Press release: Magical Mystery Tour: Gresham College to reveal the musical mysteries of The Beatles

14 August 2024

Gresham Professor of Music Milton Mermikides to give talk on Thursday, 12 September, online and in central London 

The Beatles were never afraid to experiment, blending diverse styles and challenging the boundaries and conventions of pop music.  

A new lecture from Gresham College’s Professor of Music, Milton Mermikides, will celebrate and illuminate the band’s songs from its psychedelic era, revealing their musical invention and experimentalism.  

It focuses on their seminal concept albums Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Magical Mystery Tour and Abbey Road – which saw the band break free of stylistic norms, challenging musical characteristics, and maintaining an accessible, naïve and almost childlike simplicity. 

In his lecture, Professor Mermikides will explore the mechanics behind the magic, untangling the layers of harmony, melody, lyrics, structure and technology, and how these all combine in ways both accessible and ground-breaking. 

This ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ pulls back the curtain on these timeless tracks, illuminating the craft of their transporting effects on listeners over the decades. 

Professor Mermikides said: “Despite The Beatles’ critical, commercial and cultural impact, the underlying mechanics of their wonderful music is not well understood.  

“Using contemporary music theory, psychology and digital technologies, we are now able to dip below the surface of their work and reveal how their music has such a profound ‘strangely familiar’ effect on us.” 

Gresham College is London’s oldest higher education institution. Founded in 1597 under the will of Sir Thomas Gresham, it has been delivering free public lectures for over 427 years from a lineage of leading professors and experts in their field who have included Christopher Wren, Robert Hooke, Iannis Xenakis and Sir Roger Penrose.  

The lecture will be given at LSO St Luke’s in Old Street, London on Thursday, 12 September. 

Starting at 6pm, entry is free, and it is also broadcast live online. It will last an hour.  

In-person places can be booked online via Gresham College’s website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/whats-on/magical-mystery-tour 

ENDS 

Pictures available on request 

About the Worlds of Music series  

This series explores a selection of wonders of the musical world: artists, pieces and genres of particular invention, revolution and cultural collision.  

From African drumming to Arvo Pärt, from Bach to The Beatles, these lectures shine a light on moments which have shaped and enriched our musical landscape, demonstrating the endless diversity and expressive potential of music. 

Professor Milton Mermikides – Gresham College’s Professor of Music (2023-) 

Milton Mermikides is a composer, guitarist, technologist, academic and educator in a wide range of musical styles and has collaborated with artists and scientists as diverse as Evelyn Glennie, Tim Minchin, Pat Martino, Peter Zinovieff, John Williams and Brian Eno. Son of a CERN nuclear physicist, he was raised with an enthusiasm for both the arts and sciences, an eclecticism which has been maintained throughout his teaching, research and creative career.  

He is a graduate of the London School of Economics (BSc), Berklee College of Music (BMus) and the University of Surrey (PhD). He has lectured, exhibited and given keynote presentations at organisations like the Royal Academy of Music, TEDx, Royal Musical Association, British Library, Smithsonian Institute and The Science Museum and his work has been featured extensively in the press. His music, research and graphic art are published and featured by Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Deutsche Grammophon, Sony and more, and he has won awards, scholarships and commendations for writing, teaching, research and his charity work.       

Milton is Associate Professor of Music at the University of Surrey, Professor of Guitar at the Royal College of Music, Deputy Director of the International Guitar Research Centre, an Ableton Certified Trainer, and lives in London with his wife, the guitarist Bridget Mermikides and their daughter Chloe. He is also a Vice-Chair of Governors at Addison Primary School, a state school which foregrounds music education, offering free instrumental lessons for all on Pupil Premium. 

Listings 

Gresham College presents Magical Mystery Tour: The Invention of The Beatles 

6pm, Wednesday, 12 September 

LSO St Luke’s, 161 Old Street, London EC1V 9NG 

This lecture analyses the ‘psychedelic era’ of the Beatles, from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band to Let it Be, a period of staggering musical invention and experimentalism. We explore the mechanics behind the magic, untangling the layers of harmony, melody, lyrics, structure and technology, and how these all combine in ways both accessible and ground-breaking. This ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ pulls back the curtain on these timeless tracks, illuminating the craft of their transporting effects. Free entry.  

Details and to book a place: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/whats-on/magical-mystery-tour 

Short listing

Gresham College presents Magical Mystery Tour: The Invention of The Beatles 

6pm, Wednesday, 12 September, free entry 

LSO St Luke’s, 161 Old Street, London EC1V 9NG 

Exploring the staggering musical invention and experimentalism of The Beatles that led to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Let it Be.  

Details and to book a place: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/whats-on/magical-mystery-tour 

Notes to Editors 

Gresham College lectures are always free to attend and have been since the college was founded in the 16th century. Lasting no more than an hour, the lectures are given by some of the finest minds in the academic world, including the ten Gresham Professors. They are aimed at everyone – no academic background is needed.  

The academic year runs from September to the end of June. 

Most lectures take place at its home in Barnard’s Inn Hall in Holborn, and broadcast live on YouTube.  

In-person tickets are available on Eventbrite one month in advance of each lecture.  

For more information about this story or to arrange an interview with a Gresham Professor please contact: Phil Creighton press@gresham.ac.uk 

About Gresham College 

Gresham College has been providing free, educational lectures - at the university level - since 1597 when Sir Thomas Gresham founded the college to bring Renaissance Learning to Londoners. Our history includes some of the luminaries of the scientific revolution including Robert Hooke and Sir Christopher Wren and connects us to the founding of the Royal Society. 

Today we carry on Sir Thomas's vision. The College aims to stimulate intellectual curiosity and to champion academic rigour, professional expertise and freedom of expression. www.gresham.ac.uk 

Gresham College is a registered charity number 1039962 and relies on donations to help us encourage people's love of learning for many years to come. For more details or to make a gift, visit our website.