The Quarrymen to play first performance on Strawberry Field bandstand

The first events in the spring cultural programme for Strawberry Field bandstand announced in lead up to Eurovision.

Music legends, The Quarrymen, have been confirmed as the first act to perform in a preview event on new bandstand at Strawberry Field, Liverpool, in the lead up to Eurovision.

The concert kickstarts Strawberry Field’s Spring/Summer cultural programme celebrating music and imagining peace. Events planned in the lead up to Eurovision and throughout May will encourage people everywhere to make a stand for peace. More details about the programme will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Originally formed by John Lennon in 1956, the Quarrymen reformed in 1997 and have enjoyed continued success, recording three albums and undertaking tours of the UK, US, Germany, Japan and Russia. The band will play this Saturday (April 15), though tickets are now sold out.

Get the latest news about the Beatles and the Merseybeat HERE.

The next preview event will be a celebration of Ukrainian culture. Taking place on April 22, Liverpool-based poets will recite poetry written by Ukrainians about the war and the resulting refugee crisis.

The Unusual Art Sourcing company has curated the event at Strawberry Field – there will also be traditional Ukrainian tap dance by female-led performance company, Sole Rebel, who will be performing to music by Northwest band, Kaloko. No booking is required and entry is free.

The Strawberry Field bandstand is an exciting new addition to the South Liverpool attraction, shaped as a giant bass drum inspired by The Beatles’ iconic album cover, ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’, The Salvation Army and its marching bands. It is also one of the most technologically advanced bandstands in the world, allowing visitors to enjoy musical and theatrical performances via wireless headphones as they roam the famous grounds.

Major Kathleen Versfeld, mission director at Strawberry Field, said:

“Our beautiful new bandstand provides a platform to continue John Lennon’s legacy and message of peace, hope and love for all, and we cannot wait to share it with our guests from the local community and further afield. It’s right that The Quarrymen should be the first act to perform on it knowing the part they played in the history of John and The Beatles.

“We are bringing music back to the Strawberry Field gardens – the place where John experienced one of his earliest musical experiences when hearing The Salvation Army band play. Join us as, together, we make a stand for peace.”

The Strawberry Field bandstand is a donation from Cliff Cooper, CEO of Orange Amplification and Honorary Patron of the Strawberry Field project. It also features a larger replica of the ‘Imagine’ mosaic in Central Park’s Strawberry Fields memorial in New York.

Strawberry Field is a visitor attraction in Liverpool, located at the iconic site immortalised by John Lennon in The Beatles’ hit, ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’. Telling the story of John Lennon’s childhood and the writing and recording of this iconic song, the attraction is home to an interactive visitor exhibition which includes the actual ‘Imagine piano’, the original red gates, and the peaceful gardens where John played, climbed trees and dreamed as a child.