Beatles fans queue in Liverpool to buy newly-released track

One fan, who changed his name to John Lennon, bagged the first copy of the track

Beatles superfans were the first to get their hands on a historic final single from the band at a special midnight launch event in Liverpool.

Called Now And Then, the track has been 45 years in the making and was honed using special AI technology.

One fan, John Lennon, who changed his name from Alan Williams in April 2022, was pictured holding the first copy.

The event allowed 200 fans in the band's home city to be the first to purchase the single.

Now And Then, written and sung by John Lennon and later developed by the other band members including George Harrison, was finished by Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Ringo Starr decades after the original recording.

The track is sourced from a Lennon demo recorded in the late 1970s at his home in New York's Dakota Building, using technology to extricate and isolate his voice.

Beatles fans gathered at HMV in Liverpool

The Beatles: Get Back director Peter Jackson said it was "head spinning" to be involved in the creation of the "last Beatles record", speaking on the BBC Sounds podcast Eras: The Beatles narrated by actor Martin Freeman.

The song was released on Thursday as a double A-side with the band's 1962 debut single Love Me Do, and cover art by US artist Ed Ruscha.

New Zealand filmmaker Jackson also directed the music video for the track which is set for release at 14:00 GMT.