Mersey Beat - The Odd Spot Club

The Odd Spot Club is now 'Bold Street Coffee' at 89 Bold Street

The Odd Spot Club, managed by Neil English, opened on the 9th of December 1961 at 89 Bold Street, Liverpool and had been running a series of ads in Mersey Beat prior to opening announcing 'Watch out for details.'
Bold Street was one of the places to be in the 1960s and the coffee bar was situated opposite another popular venue, the El Cabala. As it was a venue not too well known by their ever growing fan base, 'The Beatles' would go there sometimes for a quiet drink. John's mother Julia's partner John Dykins, the father of John's two half sisters, worked there as a waiter. It was also a regular hangout for Rory Storm and his mates and the 'Remo Four' also played there regularly as it was considered to be a 'cut above the rest' of the clubs.

 

Considered to be one of the first decent night clubs in the city with its long narrow basement, the 29th of March 1962 was the first time 'The Beatles' performed at The Odd Spot and the second time was on the 11th of August 1962. It was here, on their first gig, that they first wore their suits. They had just won the Merseybeat Poll and were preparing to fly to Hamburg the following month for a seven week season. Brian Epstein had now taken full control and he was eager to have some photographs taken of their new image now that the leather gear had gone.

At The Odd Spot  in March 1962

 

Brian asked a friend Alan Swerdlow to take the photos in the hope of using them to promote the boys but the end result wasn't great. Alan was a graphic designer and only an amateur photographer who'd been at both Quarry Bank and Liverpool College of Art with John, though two years older, and he took 24 black and white photos in all. As a friend of John Lennon, he also ran the Greenbank Drive Synagogue's youth dances and so it's possible 'The Beatles' may have played at one of them. They did play the annual boat ride on the River Mersey organized by the Jewish community of Liverpool.

 

The results of the session weren't great and Brian did not consider the photo's suitable for commercial use. However they captured the informal nature of the occasion with the lads obviously enjoying themselves in the sweltering basement.

The site is currently occupied by 'Bold Street Coffee' which has been voted Liverpool's Favourite Independant Coffee Shop, a haven for graphic designers, harpists, footballers and hippies.

see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2017/09/mersey-beat-holyoake-hall.html