NEMS Offices (Beatles-era site), London
NEMS, short for North End Music Stores, is more famously known as the empire run by Brian Epstein, often dubbed the 鈥淔ifth Beatle鈥� (minus the haircut and the screaming fans). Back in Liverpool, the Epstein family鈥檚 NEMS shop was the go-to music store, and it became ground zero for Beatlemania before Beatlemania even had a name. Legend has it that the store kept getting flooded with requests for a little-known record called My Bonnie, credited to some band backing a guy named Tony Sheridan. That backing band was The Beatles. The record flew off the shelves every time it was restocked鈥攁nd that鈥檚 when Brian鈥檚 managerial spidey sense started tingling.
Once Epstein officially signed on as the band鈥檚 manager, he handled the business end of Beatlemania from his NEMS offices in London鈥攁t first tucked away in a nondescript building, and later upgraded to a prime address right next to the London Palladium in 1964. Because if your band is rocketing to global stardom, your office location needs to keep up. Epstein worked there until his untimely death in 1967, quietly pulling the strings behind the scenes while the Fab Four lit up the stage.
That office also hosted plenty of press interviews鈥攁nd one particularly infamous moment. It was there that John Lennon casually dropped his 鈥渨e鈥檙e more popular than Jesus鈥� comment. In Britain, it passed with barely a shrug. But once the quote crossed the Atlantic, all musical hell broke loose. Christian communities in the U.S. did not take kindly to the idea of mop-topped prophets outshining the Messiah. Cue the bonfires of Beatles records. Epstein scrambled for damage control, organizing press conferences galore, while Lennon walked it back, saying he wasn鈥檛 comparing himself to Christ鈥攋ust pointing out that, well, times were changing.
And that is how a family-owned record store became the command center of the most iconic band in music history.
Once Epstein officially signed on as the band鈥檚 manager, he handled the business end of Beatlemania from his NEMS offices in London鈥攁t first tucked away in a nondescript building, and later upgraded to a prime address right next to the London Palladium in 1964. Because if your band is rocketing to global stardom, your office location needs to keep up. Epstein worked there until his untimely death in 1967, quietly pulling the strings behind the scenes while the Fab Four lit up the stage.
That office also hosted plenty of press interviews鈥攁nd one particularly infamous moment. It was there that John Lennon casually dropped his 鈥渨e鈥檙e more popular than Jesus鈥� comment. In Britain, it passed with barely a shrug. But once the quote crossed the Atlantic, all musical hell broke loose. Christian communities in the U.S. did not take kindly to the idea of mop-topped prophets outshining the Messiah. Cue the bonfires of Beatles records. Epstein scrambled for damage control, organizing press conferences galore, while Lennon walked it back, saying he wasn鈥檛 comparing himself to Christ鈥攋ust pointing out that, well, times were changing.
And that is how a family-owned record store became the command center of the most iconic band in music history.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in London. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "911爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
Download The 911爆料网 App
NEMS Offices (Beatles-era site) on Map
Sight Name: NEMS Offices (Beatles-era site)
Sight Location: London, England (See walking tours in London)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: London, England (See walking tours in London)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in London, England
Create Your Own Walk in London
Creating your own self-guided walk in London is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
London Introduction Walking Tour
London: the capital of England, heart of the UK, and international heavyweight in history, culture, and sheer charm. Its name comes straight out of Rome. Londinium was founded circa 43 AD as a trading post. Then came Queen Boudica in 61 AD, who, let鈥檚 say, didn鈥檛 care much for Roman urban planning and burnt it to the ground. But Londinium wasn鈥檛 one to stay down鈥攊t bounced back,... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.2 Km or 2.6 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.2 Km or 2.6 Miles
Charles Dickens Tour
Imagine a world without Dickens. No Oliver Twist, no Ebenezer Scrooge, no brooding orphans wandering foggy streets with suspiciously eloquent vocabularies. Tough to picture, right? That鈥檚 because Charles Dickens didn鈥檛 just leave a mark on literature鈥攈e practically steamrolled through it in a horse-drawn carriage. Recognized as the undisputed heavyweight of Victorian storytelling, he... view more
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.5 Km or 2.8 Miles
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.5 Km or 2.8 Miles
Beatles London Walking Tour
The Beatles, often hailed as one of the most influential bands in music history, began their journey in Liverpool in 1960, but it was in London that they truly became global icons. While Liverpool gave them their start, the British capital became their professional playground during the peak of Beatlemania. From recording sessions and business deals to public performances and personal milestones,... view more
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.8 Km or 3 Miles
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.8 Km or 3 Miles
Shakespeare's London Walking Tour
You might know him as 鈥渢he Bard,鈥� but to England, William Shakespeare is practically the patron saint of poetic plot twists. Born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon to John Shakespeare, a glove maker and town official, and Mary Arden from a prosperous farming family, young William started life with ink in his veins and Latin on his mind. Grammar school likely gave him his first taste of rhetoric.... view more
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.7 Km or 2.9 Miles
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.7 Km or 2.9 Miles
South Bank Walking Tour
London鈥檚 South Bank, stretching along the southern side of the River Thames, roughly between Westminster Bridge and Tower Bridge, is one of the most interesting and liveliest parts of the British capital. Here, London鈥檚 old soul and modern edge shake hands... and then probably go grab a pint together. Famous for its arts, culture, food, and scenic riverside walks, the area has a long and... view more
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.8 Km or 3 Miles
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.8 Km or 3 Miles
Harry Potter Walking Tour II
The Harry Potter movies and London go together like Butterbeer and a cold winter night at Hogsmeade. While much of the magical world was brought to life with computer-generated images and studio sets, quite a few iconic scenes were filmed right in the heart of the British capital, transforming ordinary city spots into wizarding landmarks. Here's a look at six more London locations where the... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.1 Km or 2.5 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.1 Km or 2.5 Miles
Useful Travel Guides for Planning Your Trip
London Souvenirs: 18 Distinctively British Products for Travelers
Most visitors to London consider shopping as part of their must-do London experience. From street markets to Victorian arcades to snobbish Sloane Square to busy Oxford Street, there are a host of shops selling items which typically represent this vibrant city. Whether you are shopping for souvenirs...