He eventually found a fruit warehouse where people were leasing the cellar, which had been used as an air raid shelter in World War II.

When the club was packed with dancing and smoking teenagers, the heat produced resulted in the bricks sweating and the sweet fruit odour was absorbed into their clothing.

[3] Before the performance, the Quarrymen argued amongst themselves about the set list, as rock 'n roll songs were definitely not allowed at the club but skiffle was tolerated.

Halfway through, Sytner pushed his way through the audience and handed Lennon a note which read, "Cut out the bloody rock 'n roll".

The first Beat Night was held on 25 May 1960 and featured a performance by Rory Storm and the Hurricanes (which included Ringo Starr as drummer).

Their stage show had been through a lot of changes, with some in the audience thinking they were watching a German band, as they were billed from Hamburg.

After the Beatles' farewell gig on 3 August 1963, Bob Wooler gave their future dates to The Mastersounds, a local R&B band, led by Mal Jefferson.

The amount of musical activity in Liverpool and Manchester caused record producers who had previously never ventured very far from London to start looking to the north.

[citation needed] In 1963, young local band The Hideaways were signed up to the newly founded Cavern Club agency and became the resident group, often stepping in for last minute artist cancellations; they also became the first pop group to appear on a nationwide television commercial for Timex Watch Company filmed by the Rank Organisation at the Cavern Club.

The band also performed at the Cavern the night prior to the club's closure, making them the last group to perform on stage along with disc jockey Billy Butler and doorman Paddy Delaney, who—with fans—barricaded themselves into the club prior to the authorities' arrival the next morning to gain access.

The Hideaways also hold the official record of over 400 Cavern Club appearances at both old and new venues and are now recognised and named on the wall of fame.

It would form part of a £7-million redevelopment project of the former warehouse site of 8–12 Mathew Street which had housed the Cavern Club up until its closure in 1973.

However, on 23 June 1982, it was announced by the project architect, David Backhouse, that the plans to excavate and re-open the Cavern Club in its original form would be impossible for structural reasons.

Tests had revealed that the arches of the old cellar had been too badly damaged during the demolition of the ground floor of the Cavern Club and the warehouses above.

The back room of the Cavern is the most frequently used location for touring acts and ticketed events, in more recent times playing host to The Wanted, Adele and Jessie J.

[14][15] The front room is the main tourist attraction, where people come to have their photograph taken on the stage, with the names of the bands who played there written on the back wall.

Between November 2005 and September 2007, the front room played host to the Cavern Showcase,[16] an organisation and event started by 1960s star Kingsize Taylor, his wife Marga, and best friend Wes Paul.

Tickets were sold from The Echo Arena box office, leaving people who had camped overnight on Mathew Street disappointed.

Tribute clubs exist in Dallas, Buenos Aires,[21] Wellington,[22] Exeter,[23] Costa Teguise in Lanzarote, and formerly in Tokyo and Adelaide.

The Hard Rock Cafe restaurant and hotel chain owns the trademark to the "Cavern Club" name in the US.