The Beatles, Docks and Rock 'n' Roll: Liverpool’s Musical Heritage

Liverpool’s cultural identity is deeply intertwined with a sound that changed music forever. On this walking tour of the city’s highlights, you’ll wind your way through old docks, streets, and other locations that shaped The Beatles. From early rock and roll influences brought by American sailors to iconic performance venues, you’ll hear how Liverpool’s unique melting pot of cultures created the perfect conditions for musical innovation, and put the city back on the world map.

The tour starts at the Beatles statues on Pier Head, facing the River Mersey. You’ll weave through the historic Royal Albert Dock with its cast-iron columns and brick warehouses, past the site of the world’s first commercial wet dock, and into the vibrant shopping district built upon former bomb sites. Along the way, you’ll learn how the river brought not just trade but also the latest American records that would influence young Liverpudlian musicians.

You’ll walk down Mathew Street, the beating heart of Liverpool’s music scene, where the legendary Cavern Club hosted The Beatles for nearly 300 performances. The tour ends at The Cavern Club itself, where live music is still performed daily, continuing a rich musical tradition that began with four lads who forever changed popular culture.

On this 90-minute tour, you’ll have a chance to:
• Visit the site of NEMS music store where Brian Epstein first discovered the “My Bonnie” record that led him to The Beatles, and discover how he transformed the band’s image after hearing them play
• See the White Star pub where The Beatles collected their pay after Cavern Club performances
• Stop at The Grapes, the only original pub on Mathew Street where the band would drink before going on stage
• Explore the original location of Eric’s, the legendary club that launched many famous Liverpool bands in the 1970s and 80s
• Learn how “Cunard Yanks” (American sailors) brought the latest rock and roll records that influenced the Merseybeat sound
• Marvel at the Bluecoat Arts Centre, Liverpool’s oldest building and site of Yoko Ono’s first artistic performances in the city

If you are only visiting Liverpool once, this is the tour to do. By the end, you’ll have a sense of the city’s connection with American music and how the Beatles were influenced to produce their own unique sound.

This tour has an accompanying curated playlist below, to listen to before or after the tour.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4PBrjaRMtxS7K09cJGmGzP?si=CB3V814DTFuQ5rJEXyH-zA&pi=kdABsUbfRO2S3

Roll up and step “Right This Way!”