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My dad was the only bouncer in Liverpool without a broken nose

Susan has shared her dad's story in his memory after he died earlier this year

[Mike and his daughter Susan on his wedding day after separating from Susan's mum]

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Mike and his daughter Susan on his wedding day after separating from Susan's mum(Image: Susan Hargreaves)

A daughter shared incredible memories of her dad, who was a bouncer at the Cavern Club when The Beatles played in the sixties. Mike Hargreaves joked with his daughter, Susan Hargreaves, that he was a good bouncer as he was "the only one in the city without a broken nose."

Mike started working at the Cavern in 1962, and stood as a doorman outside its doors until 1966, when he moved his family to the other side of the world. Susan, 66, remembers stories her dad would tell her about his years minding the Cavern and its rising stars who performed inside.

Sharing those memories with the ECHO, she said: "I was two when he was a bouncer at the Cavern. He worked at the Blue Angel too, but the Cavern was his main job. My dad always treated everyone the same, no matter who you were, celebrity or not. He told me stories about how he'd tell The Beatles to move their van from outside the Cavern, just like he would anyone else.

"I didn't know it at the time but my dad was the bouncer for what would be the most successful bands in the world. He would always say to me 'I was the only bouncer in Liverpool without a broken nose, that made me a good bouncer'."

The Beatles played their first lunchtime session at the Cavern Club in February 1961, earning just 5 for the performance. Their last gig at the venue took place on August 3, 1963 and it was the start of their rise to world-wide fame.

Shortly after, in 1966, when Susan was six, she moved to Australia with her mum Margaret Tyrrell and dad on the 'Ten Pound Pom' scheme - a post-second world war government initiative that allowed British citizens to relocate to the country for just 10.

[Mike Hargreaves in the sixties when he was a bouncer at the Cavern club when The Beatles played]

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Mike Hargreaves in the sixties when he was a bouncer at the Cavern club when The Beatles played(Image: Susan Hargreaves)

It took them six weeks by ship to move to the other side of the world but, says Susan, the move was "typical" of her dad. She said: "He was very adventurous. He always said he didn't want to live and die on the same street, he wanted to explore the world.

"After a while my mum got home sick and wanted to move back to England but dad didn't want to. They compromised and moved half way back, and that was to Canada. Eventually we moved to Florida."

Despite leaving the country in the sixties, Mike always showed characteristics of a "true Scouser," Susan says. She said: "My dad was larger than life. He grew up in pubs in Merseyside, I was too young to remember living here but my dad was the best advertisement for Liverpool, he'd always say Scouse phrases and talked about home. He was fearless too. He would defend the defenceless; he had humour, he was such a character."

[Mike outside the Cavern during a recent visit back to his home city ]

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Mike outside the Cavern during a recent visit back to his home city (Image: Susan Hargreaves)

Mike has always been Susan's inspiration. Speaking about her dad, she said: "Whether an SOS call from his 16-year-old daughter who was in danger from a motorcycle gang or helping a hitchhiker my dad was there.

"He showed up with a hand grenade to rescue me. And, when I was 12 he brought home a hitchhiker. He gave him a meal, a safe place to sleep, money and a packed lunch the next day. He helped so many people in his life time.

"When I called Dad and asked if a 15-year-old teen in trouble could stay with us, without hesitation he said yes. I hit the dad jackpot. He was the type of person who demonstrated through kind, brave action, life's most important lessons."

Mike died on May 21, 2026 after celebrating his ninetieth birthday in October. Susan said: "I'm heartbroken, but now I can retell all these wonderful things about him. We were always really close. The way to describe my dad is to imagine a larger-than-life, red-bearded, blue-eyed, Scouser."

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