On February 19, 1963, John, Paul, George and Ringo found out that 'Please Please Me' was Number One in the UK singles chart. Though the news would not be formally announced until the following weekend, girls were already queuing outside The Cavern – for one of the last gigs The Beatles would play there. That same day, photographer Michael Ward drove from London to photograph the band for a magazine article.
Plate II of XXIV - Victoria Monument, Liverpool
February 19, 1963
Michael Ward: 'I didn’t know who they were, I’d never heard of them,’ he remembers. ‘I wasn’t interested in them and they weren’t remotely interested in me – or in having their photographs taken!
'I met them in a pub and then we went round the town together. I was desperately looking for places to take pictures of them – at first I didn’t know what to do with them.’
Plate V of XXIV - Pier Head Bus Terminus, Liverpool
February 19, 1963
Michael Ward: 'I was trying to make them laugh and look at the camera – or past the camera. It wasn’t easy because they were all chatting amongst themselves and the fans had started to come along.’
One or two fans are indeed here, captured on film by Michael, although there is little indication of the tear-stained hordes that would supply the soundtrack to The Beatles’ live performances over the coming years.
Plate VI of XXIV - Pier Head Bus Terminus, Liverpool
February 19, 1963
The Beatles headed for their manager Brian Epstein’s NEMS headquarters in Whitechapel where Michael captured them ‘messing about in the office’. Of particular note is the map on the back wall – the pins denote the various destinations of the second half of the band’s first full UK tour which would begin the following Saturday, February 23rd.
Plate IX of XXIV - Brian Epstein’s Office, NEMS, Whitechapel
February 19, 1963
Later in the afternoon the band walked over to Mathew Street to set up and rehearse for their show at the Cavern that evening. Michael tagged along, keen to see his subjects in action and was immediately struck by the close musical relationship between John and Paul.
Plates XIII & XIV of XXIV - The Cavern, Mathew Street - Rehearsal
February 19,1963
As the performance approached Michael was also struck by something else – The Beatles were about to take to the stage in a pitch black, sweaty cellar full of teenage girls and he didn’t have a flash.
Michael Ward: ‘The first thing that hit me about the Cavern was, “There’s no light – how can I take pictures in this place?” I held the camera at 1/15th of a second - I don’t think there are many pictures taken without flash in the Cavern.'
Plate XVII of XXIV - The Cavern, Mathew Street - Warm-up
February 19,1963
Undeterred, Michael started to photograph the band firstly from among the adoring throng and then somehow manoeuvring onto the tiny stage for some fascinating shots of both The Beatles and their fans sitting on neat rows of chairs, in twin-sets and pearls, staring upwards to the stage.
Plate XXI of XXIV - The Cavern, Mathew Street - Showtime
February 19,1963
Today, both The Beatles and the Cavern have assumed legendary status but the man responsible for this remarkable set of images, a document of an era The Beatles were themselves partly responsible for sweeping away, is typically unassuming.
Michael Ward: ‘People seem to make it all very complicated but it’s all really very simple – I just happened to be there.’
Plate XXII of XXIV - The Cavern, Mathew Street - Showtime
February 19,1963
THE PHOTOGRAPHY - The Beatles by Michael Ward
£495 plus p&p
