Jacaranda chosen as first place in the world to hear Paul McCartney's new album

Paul McCartney has announced that the first place in the world where the public can hear his new album will be at The Jacaranda on Slater Street this Friday.

The Boys of Dungeon Lane, set for release on 27 May, is McCartney’s most introspective album, reflecting on his early years in Liverpool and the experiences that shaped both his life and The Beatles.

It is no coincidence that he has chosen The Jacaranda — the venue where he performed, socialised, rehearsed with band mates and famously departed for Hamburg — to host the global listening event, with the venue itself closely tied to many of the memories explored throughout the album.

While invite-only listening events have already taken place at Abbey Road and in the United States, the Liverpool event at The Jacaranda will be the first publicly available opportunity anywhere in the world to hear the album in full. Taking place four days before other official listening parties and a full week before the album’s release, tickets are on sale now, priced at just £8.

Like it was in the 1950s, The Jacaranda remains a grassroots music venue and one of the country’s most iconic, hosting live music most nights and acting as a hub for Liverpool musicians. Paul McCartney’s most famous performance there came in August 1960, when, following a change of band name and a new drummer, the venue hosted the first performance by The Beatles.

“I remember seeing Paul McCartney at the Isle of Wight Festival in 2010, standing in the crowd thinking there was nowhere else on earth I’d rather be. Hopefully, we’ll have a room full of people feeling that same way as they listen to The Boys of Dungeon Lane before anybody else. Get your tickets, be quick!”