They were the beat group sensation hailed as Glasgow’s answer to The Beatles - and their young, mostly female fanbase was every bit as obsessive and maniacal as the Fab Four’s.
For a brief moment in the mid-1960s, The Beatstalkers were the most popular band in Scotland, with mayhem breaking out wherever they performed.
This was especially true on June 11, 1965, when the appearance of the Glasgow lads as headliners at an otherwise sedate open-air concert morphed into a full-scale rock 'n' roll riot in the heart of the city.
READ MORE: The Beatstalkers - the incredible story of 'Glasgow's Beatles'
Mounted police were called upon as a mob of several thousand screaming girls rushed the stage during the Beatstalkers' set at the lunchtime concert in Glasgow's George Square. Things got so precarious, that the concert had to be brought to a premature end and the group ushered to safety via a secret passageway below the City Chambers.
Hysteria plagued the Beatstalkers at subsequent Glasgow gigs, and at Renfrew Airport, their plane had to be grounded as fans attempted to cling on to the landing gear on the runway before take off.
Formed in 1962, the Glasgow five-piece was comprised of co-founders Alan Mair and Eddie Campbell on bass and guitar, with Davie Lennox on vocals, 'Tudge' Williamson on drums and Ronnie Smith on rhythm guitar.
At the time of the George Square concert in June 1965, the Beatstalkers were at the peak of their powers in Scotland, and on the cusp of achieving success in the rest of the UK. "They are the first local group to cause any excitement in the sadly lacking Scottish pop scene," wrote one journalist.
The band had expected a fair turnout for the lunchtime gig, but were stunned when they received news that the square was positively packed with fans spilling out on to the roadway.
It was later reported that upwards of 7,000 screaming teenagers had assembled on the square, in scenes never witnessed in the city before or since.
Speaking to Glasgow Live, Beatstalkers co-founder Alan Mair says the group had booked the Tongs as their security. However, even the presence of this most feared among Glasgow razor gangs wouldn't make the slightest bit of difference.
With the Tongs as their 'Hell's Angels', this truly was an Altamont moment for the Glasgow group.
Alan Mair explained: "Joe Gaffney [Beatstalkers manager] told us there were thousands there waiting on us, with fans spilling on to the road. 'This is amazing,' we thought.
"We sensed there would be a crowd, so we had called the Tongs, who we knew, to be our security. Unbeknown to us, they had swords inside their coats. They were our bouncers."
While they had turned out in their thousands, the lunchtime masses had behaved themselves during the performances of the support acts. However, things quickly fell apart the moment the Beatstalkers arrived.
According to one newspaper report things "started peacefully" at 12.30pm, but, within just 20 minutes, police were calling for assistance, as officers found themselves overwhelmed by the swell of the young crowd.
At 1pm , the band declared over the sound system that they were ending their gig an hour earlier than scheduled. A riot ensued.
Alan continued: "There had been gigs before that, but had all been quite sedate, afternoon tea events. As soon as we got on stage the whole place was heaving, and pushing and pulling, with the Tongs trying to hold them back.
"Then we played a couple of numbers, and then the police called for more police - and then mounted police turned up. By the time the third number came the stage was almost starting to collapse, and girls were fainting all over the shop.
"There were so many people pushing from the sides even the backs, people were lifting up the canvas at the back and trying to get on stage. The police just said 'you need to stop this now - we're going to take you into the City Chambers'."
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As the group headed for the supposed safety of the City Chambers, their legion of fans followed. The band's rhythm guitarist Ronnie Smith received a cut to his head from being forced into a doorway and had the Chief Constable come to his aid.
With nowhere else to go, the five lads were ferried away from the carnage by way of a secret passageway underneath the civic landmark.
"As soon as we were heading to the City Chambers, all the fans were running after us," said Alan, "It was just chaos.
"We were taken along these secret passageways out of the City Chambers, which were all carpeted and with this kind of floral wallpaper.
"When we emerged, the press were all there to grab a picture of the dishevelled Beatstalkers, and by the evening we were front page everywhere."
While awareness of the band certainly increased, the George Square riot did much to hinder the Beatstalkers. Their lucrative £200 a show contract for lunchtime performances was ripped up and they were no longer allowed to play city-owned venues.
Alan added: "The concert at George Square catapulted us in terms of notoriety and everywhere we played after that it was a riot. All of us had fans outside our houses for a couple of years after that."
Despite their huge popularity north of the border earning them recording contracts with Decca and CBS, UK-wide success would ultimately elude the Beatstalkers. They would eventually disband in 1969.
Alan Mair would go on to launch a successful London-based boutique. He returned to the stage a decade later as the bassist for English rock group the Only Ones.
Article originally published in June 2022.
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