The Indra Club on the Grosse Freiheit street of Hamburg, was owned by Bruno Koschmider, a local club owner who also owned the Kaiserkeller.
The Beatles arrived in Hamburg, Germany in the early evening of 17 August 1960, for the first of their 48 night residency, ending on 3 October 1960.
The group's contract ran for two months, from 17 August to 16 October, with the band receiving 30DM (£2.50) per person each day, paid every Thursday. Koschmider also paid their manager Allan Williams a commission of £10 each week.
They were expected to perform for four and a half hours each weekday night, from 8-9.30pm, 10-11pm, 11.30pm-12.30am and 1-2am.
They also had to play for six hours on Saturdays, from 7-8.30pm, 9-10pm, 10.30-11.30pm, 12-1am, and 1.30-3am. Sunday hours were 5-6pm, 6.30-7.30pm, 8-9pm, 9.30-10.30pm, 11-12 midnight and 12.30-1.30am.
The first night, the tired and hungry band played to just a handful of spectators, mainly prostitutes and their clients. They also had to turn down their amplifiers, following a complaint from the woman who lived above the venue. Nervous of the unfamiliar surroundings, The Beatles played the entire four and a half hour opening show, huddled together and standing stock still.
The second night, they were encouraged to raise their game by manager Allan Williams. He encouraged them to "Make it a show, boys!", a phrase quickly taken up by Koschmider – the cry of "Mak show, Beatles! Mak show!" would become a hallmark of their first Hamburg stay.
The Beatles took note, and began working on their stage show. By the end of their time in Germany they would be a tight live act, regularly drawing crowds and able to effortlessly thrill their audiences.
After playing 48 consecutive nights with no time off, The Beatles' residency at the Indra Club in Hamburg ended on October 3rd due to police pressure caused by a stream of complaints, mostly made by the woman who lived above the club. They were still under contract with Bruno Koschmider until October 16th, so were moved the following night to the larger Kaiserkeller, while the Indra was turned back into a strip club.
By this time The Beatles had performed live for over 200 hours in Germany, and were on their way to becoming a truly electrifying live act. They would never have developed as much if they'd stayed at home. They had to try anything that came into their heads in Hamburg, there was nobody to copy from.