The 14 biggest bands to have played Peterborough in the 1960s, ‘70s and '80s, including The Beatles, The Kinks and Queen

For many, the 1960s,‘70s and ‘80s was the golden age of music.

The two decades are synonymous with some of the biggest bands of all time, from the Merseybeat scene of the early ‘60s to the punk groups of the late ‘70s.

Then came the New Wave movement of the early 1980s, before Acid House and the like during the latter part of the decade.

In a time before multi-million-pound record contracts and instant riches from stardom, the bands of the ‘60s and ‘70s had to work their way up the ladder by touring as much as possible.

Some bands would perform live more or less every night of the year in a desperate attempt to get signed by a record label.

The Beatles, for example, made more than 600 live performances between their early Hamburg residencies in 1960 and signing their first record deal with EMI in June 1962.

During their tours of the country, bands would literally play anywhere they could as they battled for a record deal.

As such, smaller cities like Peterborough hosted some huge bands during their formative years.

Many of these gigs were only performed in-front of small audiences, but those who were there would go on to have that ‘I was there’ claim to fame for years to come.

We’ve taken a look at 14 of the biggest bands to have played Peterborough in the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s.

Let us know if there are any surprises!