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Birmingham Nightclubs of the Past - Memories

  • Thread starter Thread starter mazbeth
  • Start date Start date
Didn't realise they had so many rock bands on. I seem to remember it as a more middle of the road type artists and disco stuff, and having to wear collar and ties and jackets, no jeans and trainers to get in.
Wow Queen on, they soon outgrew these places.
I notice Giggy Pop coming soon, should be Iggy.
Surely the dress code was relaxed on these nights.
Can you imagine all the rock headbangers turning up in suits.
 
Giggy Pop!!!! Hahahaha!

Probably the person compiling the advert had no idea who he was, or else it was one of the Birmingham Mail's numerous typos!
 
I believe it was called the Bellaire night club. Great place but sticky worn carpets caused you to stick to the bar areas.



Elmdon Boy said:
Don't no if its been mentioned previously in this thread, but anybody remember the Penthouse Suit on Constitutional Hill. Surfside Stop coffee bar on the ground floor. You had to take a fur lined lift up to the club on the top floor. They sometimes put on all nighters, and if you were still there in the morning , you had a free breakfast. I never got mine as I never stopped all night.
Saw the group The Locomotive there in about 1966. They went on to have record success with the song Rudis in love.
Brummie band I think.
Also remember going to a short lived nightclub called The Factory in Gas Street in 1969. Think it was part of the Opposite Lock club. Probably in the same building that became Bobby Browns. Anybody remember.
I remember going to Mothers Club Erdington in 1968 to see The Who. Incredible really, The Who were a top band then with many hit records behind them.They performed many tracks from there yet to be released Tommy album. Keith Moon the drummer passed out during there set, the roadies had to revive him by throwing a bucket of water over him. The place was heaving with people. Such a small club. Access was up the fire escape by the side building.
What fabulous memories.
Other clubs I frequented in the 60s and 70s The Swan at Yardley saw Rory Gallagher and Taste, Peter Greens Fleetwood Mac, and the Kinks there.
The Belfry Wishaw, saw The Move, Moody Blues, Roxy Music and Screaming Lord Such and the Undertakers there.
There was a disco club I went to in about 1968 on the Chester Road, Castle Bromwich, anybody remember what it was called, was it Checkers.
What great times. Love to hear from others who remember these times.
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bobsummers said:
I believe it was called the Bellaire night club. Great place but sticky worn carpets caused you to stick to the bar areas.
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Hello Bob, I worked on the door at The Surfside Stop for a short while. My main reason for leaving was only one doorman and I had to keep going down in the lift when someone wanted to come in and worse still. I would have to go in the lift with anyone I was evicting. That was dangerous if there was more than one of them.
 
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My wife and I used to frequent this club before we were married, I never saw a single incident there caused by bad behaviour.
 
I remember the Mackadown - went to see bands there a couple of times.
Seemed like a real trek from North Birmingham!
 
if anyone can help oatcakes please contact her via our private message system (inbox top right of page) as this search may relate to a living person

lyn
 
mikejee said:
Was that so they could open late without a proper late nightb licence. there was a place on the Hagley road that, similarly gavc you a voucher that could be exchanged for a sandwich for similar reasons.
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Strathallan used to give sandwiches on their singles nights on a Monday
 
mazbeth said:
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...

Mazbeth if the john you're talking about from Red Sun is the same as the one I knew he used to have a part time job during the day delivering lamps(bulbs) for a company called Luxram . We used to have a good chat when he delivered to Walsall Conduits Upper Gough St off Holloway Head . he was on a good screw as a musician . Re The Locarno , wasn't one of the bars named The Kon-Tiki
I remember Andy Ross and his orchestra

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? :)
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SuBee said:
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
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I saw Georgie Fame at Barbarellas , what value for money he was , he must have done about a two hour set
 
sylviasayers said:
Pam, the Cedar Club was in Constitution Hill, turn right at the top of Summer Lane, and a few doors up. I think the Fewtrells also had another club called Rebeccas, named after Eddie's daughter, or perhaps one of his brother's children.
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The Elbow Room was in Constitution Hill. Was the Cedar Club the previous name for it please?
 
bestcover said:
Lived in Solihull (ok the outskirts eg Elmdon) and used to go to (I think) La Parisienne - think that was Hill St - it might be a casino now?
Bestie Boy
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I used to work in the Parisienne. We had to wear black and white french maid outfits and I always had my hair up in ringlets! It was a large pub and very busy too.......three bars from memory! I remember working there the night decimal currency was introduced, no one got drunk as they were all checking their change!
 
beresford said:
i have just found this web site and had to smile at all the fond memeries that have come flooding back

the rainbow suite

was run by the family of the drummer with the Rocking Berries ( terry bond -- his mom, dad, sister, and brother in law and i think two cousins) it was 3/4 nights a week mondays-friday-saturday and sunday ( ithink) it was above the Co-op in High St in the city center and i uses to go there every week

apart from the berries carl palmer (emerson, lake and palmer) was the drummer with a group called the Craig and also John Walker from the Walker Bros played there after they split.

Bloomers

this was over the Swan Center at yardley and Thursday Nights you got in free if you wore a skirt otherwise known as ladies night

rum runner

saw some great bands there but a small dance floor

top rank

this was in dale end i think it is now the Hummingbird ( ot at least it was)
againg another great thursday night gig the top floor only was open and it had the great name of grannies attic and the dj was pete york

some of the places i was too young for -- mothers and ceder club

as i got older i worked at the La Parisienn ( we wont go into the outfirs the girls had to wear -- except to say my mother nearly had a heart attack when she saw me in mine) i then went to work at the mullberry bush ( great pub)

ahh happy days
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I was working at La Parisenne in 1970/1. When were you there please? The uniforms were very eye catching!
 
Oisin said:
Somebody always comes up trumps when I post these little queries so I hope that holds true today.

Can anyone please tell me if the Locarno was still open in 1971? There's no rush I just need the information within the next hour. ;)

Thanks in anticipation,
O :redface:
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My sister married the Locarno catering manager in Oct 1969 and he was still working there (as was she), so I believe it was still open in 1971!
 
jude said:
Hi, I think your refering to the one in Newhall St which was Top Cat then it became Pollyannas or vice versa.
To respond to postied and astonion, you are both right in what you say and at the same time both wrong. As a present licensee I think I'm qualified to comment, as a licensee I have the right to refuse to serve anyone and to withold the reason for doing so. No one except customs and excise has the right to come into my pub without my say so.
Yes it is my home and I expect it to be treated the same as most people would treat their own home and if I dont like the look of you then I dont have to have you in my home and there aint no law in the land that says otherwise!
The Gary Owen, I frequented this place from about '78-83 ish, I worked as a radio operator at the time and it was where most drivers went to wind down and have something to eat after we finished at 2 am. I loved it, little old shack, fantastic steaks and steak sarnies, have a dance if you wanted to and the atmosphere was brilliant. I can honestly say I never saw any trouble in all that time and yes it was mostly Irish folk in there. On the door yes a couple of heavies, a black guy and a couple of white guys but when they said no they meant it and you didnt argue. Then it closed down and had a refit and, IMO the Gary Owen was lost to a new generation. Door staff were the most rudest arrogant bunch of thugs you could wish to meet, often causing more trouble than they were worth. And these were the all new licensed crowd! It was one of my daughters friends birthdays and she wanted to go to the Gary so we all went along with her, I was 56 and my daughter was 36 and her friends all around that age at the time. We're standing in the queue waiting to go in and a big black man with attitude came up to me and my daughter and said I'll be watching you two tonight your always causing trouble!!!!!!! excuse me aint been in the place for about 6 years but he was having none of it. His whole demeanure was aggresive in the end we told him to shove it and took our custom elsewhere. Since its rebirth I have been down on several times and watched the doormen absolutely lay into men and women for no reason. Its a shame, it got too big for its own good!
Back to the clubs, although not in town I'm amazed no-one has mentioned the Aero nr Birmingham Airport, now that was a club have some great memories from there. Couldn't understand why it closed it was always busy and it didn't have to worry about noise levels as it had no residential neighbors.
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I went to the Gary Owen once only. My friend surprised me when she got up and sang, (she was a club regular) and yes,her parents were Irish. The club had a reputation by then as being a bit rough. That was about 1970/1?
 
Eileen said:
I used to work in the Parisienne. We had to wear black and white french maid outfits and I always had my hair up in ringlets! It was a large pub and very busy too.......three bars from memory! I remember working there the night decimal currency was introduced, no one got drunk as they were all checking their change!
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Eileen do you still wear the maids outfit ?
 
Eileen said:
I went to the Gary Owen once only. My friend surprised me when she got up and sang, (she was a club regular) and yes,her parents were Irish. The club had a reputation by then as being a bit rough. That was about 1970/1?
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was that the one in Bromsgrove St ? If it was I used to use that in the late 60's when it was called the Ringway
 
mikejee said:
Was that so they could open late without a proper late nightb licence. there was a place on the Hagley road that, similarly gavc you a voucher that could be exchanged for a sandwich for similar reasons.
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Mike I went there in the late 60's , it was called the El Chiquero for a time
 
Just to answer a couple of questions raised recently, the Lorcarno was still going strong in the 80's when it became "The Powerhouse" The Gary Owen formerly the Brum Cavern was in Wordsworth Road Small Heath
 
wayback said:
Talking of fire-trap cellars does anybody recall the Alhambra pub under the Savoy Hotel ? that place used to get rammed .
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I do in about 67/68 , I was in there most night , there used to be a chap that would take the microphone do a coule of numbers he would always end up singing a song made famous by Mario Lanza, "Valencia" was the title . He could really belt that song out , had the breath to hold onto the notes also
 
Anne Watton said:
I remember there was some trouble in the casino at The Rum Runner in about 1971 and someone tragically died. Does anyone remember Tex who was a bouncer at Rebecca's? He was also a gentle giant.
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Hi Anne was that the case of the postman who hit a bouncer , the bouncer died shortly after . If it was I remember it vividly
 
Williamstreeter said:
I do in about 67/68 , I was in there most night , there used to be a chap that would take the microphone do a coule of numbers he would always end up singing a song made famous by Mario Lanza, "Valencia" was the title . He could really belt that song out , had the breath to hold onto the notes also
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I think that was a lad called Dominic. I remember one evening a crowd of us following him from the Alhambrah to the Tavern getting rather wet to a rendition of "Singing in the rain".
 
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