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Birmingham Nightclubs of the Past - Memories

M

mazbeth

Guest
Anyone got any memories and information about nighclubs in Brum, from any time last century?

Some names of ones that I remember and went to...

Samanthas (was over Silver Blades ice skating rink in Hurst? St)

Pollyannas (Newhall? St.)

The Locarno (definitely Hurst St. with the Bali Hai one at the back)
I remember this band..
John Kerton fronted the successful U.K. function band Red Sun who were the resident band at the Birmingham Locarno for eight years. https://www.brumbeat.net/andicaps.htm

Just found this out
The Tower Ballroom closes its doors at the end of 2005 after more than 50 years https://www.saga.co.uk/1057fm/pages/lisEvent.asp?id=5373
went there once...

Snobs (didn't like that one much)

There was one in the same road where Bingley Hall was (can't remember what it was called..brain's not working too good lately  :D) saw Herbie Hancock there...and Deaf School, and AC/DC :eek: (not my choice...just a crowd I was with at the time)

Any more? ...or any memories?  :)
 
Re: Birmingham Nighclubs of the Past- Memories

The Locarno was my fave..............

Dolca Vita - saw Shawaddywaddy there live

The Dome...............I was on the dance floor the night the press took the picture of the opening of The Dome (loved The Night out Too)

Bloomers

Barbarellas - loved all the different rooms with the genres of music

Top rank

Rainbow Suite

Ooooooooooooooh..............those were the days
 
Re: Birmingham Nighclubs of the Past- Memories

In 1962 I worked for a few months at Prestages, which was a car dealers in Station Street by the old Rep theatre

Anyway someone had the bright idea of opening the Locarno at lunch time for all the office and shop workers

It was great, you could go to a disco in your lunch break! :D
 
Mine was Barbarellas..I was a Member in the 70's.
I saw Hot Chocolate there, plus old Raymond Frogatt used to be on a lot..(whatever happened to him)?
It was in Barbarellas I met a girl sitting on her own..I tapped her on the back and when she turned round I KNEW why she was on her own...she had a mouth so wide that when she smiled she got lipstick on her ears and she was the only girl I've ever met with one eyebrow..actually, it looked more like a John Mcenroe sweatband..man was she hairy..
She could also teach a limpet a few things about clinging on ...I couldn't get rid of her..
Good days though.
 
I used to go to the Locarno, Tower and West End dance halls, and later clubs as mentioned above, Cedar Club, a great night out, the Rum Runner - remember the large barrels that wer part of the seating? Another favourite was the Opposite Lock - off Broad Street, is that the one you were thinking of Mazbeth? Johnny Prescott, the boxer who hailed from Aston also opened a nightclub, I can't recall the name but I went there once it was an upstairs venue at the top of New Street overlooking Victoria Square, almost opposite the Council House - was this Gallaghers Corner? Went to Barbarellas once but I was getting a bit old for clubbing then. There was also Edwards No.7 didn't go there. That was owned by the Fewtrells and I think the Cedar Club was too. The Fewtrells used to lived in Whitehouse Street, Aston, their parents had a little newsagents shop. One of my friends knew Johnny Fewtrell well and we knocked around with him when we were about 14 years old.
 
Di I used to eat there before going to play football for the ICI every other Saturday :) Thanks for the memory
 
anthony and jackie perry said:
I loved the CEDAR CLUB............
yes, I know I went to the Cedar Club....I can't remember where it was (is?) though...

Dolca Vita
- oh yes, Sue...thanks for the reminder...went there quite a bit...it was a sort of 'progression' after the Locarno for some reason (maybe the crowd were older there...can't remember)

yes, went there...again...can't remember where it was

Barbarellas
that's the name I was trying to think of...near where Bingley Hall was?

It's not B'ham, but we used to go to King's nightclub in West Brom. too...
saw Frankie Vaughn there on my 21st 8)

Sylvia said:
One of my friends knew Johnny Fewtrell well and we knocked around with him when we were about 14 years old
yes, I had a boyfriend (lived in Aston) in the 70's who knew him, and the family, too, I think...
 
I don't know whether you'd call "Mothers" in Erdington High Street a nightclub. I used to go there in the 1960s. John Peel would DJ and introduce groups like Canned Heat, the original Fleetwood Mac and Tyranasaurus Rex.

The club was above some shops and would get so packed the condensation poured down the matt black walls.

I can also remember my Mom telling me off for going to a Blues club above the pub at the corner of Station Street and Hill Street. I never thought to ask her how she knew it was frequented by "Ladies of the Night" (I think the term my mother actually used was "Old Tails").
 
Paul'll Know........he's bound to have frequented the place at some time.....The Monte Carlo is on the Soho Road, very close to St Michaels Hill if that helps Alf?
 
That Monte Carlo was much too ruff for me! :angel: On his first dance with a girl in the Monte a friend of mine had his wallet lifted. I preferred the Ridgeway Georgian (in the same area) 'cos they took yer wages off you a little more slowly in there. 8) It was a big old... yup, Georgian house. Was that it Alf?
 
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