“John Lennon said, ‘Girls don't play guitars’”: The Liverbirds, one of the world’s first all-female rock groups, recall their first meeting with The Beatles

L-R Sylvia Saunders, Pamela Birch, Mary McGlory and Valerie Gell of Liverpool band The Liverbirds pose for a group portrait c 1964 in Hamburg.

Founded in Liverpool in 1963, The Liverbirds are widely regarded as the UK’s first all-female rock group – a story documented in new book, The Liverbirds: Our Life in Britain's First Female Rock 'n' Roll Band.

In the autobiography, bassist/singer Mary McGlory and drummer Sylvia Saunders recount the time the band were introduced to The Beatles at The Cavern Club before the heyday of Beatlemania.