewe in Cheshire that was on at the Hit Club in Hamburg (next door but one to The Indra where The Beatles first played). The other group at the club with us was Danny Burns and the Phantoms from Birmingham. They said that they’d played on the same bill as The Beatles at Sutton Coldfield in 1963 so I assume that they were the support group for this dance.
I was at the Sutton Coldfield concert in 1963 with a new boyfriend, little knowing what a phenomenon they were going to become – what a privilege! Annie