The Beatles attend the opening night at Sibylla’s nightclub

About

After the last mixing session for their “Revolver” album, and just before flying to Munich to start their German tour, The Beatles attended the opening night celebrations at Sibylla’s, a nightclub in which George Harrison was a co-investor owning a ten per cent share.

The guest list for the event was published in Queen Magazine, in an article titled “How many swinging Londoners do you know?“:

David Bailey, photographer
John Barry, composer
Jane Birkin, actress, wife of John Barry
Jacqueline Bisset, actress
Pattie Boyd, Beatle wife
Michael Caine, actor
Leslie Caron, actress
Julie Christie, actress
Mike d’Abo, singer, soon to join
Manfred Mann
Nigel Dempster, gossip columnist
Terry Donovan, photographer
Peregrine Eliot, aristocrat
Alan Freeman, disc jockey (shareholder)
Nicholas Gormanston, Anglo-Irish aristocrat
Celia Hammond, model
Anita Harris, singer
Bruce Higham, property developer (major shareholder)
Terry Howard, photographer (major shareholder)
Mick Jagger, Rolling Stone
Brian Jones, Rolling Stone
John Lennon, Beatle
Paul McCartney, Beatle
Kevin Macdonald, copywriter (major shareholder)
Cathy McGowan, presenter, Ready Steady Go!
David Mlinaric, designer
Andrew Loog Oldham, Rolling Stones manager
Jane Ormsby-Gore, daughter of UK ambassador to the USA
Sir Mark Palmer, founder, ‘English Boy’ model agency
Lance Percival, entertainer
Sir William Pigott-Brown, National Hunt jockey, principal shareholder
Alexander Plunket Greene, fashion entrepreneur, husband of Mary Quant
Mary Quant, fashion designer
Michael Rainey, fashion designer, ‘Hung On You’, husband of Jane Ormsby-Gore
Keith Richards, Rolling Stone
Edina Ronay, designer and actress
Maureen Starkey, Beatle wife
Eric Swayne, photographer, former boyfriend of Pattie Boyd
Gordon Waller, singer, Peter and Gordon

PAUL MCCARTNEY: In the studio with me right now, folks, is that well-known West End man- about-town Mr. George Harrison, cooperator of London’s latest swinging-winging discotheque, Sibylla’s. Tell me Mr. Harrison is it true that you and your club-owning colleague Mr.Alan Freeman will only admit people to the exclusive new Sibylla’s Discotheque if they are carrying with them at least 200 jumbo-sized packets of a well-known washing powder?

GEORGE HARRISON: No, that’s absolutely untrue. We will accept 200 packet tops – people don’t need to bring the actual washing powder with them unless they want a bath or anything.

PAUL: You will, in fact Mr. Harrison, be selling baths at Sibylla’s then? 

GEORGE: That’s perfectly true.

PAUL: Some of the baths will have. actual toes or whole feet lodged in the taps?

GEORGE: I wanted that to be a surprise actually. 

PAUL: Well, Mr. Harrison, I’m sure it will be just that.

GEORGE: Thank you.

From Interview for The Beatles Monthly Book, June 1966

From Wikipedia:

Sibylla’s was a nightclub in the West End of London that operated from 1966 to 1968. It was located at 9 Swallow Street, on the edge of Mayfair and close to Piccadilly Circus. The club’s launch on 22 June 1966 was attended by many artists and celebrities, including the Beatles, members of the Rolling Stones, Michael Caine, Julie Christie, David Bailey and Mary Quant. Like the Ad Lib and the Scotch of St. James, the club was a popular meeting place for rock musicians and other artists until trends changed in the London scene.

Sibylla’s was conceived as an exclusive venue for leading figures in the Swinging London era. Its major shareholders and owners were advertising copywriter Kevin Macdonald, photographer Terry Howard, and property developer Bruce Higham, while baronet and champion horse rider William Pigott-Brown provided much of the finance for the venture. George Harrison of the Beatles was given a shareholding in the club, in return for the publicity his association would bring, and disc jockey Alan Freeman was also a shareholder. The club’s interior was designed by David Mlinaric. Since Sibylla’s closed, the site has continued to be a nightclub location. […]

Sibylla’s was launched with a private party held on 22 June 1966. One of the three owners declared that the club was “the first Classic London Discotheque”. Among the guests were the Beatles, who had just finished recording their Revolver album that day. The full guest list was later published in Queen magazine and included Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones; actors Michael Caine, Julie Christie and Jane Birkin; and fashion figures such as David Bailey, Mary Quant and Michael Rainey. Writing in Queen, television presenter Cathy McGowan said that “A more glittering line up of guests could hardly be imagined.”

George’s Club

In the early stages of Beatle-mania, when the press was desperately searching for individual tags to apply to each of the foursome, they dubbed George Harrison the “businessman” of the group.

Whether this was an actual fact, or whether George was just giving biographers the business, is a good question. Whatever the case, he is definitely living up to the title.

His most publicized investment to date is Sibylla’s, the discotheque he’s opened just off London’s famed Picadilly Circus.

Early reports stated that the $120,000 nitery was being financially backed by George and British disc jockey Alan Freeman. It has since been learned that several others are involved in the venture.

Among them are Terry Howard (George’s 26 year-old photographer friend who accompanied the Harrisons during part of their honeymoon in the Barbados), Bruce Higham (a 24-year-old property man), Keven McDonald (a young ad man who is the cousin of Viscount Rothemere, the press lord) and Sir William Pigott-Brown.

The latter, who provided half of the finances, is a millionaire baronet. At the age of 19, Sir William was the Amateur Steeplechase Champion of England. Now at 25, he’s taken to running first in the entertainment race.

There seems to be little doubt that the club will be a rousing success. Named after a friend of the backers, Miss Sibylla Edmonstone (a grand-daughter of Marshall Field), it’s already received several take-over bids from large, established corporations.

Bids so far have been refused, and will most likely continue to be. Everyone involved in the venture seems not only optimistic about but fascintated by the project.

As George himself puts it, “it’ll be a laugh.”

Sibylla’s sounds like a swinging spot for today’s ravers, and it also looks the part. George and company commissioned one of their country’s most “in“ decorators to design the club.

This was Beatle-mopped, 26-year-old David Mlinaric’s first attempt at nitery decor, but he thought positively from the beginning.

Being of the opinion that most nightclubs are filled with old junk. Mlinaric attempted to and succeeded in giving Sibylla’s a “feeling of under-decoration, with the simplicity that goes with today’s clothes.” The main color theme throughout is a twilight blue.

Unknown source – From Beatles Conspiracy: October 2013 (beaconfilms2011.blogspot.com)

Last updated on October 22, 2023