The Beatles touched down in Australia 60 years ago — our culture was never the same

In the early 1960s, Australia was still besotted by 50s American rock'n'roll and surf music. "It was at Dick Lean's insistence that Kenn look for something for the kids," says Greg Armstrong, co-author of the new book When We Was Fab: Inside the Beatles Australasian Tour 1964. "When Ken arrived in London, it wouldn't have taken him very long if he opened the newspapers or had his ear on the radio to hear that The Beatles were big business in the UK," Armstrong says. Loading YouTube content "The list of names included Gerry and the Pacemakers and The Beatles," Armstrong says. "The Beatles came across as very much everyday people," Armstrong says.