• Nelson Imp 60 Years Ago Today

Posted: **Thu May 11, 2023 9:44 am**

Saturday 11th of May 1963.
The Beatles make their first appearance at Nelson Imperial Ballroom - the 'Ballroom of the Stars'.
The group had just returned from a holiday in Spain and the Imp was their next public appearance.
With two number one hits behind them in Please Please me and From Me To You, along with Love Me Do, Twist and Shout it must have been a cracking night.
The boys returned again to the Imp for a Wednesday night appearance on the 31st July 1963.

: beatles on stage imp 1963.jpeg (47.43 KiB) Viewed 3651 times

Posted: **Thu May 11, 2023 10:56 am**

Look how smart everyone is. Must have been amazing to have such talent coming to the town, you can't imagine it nowadays at all

Posted: **Thu May 11, 2023 11:20 am**

My mum was there one of the nights but no idea which.

Posted: **Thu May 11, 2023 2:13 pm**

I once read the book 'Going Down't Imp' and the gig guide reads like the 'Who's Who' of 1960's and 1970's musical superstardom.
Though I can't even remember ever seeing it standing, I drive past the Imp site almost daily and always feel a real sense of local history imagining all the stellar names who have ever played there.

Posted: **Thu May 11, 2023 3:05 pm**

TheFamilyCat wrote: ↑
Thu May 11, 2023 11:20 am
My mum was there one of the nights but no idea which.

My old man pulled my mum in there. Asked her if she wanted a lift home. She thought he must have a car and a bit of money! She said yes. He gave her a piggy back to the bus stop. Or so the story goes.

Posted: **Thu May 11, 2023 3:06 pm**

welsbyswife wrote: ↑
Thu May 11, 2023 3:05 pm
My old man pulled my mum in there. Asked her if she wanted a lift home. She thought he must have a car and a bit of money! She said yes. He gave her a piggy back to the bus stop. Or so the story goes.

I'll give that one a go next time I'm out

Posted: **Thu May 11, 2023 4:03 pm**

mikeS wrote: ↑
Thu May 11, 2023 9:44 am
Saturday 11th of May 1963.
The Beatles make their first appearance at Nelson Imperial Ballroom - the 'Ballroom of the Stars'.
The group had just returned from a holiday in Spain and the Imp was their next public appearance.
With two number one hits behind them in Please Please me and From Me To You, along with Love Me Do, Twist and Shout it must have been a cracking night.
The boys returned again to the Imp for a Wednesday night appearance on the 31st July 1963.

beatles on stage imp 1963.jpeg

A special night, no doubt......eclipsed only a few weeks later by the The Searchers who brought The Imp to a different level. Their version of " Don't Throw Your Love Away" will remain one of the iconic memories of that venue in Nelson for all time......Check it out.

Posted: **Thu May 11, 2023 4:16 pm**

My Mum and Auntie went to see Tom Jones......i remember them coming back home, mad excited & red in the face.......i wonder if they still had their knickers?

Posted: **Thu May 11, 2023 4:21 pm**

Royboyclaret wrote: ↑
Thu May 11, 2023 4:03 pm
A special night, no doubt......eclipsed only a few weeks later by the The Searchers who brought The Imp to a different level. Their version of " Don't Throw Your Love Away" will remain one of the iconic memories of that venue in Nelson for all time......Check it out.

Roy - the Searchers are still touring- they are 66 years old as a band and play Halifax Victoria Theatre May 20th with original members Frank Allen and John McNally, McNally forming the band aged 16 in 1957.

Posted: **Thu May 11, 2023 4:26 pm**

mikeS wrote: ↑
Thu May 11, 2023 4:21 pm
Roy - the Searchers are still touring- they are 66 years old as a band and play Halifax Victoria Theatre May 20th with original members Frank Allen and John McNally, McNally forming the band aged 16 in 1957.

Brilliant Mike.....but Mike Pender was the unique voice that brought The Imp to silence that night....Never seen anything like it before or since.......Even The Beatles would have been in awe.

Posted: **Thu May 11, 2023 5:49 pm**

In Tim Quelch's book about the 1959-60 Season " Never had it so good ", there is a great story about the Nelson Imperial ...

The venue's Manager was out on his lunch hour one day in early 1959, when the office received a phone call from a London agent, asking to book the Imp for a date the following October. A young lad took the call, and noting that the date was clear in the Events Diary, duly took the booking, with confirmation to follow in writing. On getting back, the Manager was told of the call ... " How long have worked here ? The 2nd Friday in October is always Colne Swimming Club's annual dinner-dance, it has been for years, ring 'im back and cancel ". The lad did as he was bidden, and reported back .. " Good lad, who were it for anyway ? ....

" Frank Sinatra, boss " .....

Posted: **Thu May 11, 2023 6:11 pm**

I used to know a guy who worked at the Imperial ballrooms. He said that the manager had a deal with many of the record labels to have groups playing at the Imp whenever they topped the charts. It was incredible to have had this in Nelson when you look back, but it was seen as quite normal at the time.

Posted: **Thu May 11, 2023 6:11 pm**

welsbyswife wrote: ↑
Thu May 11, 2023 3:05 pm
My old man pulled my mum in there. Asked her if she wanted a lift home. She thought he must have a car and a bit of money! She said yes. He gave her a piggy back to the bus stop. Or so the story goes.

Typical Colner

Posted: **Thu May 11, 2023 6:19 pm**

The story goes that the Beatles were booked before they became a massive name, and had to perform for £40. I was there, rolling about after two pints of Masseys, unaware that my future wife was sitting in the balcony as a twelve year old guest of the resident band pianist

Posted: **Fri May 12, 2023 8:16 am**

I wonder what the locals thought of Syd Barretts Pink Floyd when they played.

Posted: **Fri May 12, 2023 11:26 am**

I was too young for the Imp, but used to marvel at the posters in the fellas shop, downstairs in Nelson Arndale, in the early 2000s. To think of the likes of the Beatles, Jimmy Hendrix etc. playing in Nelson, blew my mind.

Posted: **Fri May 12, 2023 11:39 am**

Didn't see the Beatles but went many times mostly to see the soul acts that toured (some of them actually impostors). But also The Who who were amazing

Posted: **Fri May 12, 2023 11:46 am**

The Imp was well past its good days when I first went in. But what a place it was in those halcyon days.

And the Tim Quelch story about Sinatra is not made up I can assure you.

Posted: **Fri May 12, 2023 11:47 am**

Taffy on the wing wrote: ↑
Thu May 11, 2023 4:16 pm
My Mum and Auntie went to see Tom Jones......i remember them coming back home, mad excited & red in the face.......i wonder if they still had their knickers?

You should not be having those thoughts about your mum

Posted: **Fri May 12, 2023 12:26 pm**

Can you imagine if someone had filmed ,with sound, all those icons of the 60s?
They'd be worth an absolute fortune now.
If anyone has any links please post them.

Posted: **Fri May 12, 2023 12:35 pm**

Royboyclaret wrote: ↑
Thu May 11, 2023 4:26 pm
Brilliant Mike.....but Mike Pender was the unique voice that brought The Imp to silence that night....Never seen anything like it before or since.......Even The Beatles would have been in awe.

So had Tony Jackson, lead singer on Sweets for my Sweet and Sugar and Spice, left by then, to be replaced by Frank Allen?

Posted: **Fri May 12, 2023 3:39 pm**

I would pay a heavy price for a copy of the book, going down th imp, alas it appears to be unavailable

Posted: **Fri May 12, 2023 4:55 pm**

Gaia wrote: ↑
Fri May 12, 2023 8:16 am
I wonder what the locals thought of Syd Barretts Pink Floyd when they played.

Did Floyd appear at the Imp whilst Barrett was still around ?.......he left the band around '68.

If we're talking Floyd.....their album "Dark Side of the Moon" is recognised as one of the greatest classic rock albums of all time and I, for one, would not disagree.

A link to "Time" on side one would go down a treat.

Posted: **Fri May 12, 2023 5:13 pm**

Barret's Floyd played in 1967, tracks included apples and oranges and the scarecrow so definitely Barret's Floyd and they played in Feb 68 at the Imp.

Posted: **Fri May 12, 2023 5:19 pm**

Strange to think that my dad is somewhere in that room!!

Posted: **Fri May 12, 2023 5:28 pm**

Used to live down Th'imp at weekends in the mid/ late sixties and early seventies,saw all the great groups.My only regret was not getting the posters advertising all the great acts,i believe they are worth a fortune nowadays.

Posted: **Fri May 12, 2023 7:37 pm**

longsidetrumpet wrote: ↑
Fri May 12, 2023 11:39 am
Didn't see the Beatles but went many times mostly to see the soul acts that toured (some of them actually impostors). But also The Who who were amazing

The Who were great, The Small Faces with Stevie Marriott out of this world for the mods. Saw most of those you mention above and the Rolling Stones stood out, Jimi Hendrix was a showman but for me the one night that put the Imp, for me, at the very top of the touring music world was the Atlantic/ Stax/ Volt show. Otis Redding, Sam n Dave, Arthur Conley, Eddie Floyd, Booker T and the MGs plus Steve Cropper with the Mar Keys with staffer Al Bell compering was a jewel in the crown of local gigs, thousands of mods and soulies came from afar i met people from Edinburgh and Cornwall, the show was electric and sadly we lost Otis later that year. I've Met Steve Cropper and Booker T since at the Muni in Colne, they thought that European tour was the best they ever did, this happened in Nelson in 1967. It felt like the musical equivalent of watching Burnley this season.

Posted: **Fri May 12, 2023 7:48 pm**

Gaia wrote: ↑
Fri May 12, 2023 8:16 am
I wonder what the locals thought of Syd Barretts Pink Floyd when they played.

Their light show was great but the rest disappointing

Posted: **Fri May 12, 2023 7:50 pm**

Lubanski wrote: ↑
Fri May 12, 2023 7:37 pm
The Who were great, The Small Faces with Stevie Marriott out of this world for the mods. Saw most of those you mention above and the Rolling Stones stood out, Jimi Hendrix was a showman but for me the one night that put the Imp, for me, at the very top of the touring music world was the Atlantic/ Stax/ Volt show. Otis Redding, Sam n Dave, Arthur Conley, Eddie Floyd, Booker T and the MGs plus Steve Cropper with the Mar Keys with staffer Al Bell compering was a jewel in the crown of local gigs, thousands of mods and soulies came from afar i met people from Edinburgh and Cornwall, the show was electric and sadly we lost Otis later that year. I've Met Steve Cropper and Booker T since at the Muni in Colne, they thought that European tour was the best they ever did, this happened in Nelson in 1967. It felt like the musical equivalent of watching Burnley this season.

Have I rumbled you, Ro?

Posted: **Sat May 13, 2023 2:05 am**

basil6345789 wrote: ↑
Fri May 12, 2023 7:50 pm
Have I rumbled you, Ro?

Aye, you have Count Cliviger, Andy Short figured me out the day I joined. Burnleys lost souls, 21st May at Greenhill should be interesting.

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