Denny Laine led the support act Denny and the Diplomats at Old Hill on 5 July 1963. He later co-founded The Moody Blues and joined Paul McCartney's Wings in 1971, co-writing 'Mull of Kintyre'. He died on 5 December 2023.

Bev Bevan was drummer with Denny and the Diplomats. He later became drummer with The Move and ELO, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.

The Beatles live: Plaza, Old Hill — 5 July 1963

Q: Why were The Beatles late for the Old Hill show?

The Beatles had played an earlier show at the Plaza in Handsworth and ran late, forcing Denny and the Diplomats to extend their set from half an hour to over an hour.

Q: What happened to the Plaza Ballroom in Old Hill?

It was converted to a bingo hall in the 1970s and later became the Platinum Plaza, a venue for Asian weddings and banquets.

Q: What was Denny Laine's connection to Paul McCartney?

Denny Laine joined Wings in 1971 and co-wrote 'Mull of Kintyre' with McCartney, the first UK single to sell more than two million copies.

July 5, 2026

On Friday 5 July 1963, The Beatles played two shows in the West Midlands. The second of the two was at the Plaza Ballroom in Old Hill — their second appearance at the venue, following a show on 11 January 1963. The support act was Denny and the Diplomats, a local band led by Denny Laine.

The Plaza Ballroom, Old Hill

The Plaza Ballroom in Old Hill was one of four venues run by the Regan family — the others being the Plaza in Handsworth, the Ritz in King's Heath, and the Brum Kavern in Birmingham. The Old Hill Plaza was a major music venue in the 1960s, hosting a number of acts on their way to the top, including The Rolling Stones. It was converted to a bingo hall in the 1970s, and later became the Platinum Plaza, a venue for Asian weddings and banquets.

Old Hill, West Midlands — home of the Plaza Ballroom, run by the Regan family. The Beatles performed here on 5 July 1963, their second appearance at the venue.

Denny and the Diplomats

The support act at the Old Hill Plaza that night was Denny and the Diplomats, a local Black Country group led by Denny Laine. The band's drummer was Bev Bevan.

Denny Laine — born Brian Frederick Arthur Hines in Birmingham on 29 October 1944 — would go on to become one of the most significant figures in British rock. In 1964 he co-founded The Moody Blues, singing lead on their debut UK number one 'Go Now'. He left the group in 1966 and spent several years as a solo artist before joining Paul McCartney's band Wings in 1971, where he remained until the group disbanded in 1981. He co-wrote 'Mull of Kintyre' with McCartney, which became the first UK single to sell more than two million copies. Laine died on 5 December 2023.

Bev Bevan — born in Birmingham on 25 November 1944 — later joined The Move in 1966 and went on to become the drummer with Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), playing on all of the band's classic albums. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of ELO in 2017.

The Beatles in July 1963

By 5 July 1963, The Beatles were the biggest act in Britain. Their debut album Please Please Me was at number one on the LP charts, where it would remain for 30 weeks. They had scored three consecutive hit singles — 'Love Me Do', 'Please Please Me', and 'From Me To You', the last of which had been their first number one. A fourth single, 'She Loves You', was being recorded that same week at Abbey Road.

The Old Hill show was the second of two performances The Beatles played that evening. They had opened at the Regans' other Plaza in Handsworth, Birmingham, before travelling to Old Hill — running late as a result, which forced Denny and the Diplomats to extend their set considerably.

Bev Bevan's account of the night

Bev Bevan recalled the experience of supporting The Beatles at the Old Hill Plaza in vivid detail:

Preceding The Beatles on stage – wow, this was something else indeed! Remember that this was the beginning of Beatlemania. John, Paul, George and Ringo had already had big hit records with Love Me Do and Please Please Me and had just registered their first number one with From Me To You.

They were currently topping the LP charts with their debut album Please Please Me. Because of our popularity in the Black Country, Joe Regan decided we were best suited for the unenviable task of being the group on stage directly before the biggest pop phenomenon since Elvis Presley.

Actually, the huge crowd – literally hanging from the rafters – was very good to us and many of our own fans were in the audience. Nevertheless we still got the occasional chant of “We want The Beatles, we want The Beatles” from the dominantly female crowd. This night was a double-header for the mop tops and their small roadcrew.

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

5 July 1963 in context

The Old Hill show was part of an extraordinarily busy week for The Beatles. On 1 July they had recorded 'She Loves You' and 'I'll Get You' at Abbey Road; on 4 July those tracks were edited and mixed for mono. The double-header in Birmingham on 5 July — Handsworth first, then Old Hill — was followed by further live dates across the country throughout the month.

The connection between the two support acts that night and the wider Beatles story is striking. Denny Laine would spend a decade as Paul McCartney's closest musical collaborator in Wings. Bev Bevan would become one of the most celebrated drummers in British rock. Both were, on 5 July 1963, watching The Beatles from the side of the stage in Old Hill.

Summary

Date	Friday 5 July 1963
Venue	Plaza Ballroom, Old Hill, West Midlands
Promoter	Joe Regan (Regan family circuit)
Support act	Denny and the Diplomats (Denny Laine, Bev Bevan)
Beatles' appearance number at venue	2nd (first: 11 January 1963)
First show of the evening	Plaza, Handsworth

Frequently asked questions

Did The Beatles play at the Plaza Ballroom in Old Hill?

Yes. The Beatles performed at the Plaza Ballroom in Old Hill on 5 July 1963, their second appearance at the venue. It was the second of two shows they played that evening, following an earlier performance at the Plaza in Handsworth.

Who was Denny Laine?

Denny Laine was the leader of Denny and the Diplomats, the support act at the Old Hill Plaza on 5 July 1963. He later co-founded The Moody Blues, singing lead on 'Go Now', before joining Paul McCartney's Wings in 1971. He co-wrote 'Mull of Kintyre' with McCartney. Laine died on 5 December 2023.

Who was Bev Bevan?

Bev Bevan was the drummer with Denny and the Diplomats at the Old Hill show. 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.

Why were The Beatles late for the Old Hill show?

The Beatles had played an earlier show at the Regans' other Plaza in Handsworth, Birmingham, and ran late. This forced support act Denny and the Diplomats to extend their set from a scheduled half-hour to over an hour.

What happened to the Plaza Ballroom in Old Hill?

The Plaza Ballroom in Old Hill was converted to a bingo hall in the 1970s, and later became the Platinum Plaza, a venue for Asian weddings and banquets.

What was Denny Laine's connection to Paul McCartney?

Denny Laine joined Paul McCartney's band Wings in 1971 and remained until the group disbanded in 1981. He co-wrote 'Mull of Kintyre' with McCartney, which became the first UK single to sell more than two million copies.