Star Treks
Globetrotting celebs share their holiday snaps and stories
Liverpool, she loves you, yeah yeah yeah
Beatles fan Mathilda D’Silva lives it up in Fab Four’s hometown
By Tan Kee Yun
July 10, 2010
IT was a spur-of-the-moment decision that subsequently led to one of the most memorable vacations of her life.
Singapore Idol Season 2 finalist Mathilda D’Silva was in London last December to spend New Year’s Eve with her pals.
‘After four days in London, where we caught the Swan Lake musical and watched fireworks go off along the River Thames, I suddenly felt an immense desire to go to Liverpool by myself,’ said the 27-year-old.
‘It was totally unplanned and one of my guy friends thought I had gone mad.’
With just a backpack, the Beatles fan completed a two-day trip to the Merseyside city, otherwise known as the birthplace of one of the most influential bands in the world.
Upon reaching Liverpool at night (she took a bus from London) and hastily checking into a backpackers’ lodge, she headed straight to the Cavern Club, a famous rock ‘n’ roll underground club where live bands play every night.
‘The Cavern Club was where the Beatles was first discovered in 1961, it was where the band got its big break,’ explained D’Silva, currently a deejay with Symphony 92.4FM and creative director of her own media services company, OMS Creative.
‘For anyone who adores the Beatles, it’s really a mind-blowing experience to be there.’
Known for her powerful soulful vocals in the local music scene, D’Silva couldn’t possibly be contented to be a paying customer, could she?
PICTURES COURTESY OF MATHILDA D’SILVA
With a chuckle, she described how she boldly ‘went up to the manager’.
‘I told him to give me a chance to perform with the band.
‘Those Liverpool blokes (in the live band playing that night) were a bit sceptical initially, but when I belted out my first song, Helter Skelter, they were convinced that I could sing.
‘It was a full-on riot after that, all the way till 2am.’
Apart from the legendary Cavern Club, D’Silva also hopped on the Magical Mystery Tour Bus that took her to places associated with the Fab Four.
‘It was amazing. We went to the houses of Paul (McCartney), Ringo (Starr) and John Lennon, the churches where they used to sing, as well as Strawberry Fields, the orphanage which inspired their song Strawberry Fields Forever,’ she said.
‘The fact that there are folks living in those old houses now made it even more poignant.
‘It made me realise that the members of the Beatles, as much as they are revered as rock ‘n’ roll superstars, they are also ordinary human beings, like you and me.’
Another highlight of Liverpool is Albert Dock, a compound of Victorian-style dock buildings and warehouses that make up the city’s seafaring heritage.
Architecturally impressive, it was built in 1846 and restored in the 1980s.
‘Many couples go there to hang their padlocks as a sign of love and commitment to each other. It’s a traditional practice from the World War II days,’ said D’Silva.
As for her travel snaps, she deliberately took most of her photos in black and white.
‘I love black and white shots…they make me look like I could have been alive in the 1960s, well, if not for my ultra 90s hoodie jacket.’
DID YOU KNOW?
THE Cavern Club was where the Beatles’ manager, 1961.
The Beatles made 292 appearances at the club hit song She Loves You.
Epstein promised the club’s owners that the Beatles happened. On Dec 14, 1999, former Beatle Paul Run.
Today, the club is used by many bands, such as venue.
The NewPaper