A former schoolteacher who became one of Birmingham's most prominent music promoters in the 1960s, running four venues including both Plaza ballrooms.

Drummer with Denny and the Diplomats at the Old Hill show, later famous as drummer with The Move and ELO, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.

The Beatles live: Plaza, Handsworth — 5 July 1963

Q: What did The Beatles play at the Plaza, Handsworth in 1963?

Nine songs: 'Roll Over Beethoven', 'Thank You Girl', 'Chains', 'Please Please Me', 'A Taste Of Honey', 'I Saw Her Standing There', 'Baby It's You', 'From Me To You', and 'Twist and Shout'.

Q: What is the Plaza Ballroom in Handsworth now?

The building at 189 Rookery Road was converted into the Gurdwara Bebe Nanaki Ji temple in the 1980s.

Q: Did The Beatles play two shows on 5 July 1963?

Yes — the Plaza in Handsworth and the Plaza in Old Hill, both run by Ma Regan.

July 5, 2026

On Friday 5 July 1963, The Beatles played two shows in the West Midlands — the first at the Plaza Ballroom in Handsworth, Birmingham, and the second at the Plaza in Old Hill. Both venues were part of a circuit run by promoter Mary 'Ma' Regan and her husband.

The Plaza Ballroom, Handsworth

The Plaza Ballroom stood at 189 Rookery Road, Handsworth, Birmingham. The building had previously served as the Rookery Picture House cinema before being converted into a dance hall and live music venue. In the 1980s it was converted again, this time into the Gurdwara Bebe Nanaki Ji temple, which occupies the site today.

The Plaza Ballroom, 189 Rookery Road, Handsworth, Birmingham — now the Gurdwara Bebe Nanaki Ji temple. The Beatles performed here on 5 July 1963.

Mary 'Ma' Regan and the Birmingham circuit

The Plaza in Handsworth was one of four venues run by Mary 'Ma' Regan and her husband. The others were the Plaza in Old Hill, the Ritz in King's Heath, and the Brum Kavern in Birmingham city centre. Ma Regan was a former schoolteacher who became something of a local celebrity in the 1960s after bringing a series of top musical acts to the Birmingham area. She also managed a number of Birmingham groups, making her one of the most influential figures in the city's early 1960s music scene.

The Beatles in July 1963

By the time The Beatles arrived in Handsworth, they were at the top of the British charts. Their debut album Please Please Me had been released on 22 March 1963 and had reached number one on the Record Retailer chart, where it would remain for 30 weeks. The group had already released three singles — 'Love Me Do', 'Please Please Me', and 'From Me To You' — and were in the process of recording their fourth, 'She Loves You', which would be released in August.

The show at the Plaza in Handsworth was a sell-out. Tickets cost 7/6d (37½p in decimal currency) and were sold on a first-come-first-served basis. Many disappointed fans were turned away from the venue.

The setlist

The Beatles performed a nine-song set at the Plaza, Handsworth on 5 July 1963:

'Roll Over Beethoven'
'Thank You Girl'
'Chains'
'Please Please Me'
'A Taste Of Honey'
'I Saw Her Standing There'
'Baby It's You'
'From Me To You'
'Twist and Shout'

The support acts were The Cheetahs and The Redcaps.

The second show: Plaza, Old Hill

After the Handsworth show, The Beatles were due to play a second set at the Regans' other Plaza venue in Old Hill. They ran late — a consequence of the packed Handsworth show — and the support act, local group Denny and the Diplomats, had to extend their set considerably to fill the time.

The drummer with Denny and the Diplomats that night was Bev Bevan, who would later find fame as the drummer with The Move and Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). He recalled the experience vividly:

Firstly they were booked to appear at the Regans' other Plaza in Handsworth. Unsurprisingly, they ran late and our scheduled half-hour spot became an hour or more. Usually we would perform several Beatle songs in our set, but obviously we had to drop those from our repertoire.

Truth was, we were running out of songs to play and reverted to a couple of ambitious instrumentals. We included Hava Nagila (which had Denny playing lead guitar behind his back) and the Dave Brubeck Quartet classic jazz piece Take Five, which featured me playing a drum solo in 5/4 time.

We realised The Beatles had finally arrived and we could hear them talking backstage. Then we saw them all watching us from the side of the stage. We finished our set, the curtains closed, the crowd now in a state of nervous, near hysterical anticipation.

Bev Bevan, Denny and the Diplomats

Bev Bevan

Bev Bevan was born in Birmingham on 25 November 1944. After his time with Denny and the Diplomats, he joined The Move in 1966 — a Birmingham group that scored a string of UK hits including 'Flowers in the Rain', the first record played on BBC Radio 1 when it launched in September 1967. When The Move evolved into Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) in 1970, Bevan remained as drummer, playing on all of the band's classic albums including A New World Record (1976), Out of the Blue (1977), and Discovery (1979). He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of ELO in 2017.

5 July 1963 in context

The Handsworth and Old Hill shows were part of an extraordinarily busy period for The Beatles. In the first week of July 1963 alone, the group had also been at Abbey Road on 1 July to record 'She Loves You' and 'I'll Get You', and on 4 July for editing and mono mixing of the same tracks. The double-header in Birmingham on 5 July was followed by further live dates across the country throughout the month.

Summary

Date	Friday 5 July 1963
Venue	Plaza Ballroom, 189 Rookery Road, Handsworth, Birmingham
Promoter	Mary 'Ma' Regan
Support acts	The Cheetahs, The Redcaps
Ticket price	7/6d (37½p)
Songs performed	9
Second show	Plaza, Old Hill (support: Denny and the Diplomats)

Frequently asked questions

Did The Beatles play at the Plaza Ballroom in Handsworth?

Yes. The Beatles performed at the Plaza Ballroom, 189 Rookery Road, Handsworth, Birmingham on 5 July 1963. The show was a sell-out, with many fans turned away. The support acts were The Cheetahs and The Redcaps.

What did The Beatles play at the Plaza, Handsworth in 1963?

The Beatles performed a nine-song set: 'Roll Over Beethoven', 'Thank You Girl', 'Chains', 'Please Please Me', 'A Taste Of Honey', 'I Saw Her Standing There', 'Baby It's You', 'From Me To You', and 'Twist and Shout'.

Who was Ma Regan?

Mary 'Ma' Regan was a former schoolteacher who became one of Birmingham's most prominent music promoters in the 1960s. She and her husband ran four venues: the Plaza in Handsworth, the Plaza in Old Hill, the Ritz in King's Heath, and the Brum Kavern in Birmingham. She also managed a number of local groups.

What is the Plaza Ballroom in Handsworth now?

The building at 189 Rookery Road, Handsworth — formerly the Rookery Picture House cinema and then the Plaza Ballroom — was converted into the Gurdwara Bebe Nanaki Ji temple in the 1980s.

Who was Bev Bevan and what is his connection to The Beatles?

Bev Bevan was the drummer with Denny and the Diplomats, the support act at the Plaza, Old Hill on 5 July 1963. He later became the drummer with The Move and Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.

Did The Beatles play two shows on 5 July 1963?

Yes. The Beatles played two shows on 5 July 1963 — the first at the Plaza Ballroom in Handsworth, Birmingham, and the second at the Plaza in Old Hill. Both venues were run by promoter Ma Regan. The Beatles ran late for the Old Hill show, forcing support act Denny and the Diplomats to extend their set.