December 17, 1960 Casbah Coffee Club, Liverpool, ENG

The Beatles' first show after arriving back from Hamburg was at Mona Best's Casbah Coffee Club, a venue they hadn't played at since the Quarrymen days, on 10 October 1959.

The Beatles spent much of December 1960 despondent and with no money, following the disastrous end to their first Hamburg trip.

John Lennon was the last to arrive back in Britain, but spent five days alone before finally contacting the other Beatles on 15 December. Paul McCartney, meanwhile, had taken a job at the Massey and Coggins factory paying £7 14s a week. One day John and George showed up and told him they had a gig so he quit.

Stuart Sutcliffe had remained in Hamburg with Astrid Kirchherr, so The Beatles recruited Chas Newby, formerly the rhythm guitarist with The Blackjacks, to play bass.

The Beatles borrowed equipment from the other act that was booked to play that night, Gene Day and the Jango Beats, who later renamed themselves Earl Preston and the TTs.

Posters declaring "The Beatles, Direct From Hamburg, Germany" were placed around the Casbah, and the basement venue was crammed with people expecting to see a German band perform. Many were disappointed when Lennon, McCartney and Harrison walked to the stage area.

Once they began playing, however, it was clear that a transformation had occurred during their time in Germany. The crowd went wild and The Beatles performed sensationally.