The RUG Band have played at the legendary Cavern Club in Liverpool, made famous by the Beatles who performed there many times in the early 1960’s. The 15-strong Isle of Wight band played a lively set to a capacity audience.
They were supporting The Purple Gang who are best known for their song ‘Granny Takes a Trip’ that was banned by the BBC in 1967. Over the years, The Purple Gang have supported the likes of David Bowie, Yes and Marc Bolan.
The night ended with members of The RUG Band being invited back onstage to perform a rousing rendition of Rainy Day Women.
In 2021, RUG band member Steve Brooks wrote to Purple Gang guitarist and singer Joe Beard inviting him to come and play on the Island. This resulted in a joint gig held at Monkton Arts in Ryde in Spring 2022. Joe then invited The RUG Band to travel up to Liverpool to play a gig at the Cavern in support of a Purple Gang performance – and the rest is history.
Co-band leader Zoe Barker said,
“The Purple Gang came back together especially for this evet so it’s a huge privilege not only to have supported them but to have seen our musical heroes play live.
“The Cavern Club receives over 150 requests per week from bands from all over the world to play there so we feel incredibly lucky.
“This will be a hard one to beat!”
While first made famous by The Beatles, in more recent times the Cavern Club has seen performances by the likes of Travis, Arctic Monkeys, Oasis and Adele.
News shared by Zoe on behalf of the RUG Band. Ed
