WORTH WATCHING

Watch: Short Doc on Britain's First Female Rock Band - The Liverbirds

by Alex Billington
November 9, 2021
Source: YouTube

"The four of us just belonged together." Meet The Liverbirds! Never heard of them? Now you have! Give this fantastic short documentary film a watch to learn more about them and hear some of their songs ("Peanut Butter" oh yeah!). The latest Almost Famous doc short from the NY Times is all about The Liverbirds, discussing their history with the two surviving members - Mary McGlory and Sylvia Saunders. "It's hard to say what, exactly, was in the water in Liverpool in the early 1960s that wound up producing the Merseybeat sound and hundreds of groups of varying success. Four teenagers caught the scene by surprise and found screaming fans at every turn. Their names were Mary, Sylvia, Pam and Val. It wasn't only their sound that turned heads. They were The Liverbirds, Britain's first all-female rock 'n' roll band." They started because of The Beatles, met The Beatles, went on their own tours and became famous in Europe. Radical! What a story.

Thanks to Kottke for the tip on this one. Intro from YouTube: "It wasn't only their sound that turned heads. They were The Liverbirds, Britain's first all-female rock 'n' roll band. Sitting down with surviving members Mary McGlory and Sylvia Saunders, you'd never know these two exceedingly charming Scouse (means they come from Liverpool) matriarchs rocked a tour with The Rolling Stones. Lent their instruments to The Kinks. Rolled joints for Jimi Hendrix. John Lennon himself told them that 'girls don't play guitar.' Well, John, they did. Imagine that." Almost Famous is an Op-Docs series of shorts directed by Ben Proudfoot featuring people who nearly made history — only to fall short. It's produced by Gabriel Berk Godoi and Abby Lynn Kang Davis. Featuring cinematography by Brandon Somerhalder. See more from the "Almost Famous" series on NY Times. For more info on this one, visit YouTube. To watch more shorts, click here. Thoughts?

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