Long-term readers of our site may know that I am not only an intrepid reporter for all things Star Wars, but also play drums in several bands in the UK. Over the weekend of May 18th – 20th I was lucky enough to be invited in not one, but two bands to play the International Pop Overthrow festival in Liverpool’s Cavern Club, widely renowned as the birthplace of The Beatles. Keen music and Star Wars fans may also know that Mark Hamill is a big fan of 60’s music including The Kinks and The Beatles.
During the location shooting of The Force Awakens on Skellig Michael, ‘Luke’ indulged his interest and set about visiting the home of The Beatles hopping across from Ireland to see the sights and visit some of the locations that inspired the music.
The Cavern Club now has a permanent reminder of this, in the shape of a picture of Mark taken with one of the ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ buses which take fans around the city to the places instrumental in The Beatles story.
Currently positioned in the main club, jut inside the first arch, it means that our favourite Jedi can cast his eye over all patrons as they enter and is a few meters away from the ‘Cavern Vox Stage’, the recreation of the 60’s stage which hosted regularly hosted now legendary bands in their early days. It is also one of the first things you seen once you’ve negotiated the many steps from the street down to the venue – I know how Rey must have felt on Ahch-To have done that trip far too many times over the weekend.
Sadly, the full display that was in the Cavern pub across Mathew Street seems to have been archived, as there was this picture, a Cavern Club t-shirt signed by Mark and a signed picture of A New Hope era Luke (the pub has been refurbished in the last year so this may explain the change around). Below are some pictures I took last year of the display as it was.
If you’re in the area and fancy taking in some of the sights and sounds that defined music for generations, then stop off at The Cavern and you know you’re OK in a bar with a Jedi to keep order.
