It was surreal playing at The Cavern as one of The Beatles' sons
Performing at the Cavern Club carries extra meaning for Zak Starkey. The 59-year-old drummer, who is Ringo Starr's oldest son, has played some of the world's biggest stages with The Who and Oasis but this weekend he made his debut at the club that was made famous by his dad's band.
Zak, who has also been part of Liverpool bands the Lightning Seeds and the Icicle Works, brought his supergroup Mantra of the Cosmos to Liverpool for two gigs at the Cavern on Sunday. Made up of Shaun Ryder (Happy Mondays), Zak, Andy Bell (Oasis, Ride) and Bez (Happy Mondays), the band's new single 'Domino Bones (Gets Dangerous)', which features Noel Gallagher, was released exclusively at the Cavern.
The Beatles played at the Mathew Street venue 292 times between 1961 and 1963. Ringo joined the band in August 1962, replacing Pete Best, and photographs of the Dingle-born drummer adorn many of the Cavern's walls.
Saturday night saw Zak perform there for the first time, playing with the Icicle Works' Chris Sharrock, at its live lounge before his band's gigs yesterday. The weight of the occasion and the club's Beatles history had played on his mind beforehand, but a text message from famed Beatles fan Noel Gallagher put him at ease.
Zak told the ECHO: "It was very surreal. I was s***ting it - proper s***ting it until I got on there and it was amazing. The music is like holy music isn't it.
"Before I was s***ting my pants. I was sitting in my room and I text Noel saying I was s***ting it. He said 'get down there and get on, what are you talking about?'.
Source: liverpoolecho.co.uk/Dan Haygarth
