Somewhere In A Field In Hampshire (Alright?)

Spendin' Summer Poolside 

 

Maybe you're maxing an' relaxing poolside this summer? Whether on the beach or by a swanky swimming pool in a resort hotel, take these essentials to keep your cool.

1. Retro T-Shirts

- Can never have too many retro tees, and it's as if Ben Sherman knew we'd be hangin' out poolside this summer with this fab retro guitar shaped pool tee. Summer mod style.

2. Wayfarer Sunglasses

- The Wayfarer is a style that looks good on everyone. Since Ray-Ban developed it's first Wayfarer back in 1956, the style has had many updates, twists and details added to it, but you can't go wrong with a classic Wayfarer look. These Ray-Ban New Wayfarer Sunglasses are perfect for summer. (In case you were wondering, the New Wayfarer differs from the classic Wayfarer Sunglasses by being slightly smaller and less angled than it's classic style brother).

3. Beach shoes

- These Lyle & Scott mesh plimsoles are perfect beach to evening wear. Mesh upper keeps your feet cool and comfy.

4. Swim Shorts

- Naturally if we're hanging out by the pool, you might like to take a dip! These retro 70s pool print swim shorts from Afield Clothing are perfect. Quick dry fabric too!

5. Bluetooth Speaker (Battery powered!) 

- Take your music wherever you go this summer with the GPO Retro Mini Westwood, a battery operated, mini bluetooth speaker which will give up to 5 hours of playback time when fully charged.S Stream music from your phone or MP3 player. Also available in black.

Shop this outfit here!

 Summer In The City

- A backpack is an essential at any time of year. Eastpak bags are so confident in their rucksacks, they come with a 30 year guarantee. We've picked the Eastpak Out Of Office backpack which has a padded laptop or tablet sleeve and a fantastic 27 litre capacity.

Shop this outfit here!

Up&Atom caught up with Feed The Kid's frontman, Curtis Taylor for issue 7 of Up&Atom magazine. Here's a quick excerpt from that interview...

Up&Atom - Who are Feed The Kid? What’s the story behind the name?

Curtis Taylor - We are a five piece rock and roll band from Manchester. The full band line-up have been together for a year, but before we set that up, myself and Ciaran were writing a year before that. We are:

Curtis Taylor - Lead Vocals
Ciaran Egan - Lead Guitar
Dane Stubbs - Bass and vocals
Jake Murphy - Guitar
Adam Smith - Drums

The name came about as Adam became a dad very quickly (if you know what I mean..! We are young lads..!) Anyway, Ciaran and I were doing open mics, and we wanted to take it to the next step. Smithy needed a bit of help at the time, so we decided to go with the name, ‘Feed The Kid’, until we became more sturdy, then we’d probably change it. The idea was to get money from gigs which would go directly to Smithy. This didn’t happen - Anyone starting a band to get money, stop now! Needless to say, we never changed the name, as it seemed to gather pace and momentum very quickly.

U&A - You’re the frontman for the band. Every singer should think he’s the best, so who, throughout the whole of rock and roll history, do you think is second best? 

CT - I think you have to believe you are one of the best, and that you have your own style, because you have to stay true to who you are. You don’t want anyone knocking your confidence, changing how you sing or how you move. Look, I’m a singer from Manchester, and we have moved on from Oasis, but no one did it better than them. Rightly or wrongly, they didn’t take shit from anyone. I wouldn’t say I have that attitude, but all the band have that self-belief and the belief that music is all we will be.

Anyway, I wouldn’t say Liam gets in my top five singers. I don’t think he would put himself in the top five singers… Actually, he probably would! I believe a frontman must have a strong voice, but really has to be more than just a singer. I’d struggle to pick a favourite, but people who have influenced me are - Paul Rodgers, Marc Bolan, Roger Daltrey, James Morrison, Robert Plant, Rod Stewart and Freddie Mercury.

I didn’t realise I could sing until quite late in life. Someone said I could, so I gave it a go, and so far, it’s going alright! I don’t know if it’s an innate thing, but I have always had a yearning to create. I didn’t realise what until I was there on stage and I thought, this is me! This is what I’m supposed to be doing! I guess only time will tell if I am right or if we will fall flat on our faces at the first hurdle! But if you don’t believe it yourself, no one else will believe it either.

U&A - How hard do you think it is to make it in the music industry today? 

CT - It’s difficult. Everyone is at it. This is still very new to us, and I guess other people would be able to tell you more, but I can already see it all boils down to attitude. Sometimes, you don’t have to be great for your music to get played. I have seen some bands that have a false belief, others have the base to be great but they have forgotten how to change, how to take criticism and have a bad attitude (they think they’ve made it before they have even strummed a chord), and others should have picked up the guitar and put it back down again.

U&A - You have forged a career that blends music and fashion, which happen to be the two driving forced behind Atom Retro as well. Can you tell us about your sideline career in fashion?

CT - It’s weird, isn’t it? Fashion and music have always worked together. Different genres create different fashions. Even though each one of us believe we are an individual, we often conform to a group when it comes to music. Mods, Rockers, Punks, Hippies. Clothes are a creative response to the environment we are in at the time. We will look back and think what was that century about?! What the f**k is that guy wearing?! I have always worked within the clothing industry and trends come and go. I think trying to put any label on yourself is difficult, because if you are self-aware that you are going for a certain look, it all becomes a bit uncool. I try to be myself, but its an amalgamation of things I have listened to, seen and loved, that have inspired me to be who I am. However, I wouldn’t want to look at a photo of me aged twelve, with curtains, looking like Gary Neville! I don’t know what inspired that look, but I guess I was watching a lot of football, so I guess I subconsciously became a Neville.

U&A - In exactly 98 words, describe your sound! Repetition is frowned upon… 

CT - We have been described as; retro, blues, country, but I guess it’s just rock and roll. I think each band member listens to something different and this filters through. I think for now it’s hard to pinpoint what we are, I hope we are something new! All we can give you are the comparisons we usually get - T-Rex, The Doors, The Verve, early Pearl Jam, Free, Creedence, but my favourite is Oasis, if Noel Gallagher was the front man. I don't think anyone will count every word in this statement, but I guess we shall see.

Thanks to Curtis for this interview! 

Follow Feed The Kid:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/FeedTheKidMusic/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/feedthekidmusic
Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/feedthekidmusic


Would you like your band featured here? Email details to lindsey@atomretro.com and you could be the next Something For The Weekend! (All types of music, bands and artists welcome! All genres, signed, unsigned, young and old!)

The Keepers describe themselves as Indie Mod N Roll, with Psychedelic Britpop. They were founded in 2015, by singer/songwriter and guitarist Jordan Jones, and accompanied by Tonner Pettitt on bass guitar, Liam Taylor also on guitar and Taylor Hart on drums. The Keepers are a fusion of 60's Pop Melodies and Psychedelia, 70's Punk energy, 80's Madchester madness, 90's Britpop and 00's Indie Rock. They list their main influences as The Beatles, David Bowie, The Kinks, The Jam and Supergrass.

The Keepers in action! (Photo by Dammo Photography)

The Keepers released their debut EP, No Exit in October 2015 on CD and iTunes, and have since been gigging and touring across the UK, bringing their share of retro goodness to audiences everywhere. 

They have played sold out shows at venues such as The Picturedrome and The Craufurd Arms, supporting the likes of Noasis, The Total Stone Roses, Inspiral Carpets' frontman Tom Hingley and The Kar-pets, The Jam DRC and VANT.

The band have recently been sponsored and endorsed by Hofner and plan to head back into the studio to record new material in the near future. Show original message Make sure you catch a show soon! (Deets below!)

Would you like your band featured here? Email details to lindsey@atomretro.com and you could be the next Something For The Weekend! (All types of music, bands and artists welcome! All genres, signed, unsigned, young and old!)


Upcoming Gigs for The Keepers:

15th July - The Picturedrome supporting The Jam DRC (Northampton)
16th July - Enderby Music Festival (Leicester)
22nd July - Tramlines Festival (Sheffield)
30th July - The 12 Bar (Colne)
6th August - The Islington (London)
13th August - The Apple and Parrot – Torquay

Find the Keepers online:


Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/thekeepersuk/

The long-awaited issue 7 of Up&Atom is out now! Free with all orders of clothing and/or shoes (while stocks last)!

The fab new issue features:

• Instant Karma: Interview with Craig Sams, the man who brought the Afghan Coat to the UK!
• Ballroom Blitz: Interview with Michael Stanfield of mod band, Blackdog Ballroom. 
• Feed The Kid: We chat to Curtis Taylor, frontman of indie rock band, Feed The Kid. 
• This is MODTreal: The Fab Four's Gavin Pring talks to Patrick Foisy about the Canadian mod festival, MODTreal.
• A Pint With... David Pottinger: Kevin Stone has a swift half with mod blogger, David Pottinger. 
• The Girl With The Strawberry Hair: Interview with singer-songwriter, Sarah Beatrice.
• Who's Next play The Most Famous Club In The World, The Cavern, Liverpool. 
• Plus: Newgate Clocks, Irregular Choice Shoes, Dr Martens Boots, Weekend Offender and more! 

Want to get your mitts on a copy? Simply place an order at www.atomretro.com or www.madcapengland.com!

Up&Atom is free with all orders of clothing and/or shoes, until stocks run out.

(Some of the articles will also be featured on the Up&Atom blog - right here!)

Perfect for them summer festivals, this outfit is sure to keep you cool whilst you're rocking out to your favourite bands. The barrel bag is sure to come in handy for your essentials and a pair of Ray-Ban's are a must for a sunny day!




It's all about statement prints this summer and whats better than this fab Pretty Green paisley camo jacket? Teamed with a pair of skinny jeans and deserts boots, it finishes it off with a hint of military inspiration.



A gorgeous outfit featuring the striking daisy denim dress. Teamed with a light weight crochet cardigan, it's sure to come in handy for them cooler festival nights!

The new Ambassador Record player from GPO Retro is now available from Atom Retro! This is the first record player from GPO Retro to feature bluetooth connectivity and also be fully portable, with a rechargeable battery with up to two and half hours playback. This vintage briefcase style record player comes in two colours - Green and Black or Cream and Brown leatherette with vintage look brass corner protectors - and plays 33, 45 and 78 RPM records.

With bluetooth connectivity, the Ambassador record player will connect to any bluetooth speaker and is compatible with the GPO Retro Westwood speakers. A USB stick is also included with the record player.

A beautiful record player which looks great as a centrepiece in any room or pack it up and take your vinyl collection with you everywhere!

Shop the GPO Retro Ambassador Record Player

• New GPO Retro Bermuda Record Player now in stock
• Ray-Ban Icons Sunglasses: The Wayfarer
• Nic Armstrong: With A Natural Flair

Are you looking for something for the weekend, sir? How about a little bit of Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor?

Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor are a USA based four piece band who succinctly describe themselves as 'Detroit Psych', (Detroit, Michigan being there home town). They’ve shared the stage with The Black Angels, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Dead Meadow, and Acid Mothers Temple; joined the elite ranks of psych bands at Austin’s Psych Fest for the second time in 2014; toured with Holydrug Couple, Loop, The Warlocks, and The Telescopes, and played SXSW and CBGB Music & Film Festival.

Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor write and perform moody electrifying psych rock, recorded in their aptly named Space Camp Studios. Sean Morrow (guitar, vocals), Eric Oppitz (bass, organ) and Rick Sawoscinski (drums, percussion) are unified in their pursuit of SOYSV’s vision. Wayne Woodward adds stunning visuals to the band’s live set - anyone who has experienced a Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor performance has felt the power of the swirling, ever-changing images he shapes. “It’s critical that the live visuals, artwork, and music all work in equilibrium to achieve the specific aesthetic we’re after” says front-man Sean Morrow of the look, sound and feel of his band.

Their new full length album, Desert Brain not only brings this aesthetic to life, but brings to fruition years spent planning the ultimate immersive listening experience. The band are also offering a free download from their bandcamp site - so that's a must. You can also purchase the CD or vinyl copy of the album there. The album, in keeping with Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor’s tradition of covering all aesthetic bases, is released on clear and splattered blue vinyl.

“I think we were a bit scared to make it,” says Oppitz. “It took us much longer than a typical record of a collection of songs would have taken us.  Not only did we have to write the songs, but we had to compose the transitions between them and then think about how each song fit into the overall concept of the entire record.”




See Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor live: 

Catch SOYSV on their European tour this summer - check their site for info: -http://www.sistersofyoursunshinevapor.com/tour-date/

Get Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor's music:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/41SQ9t6vaYksDYn0VHojpl
Bandcamp: sistersofyoursunshinevapor.bandcamp.com
Free download of the new album at Bandcamp! 

Find Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor online: 

Website: http://www.sistersofyoursunshinevapor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SOYSV
Instagram: www.instagram.com/sistersofyoursunshinevapor

Terry Rawlings at Decca Records, 1980

Through his vast knowledge of music from both working within the industry and as a fan, author Terry Rawlings has created works worthy of any music connoisseurs collection. His impeccably researched Mod: A Very British Phenomenon and Brian Jones: Who Killed Christopher Robin? are staple books in many a household and he has earned a reputation as an authoritative figure within the mod scene. Gibson London’s Simon Parr invited Terry to his London Showroom and this is what he had to say:


Simon Parr: How did you first become a writer? 

Terry Rawlings: I was expelled from school in the 5th year for doing graffiti on the walls outside the school gates. The school was at Dockhead, and we were right on the docks. I got the white liner that was used to mark out the pitches and I wrote all along the back where the docks were, ‘Mr Shields is a c***’. My friend was up a wall, painting over a lot of graffiti and I thought I can’t let him take the blame for it so I stupidly owned up. After I was expelled, I didn’t really have a career or anything in mind until I got a job in the post room at Decca Records, which [DJ and presenter] Gary Crowley got me. I just sort of replaced him. He left on the Friday and I started on the Monday. It was sort of like-for-like because we both dressed the same and the studio manager just thought it was one parka for another. From Decca Records I went onto Sire Records, where we were doing this Small Faces fanzine. Paul Weller liked the fanzine and it was Paul who opened the door for me to start writing. Paul Weller, after getting our fanzine, started one of his own up called Decembers Child and I did some bits and pieces for that, and it was him who suggested I should write a book.

SP: And that was All Our Yesterdays? The Small Faces Book? 

TR: Yes. I was working for Sire Records (Home of The Ramones and The Pretenders) and me and a friend of mine, Tony Lordon - he was the bass player in Department S (of Is Vic There? fame) - we used to do a fanzine called Sha La La La Lee (not very imaginative, I know!) about The Small Faces. Back then, we’re talking about 1980, The Small Faces had been totally forgotten, nobody knew about them; the profile they’ve got now wouldn’t have been dreamed of back then. The only album you could get was on Charly Records, anything else you couldn’t get hold of. Paul Weller had got into The Small Faces. He was a big fan of The Kinks and The Who, and he got into The Small Faces too.

We used to do the fanzine on the photocopier in the Sire Records office and Paul would come and get it. We’d done about three issues and then he suggested the idea to do a bigger version of it, like a pamphlet or a mini- book thing, which we called All Our Yesterdays. I’d found all these photographs that hadn’t been seen back then. Nobody cared about them. They had reformed once and no one cared. The band had 3 of the Small Faces in it and they’d been playing pubs.

SP: That was minus Ronnie Lane wasn’t it? 

TR: Yeah, he came back for about a day and then they had a bit of a punch up and he left again, so Rick Wills from Foreigner, who’s in Kenny Jones’ band now, joined instead. But they couldn’t get arrested, you know? They didn’t look like The Small Faces, to be honest, they looked like Smokie, you know, all weird.

So, Paul came up with the idea of doing a better version of the fanzine and that was my first attempt at writing something. We did this little pamphlet thing that he got printed up, and they sold them on The Jam’s merchandising stall at the gigs. We re-printed it a few times. It started to turn people onto The Small Faces. It reminded people [of them]. I never big myself up about it but it was the only thing you could get then on The Small Faces and it caught people’s imaginations. People only knew about The Who and The Kinks, in that ’79 Mod Revival, and they didn’t know about The Small Faces. It started a little Small Faces revival, I’m pretty sure, and look at where it is now. I don’t even have a copy of the book anymore, which is quite sad. It wasn’t a great literary advancement on my part, but after that Paul suggested I do another book, a serious book, and that turned out to be twenty years of researching the Brian Jones murder. So it was down to what Paul said and his help that got me going, so I owe it all to him.

SP: That became Who Killed Christopher Robin: The Truth Behind The Killing Of Brian Jones, about the life and death of Brian Jones from The Rolling Stones. 

TR: When I worked at Decca, it seemed everybody had been there since the 1960s and they all had a story about Brian Jones and speculated on his death. The edition that is out now is the third edition. We had to do a second edition when we realised how many mistakes we’d made in the first, after we got new information, new police files, new home office files and more interviews. We’d realised we’d made so many glaring mistakes in the first one we had to do a second one just to put it all right. So we had about 80% of the story put right in the second edition, but there were still massive areas where we weren’t sure of things.

Then I got ill and I was out of the game for about a year when I had cancer and in the meantime I heard a guy had beat me to the new police files which had been released after forty years. Paul Spendel was going to do a book and he was asking me for help. I said, ‘Listen, it’s only right that I’ve done this much work and you’ve just jumped in at the last minute and got the last files because I was ill, why don’t you join me and we’ll put out a third edition - that is the ultimate edition - and we’ll share the grief and the glory, so to speak?’ He was a nice fella and he was up for doing it, so it made sense to collaborate.

Welcome to our new blog series showcasing some new bands, old bands and fantastic music!

The first band up is Idle Talk, a three piece Indie band from Brighton, UK. Above is one of their latest tracks, Inner Demons, which can be found on their latest EP, Reaction (released in February 2016).

Picture by Tom Little

Idle Talk are Louis May (vocals and guitar), Matt Geary (bass) and David Bishop (drums). They formed in early 2015 and immediately started making a name for themselves in and around the Brighton music scene. Influenced by elements of indie, mod and soul, the band have gone on to support bands like Secret Affair and From The Jam at sold out shows on their respective tours.

2016 has seen them release their first EP for Detour Records called Reaction. This was mixed by Andy Crofts (The Moons/Paul Weller Band) and has received great reviews. With various festival dates and support slots line up for the rest of the year, the band are going from strength to strength! Make sure to catch them at a gig near you soon.  (Find upcoming gig details below).




Catch Idle Talk live:

10th May - The Latest Music Bar, Brighton
19th June - The Old Queen's Head, London
29th July - Music Mania 2016, Worthing
19th August - The Con Club, Lewes
24th September - The Prince Albert, Brighton (supporting The Lost Boys)
16th December - Concorde 2, Brighton (supporting From The Jam)


Find Idle Talk online: 

http://www.idletalkband.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/idletalkband
https://idletalkuk.bandcamp.com

The Overtures in their Madcap England threads

The UK's premier Sixties tribute band, The Overtures are busy touring Holland with their excellent Bootleg Sixties show currently, but you can now enjoy your Overtures show whenever you want with the new, long awaited, Bootleg Sixties show DVD,  Live From The Playhouse!


Featuring highlights from the show and 38 songs from The Overtures extensive repertoire, including songs from The Beatles, The Who, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones and many more and DVD behind the scenes and interviews extras.


The DVD is £15.00 plus P&P and can be purchased from the Bootleg Sixties website here.

Premier UK Who Tribute band, Who's Next played at the legendary Cavern Club, Liverpool recently for a sold out show in the Cavern's Live Lounge.

The show was a special set from Who's Next. The first half was made up of early Who songs and R'n'B tracks the Who covered when they were first starting out, including some quite rare, and even more rarely played live songs. The second half of the show was the Who's huge hits and rock anthems.

The band wore a lot of Madcap England styles for the Cavern Club show, including guitarist Dante DiCarlo in a Madcap England Racing Jumper and Madcap England 'Casbah' Beatle Boots (because what else would you wear on your feet down at The Cavern?!) and also singer, Gary Charman in a Madcap England Pinstripe Marriott Polo.

Dante, writing on the Who's Next blog said about the show, "The gig was an absolute blast and afterwards we were informed we had sold the place out and it had been packed to capacity! We were all beyond chuffed and can’t wait to play there again!"

Check below for some fab pics from the gig.

And then check Who's Next's website for a gig near you - the band is playing all over the UK this year!

All images © Ian Hanson Photography. (Thanks guys!)

Part four exploring The Beatles style from 1961 to 1970, compiled and written by guest blogger, Harrison. In this installment the Beatles move into military style and also into more casual attire. You can also create your very own Beatles inspired look with this guide.

'64 - '65
The In-betweeners 

A replica of the Beatles "Shea" jacket, signed by Paul McCartney.

Part three of our series exploring The Beatles style from 1961 to 1970, compiled and written by our guest blogger, Harrison. In this instalment the Beatles embrace their suited look. You can also create your very own Beatles inspired look with this guide.

'63 - '64
The Toppermost Of the Poppermost

This interview was originally printed in Up&Atom magazine, Issue 3 (Summer 2013). 

I can’t quite believe it’s been ten years since we first picked up Nic Armstrong’s debut album, The Greatest White Liar. In fact, you have to go back nearly eleven years to the beginning of the story. The date was Saturday 11th October 2003, the venue, The Cockpit in Leeds. Nic was on the bill with Crispian Mill’s The Jeevas that night and it was his live show that really blew us away.

Ever since that day we have tried our best to keep in tune with the latest Nic Armstrong news and releases. Nic Armstrong - sometimes also known as Nic Armstrong & The Thieves, and less occasionally as The IV Thieves, hails from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England. He counts Miles Kane, Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller amongst his fans (and has toured supporting the latter two at various times). Now based in Austin, Texas, Nic’s latest record, the excellent Pocketless Shirt EP is out now and he’s is currently working on a follow up EP and an album. He’s a busy man!

Up&Atom caught up with Nic, who kindly took time out of his hectic schedule to chat with us

Up&Atom - How old were you when you first picked up a guitar? What made you want to play?

Nic Armstrong - I was a young lad, picked up the guitar to beat agoraphobia or some massive form of anxiety in public.

U&A - The Greatest White Liar is a brilliant album. We’ve listened to it so many times that we could write a thesis on it, but that’s not the same as hearing the story from the man himself. Tell us about the album and recording it. Oh, and just who is that lying son of a gun you refer to in the title?

NA - Thank you. Still so grateful for the opportunity to make The Greatest White Liar. We really had a great time making it. We didn’t really do any pre-production.

I remember it was a hot summer in London. We had two weeks to record. Liam [Watson, record producer who has also worked with The White Stripes and The Zutons] would come round in the morning and pick us up. We would start early, record, have great lunches, resume, then wrap up around eight. We would then go out and get absolutely ragged on drink around East London. There’s a memory of dining this 16ft cardboard tube in the street and mounting some mannequin’s head or clown mask on it. In the studio it was all business and a million cups of tea.



One Little Indian [Nic’s record label] asked how I wanted to record. I told them I’d play all the parts except for the drums. I’d spotted a fantastic drummer - Jonny Aitken - in Nottingham a couple of weeks earlier and he was onboard to play. The night before we were due in Toe Rag Studios, my best mate Sam picked us up in his car. We loaded up all this really shitty, wrecked equipment - knackered guitars, half a sitar, broken percussion, my sister’s plastic keyboard and headed to London. All these things were used in the studio - for example, the answering ‘na-na na-na’ on She Changes Like The Weather is that funny keyboard.

Ah, the lying son of a gun, eh? Never handled a gun in the UK, honest guv...! Texas is a different kettle of fish. We’ve shot AK47’s, rifles, pistols, uzis..!

Here are a couple of new pics of Dante DiCarlo, the very talented guitarist with premier UK Who tribute band, Who's Next.

Dante is sponsored by Madcap England and here in these photos he's wearing Madcap England's Attack Racing Jumper.

Dante can often be spotted on stage in the Madcap Townshend Union Jack blazer too!

Who's Next are currently touring! Catch them at a gig near you. Check their website for info.

See under the 'read more' for more pics of Dante in action.

Part two of our eight part series exploring The Beatle’s style from 1961 to 1970, by our guest blogger, Harrison. In this instalment we see the Beatles out of leather and into their first suits. You can also create your very own Beatles inspired look with this guide.
'62 - '63
Suited and Booted



In January of 1962, The Beatles signed a contract with Brian Epstein to manage them. Epstein was only a few years older than the lads and had no prior experience managing a band, although he had successfully run NEMS, his family’s record shop on Whitechapel, Liverpool. What he lacked in experience he made up for in his determination to ensure the groups music career flourished.

One of the first moves Epstein made was to encouraged the Beatles to clean up their image. He coaxed them into wearing jeans and jumpers with their leather jackets instead of their full leather suits. This was a compromise the lads were willing to make, however, when Epstein then suggested that they wear tailored suits on stage, he was met with resistance, especially from John Lennon and Pete Best. Both young men preferred to wear their leathers, thinking it was a more 'rock and roll' image, but they also acknowledged that if they wanted to advance their careers, they needed to change their appearance.

The Beatles moved into the next phase of their careers, transitioning from rough-around-the-edges rock 'n' rollers to polished pop stars. They performed in the leather suits for the final time at the Cavern Club in the Spring of 1962.

In 2012, George Harrison’s leather jacket went up for sale at Bonham’s. Harrison bought the jacket in 1960 for £10 ($14) and it fetched £110,450 ($177,400) at auction. His Chelsea 'Beatle' boots, which were also part of the memorabilia sale went for £61,250 ($98,000). A pair of leather trousers that allegedly belonged to Paul McCartney also surfaced in 2013.

Mike Hoggard often performed at the same venues as The Beatles in the early 60s and he claims to be in possession of McCartney’s leather trousers. He states that Brian Epstein gifted the clothing item to him after a gig at the Cavern Club. Hoggard’s claim hasn’t been substantiated and the trousers with the name ‘Paul’ written inside remain in his possession.

To further smartened up the band’s look, Epstein took the lads to a local tailor, Beno Dorn where they were fitted for their first mohair stage suits. The blazers were three-button, single breasted with slim lapels, broad shouldered and narrow at the waist. The matching suit trousers were similar to the drainpipe trousers the Beatles wore and at their insistence, were cut to fit snugly through the legs and were tapered quite narrow at the ankle. The lads returned the trousers twice to the tailors to have them narrowed further! Essentially, this was a slim lapelled, 3 button Mod Suit with a slight 1950s hangover in the short, more boxy fit of the jacket.

However, even away from the band, not everyone was pleased with the Beatles new look. For some of the fans it signalled the bands start to move away from Liverpool, and Cavern Club DJ, Bob Wooler remarked that the mohair suits were impractical. "They went on stage and really sweated and all their suits began to rot, they began to come apart at the seams... But that was the start of the new image. They learned how to adjust."

The dress shirts worn with the suits had rounded penny collars and were pin spread (bar collars) finished with inch wide skinny ties. The Portofino french cuffs of the dress shirt peeked out from their blazer sleeves and were accented with cuff-links.
Millings became “the Beatles tailor” and the lads affectionately referred to him as “Dad”. He appeared alongside the group in the film, A Hard Day’s Night as a frustrated tailor trying to measure the Beatles. Douglas, along with his son Gordon were responsible for making hundreds of garments for the group over the years until the later half of the 60s.