60th Anniversary Celebrations: 11 acts you didn’t know had played The Cavern

The Cavern celebrates it’s 60th anniversary this weekend with a special charity show at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall.

The History of The Cavern: Celebrating 60 years of the Greatest Club in the World will feature The Overtures, the UK’s premier 60’s tribute band and favourite of the stars, plus special guests for a two date gig that will bring decades of memories flooding back. You can re-live the magic this Sunday and Monday 14th & 15th January with some tickets still available for Monday.

Obviously The Beatles are The Cavern’s most famous and much adored bands, but did you know scores of international artists and performers have clamoured to rock out on the same stage over the years?

Here’s 11 famous faces that have played the most famous club in the world. How many did you know?

1 – Adele

Back in 2011 Adele graced The Cavern Live Lounge with a secret gig to showcase tracks from her second album, 21. Already a recipient of a couple of Grammy’s and a huge impact on the US charts, she apologised for the ‘back-end of bronchitis’ as she got stuck in to her second live performance in Liverpool at the time and dedicated a track to Rebecca Ferguson who had just sung her heart out on X Factor. Adele would make a fierce scouse girl for sure.

2 – Jessie J

Jessie J made a huge impression on the Liverpool crowd as she performed s stripped back set at The Cavern in February, 2012. Passing the microphone out to the crowd and giving insights into the stories behind her biggest tracks, Jessie set the press on fire by inviting local songwriter, Chelcee Grimes up onto stage, and she nailed it!

3 – Queen

1970 was an iconic year for The Cavern with not just one, but two legendary bands gracing its stage. Freddy Mercury was a Penny Lane resident at the time and had just previously left rock band, Ibex to join forces with Brian May and Roger Taylor to form one of the greatest bands in history. We’d have just loved to have seen this performance.

4 – The Arctic Monkeys

Two weeks after their sell out gig at The Cavern, Sheffield band, The Arctic Monkey’s had a debut single at number one in the UK singles chart and their debut album became the fastest selling debut album for a UK band…..EVER!

5 – Travis

Supported by Scottish singer/songwriter, KT Tunstall, Travis graced the smaller Cavern Live Lounge stage as part of a BBC Radio Two concert series back in October 2004 which also had Embrace on the line-up.

6 – Oasis

Live music sessions we’re introduced to The Cavern from 1991 and just a year later, in the Summer of ’92 a little known Manchester band by the name of Oasis appeared on the line-up. Apparently Noel was unimpressed with the venue and complained it was too much like a wine bar!

7 – Jake Bugg

Jake Bugg delighted a 250 strong crowd for a secret gig at The Cavern Club in November 2013. A huge Beatles fan, Jake showcased a number of tracks from his second album and treated fans to a rendition of Norweigan Wood having wowed staff during the earlier sound-check with his version of ‘Like Dreamers Do’. Jake’s brick is just four away from Paul McCartney’s on the Wall of Fame, which he’s said to be made up about!

8 – The Kinks

Long Tall Sally rang out across The Cavern way back in 1964 as The Kinks rocked the stage in their infancy as a band. Their third single, the Ray Davies penned hit ‘You Really Got Me’ topped the charts in the UK and broke into the top ten in the US, cementing their place in English Rock Band history. If you don’t get goose-bumps from the opening guitar riffs, are you really living?

9 – The Who

Just a year after The Kinks rocked into The Cavern Club, another musical giant followed suit. The Who were booked for their debut Liverpool gig following a sensational appearance on Ready Steady Go. Apparently the band failed to set the club atmosphere alight, preferring instead to stay true to their ultra-mod, aloof roots!

10 – The Rolling Stones

Yet another amazing gig we’d give a body part to have experienced, is the 1963 appearance of The Rolling Stones at The Cavern Club. Mick Jagger was quoted as saying afterwards: “Man it was hot! We almost sweated away. They’ve had so many big groups at the Cavern that you’ve got to prove yourself, they asked us back so they must like us”. Legend.

11 – Status Quo

Legendary rockers, the Quo appeared at The Cavern back in February 1970. Despite having to tone down their usual lively stage performances to fit the small venue, they were noted as being chuffed to have played in the same space as The Beatles.

That’s just 11 of a whole host of legendary artists and bands that have graced the most famous club in the world. There are tales of a young Elton John, Black Sabbath, Stevie Wonder and even four talented, Liverpool lads who went on to perform on that famous stage almost 300 times during their phenomenal career.

We want to hear your memories and stories about The Cavern Club, did you see any of these legendary acts performing on the night? Drop us a line, tweet us @TheGuideLpool or email info@theguideliverpool.com and we’ll share the best.