The Jacaranda

The Jacaranda - 23 Slater Street The Jacaranda Coffee Bar was opened in September 1958 by Allan Williams. The venue served coffee and food during the day and at night the basement became a private members bar with live music. The Royal Caribbean Steel Band, a group of West Indian musicians from Toxteth, had a residency there. The band were led by Lord Woodbine, real name Harold Philips, who returned to England on the Empire Windrush following his RAF wartime service. Lord Woodbine was a Trinidadian calypso singer and musician, and also a music promoter. One of the bands he promoted was the Silver Beetles. Their first gig at the Jacaranda was on 30 May 1960. Allan Williams was said to have made them work at the club before he would let them play. John Lennon and Stuart Sutcliffe painted murals on the walls. The band played here several times before their first shows in Hamburg, accompanied by Lord Woodbine and Williams. The Jacaranda continues to be a key part of Liverpool’s live music scene today with new developments from a record shop and cafe on the first floor to the creation of an independent record label Jacaranda Records. In 2018 Jacaranda Phase One was opened, a sister venue, with capacity for live music, a record shop and café bar at 40 Seel Street. The following year the top floor of the Jacaranda was converted into a studio space.

Photo metadata - Front of the Jacaranda club. Taken on 19 March 2021 by Vicki Caren.