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Birmingham Nightclubs of the Past - Memories

  • Thread starter Thread starter mazbeth
  • Start date Start date
A Sparks said:
The Castaways Club, Bradford Street

An interesting short film (20 minutes) about the guy who ran The Castaways which includes his memories and pictures from the inside of the club.
Very interesting life he has had!

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Fabulous - thank you for sharing. As a boy scout practising for the 1st Birmingham Gang show next door to the Castaways (where Crossroads rehearsed). I got to look into the Castaways club as the buildings were linked. Exotic as he said in the film. Some of the dancers came in to have a picture taken for evening mail with us boys to publicise the gang show. The girls were so lovely and kind in their bikinis with us 4 boys couldn't believe it - the photo shows one boys eyes clearly not looking at the camera!! lol.
 
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bass player said:
Hi Riff,

I tried to find the post for the original question but it eludes me. I can fill in a lot of the information for you as my sister is married to the rythmn guitarist Trevor Greaves. At the time of the record the group consisted of Roger Francis ( lead ), Trevor (Rythmn), Colin Cooper (Lead Vocals) John Turton ( Drums) and Dennis (Bass) I can't remember his surname at the moment, they were managed at the time by Roger's dad Gordon Francis

They had one or two changes in line up after Colin and Dennis left to form a duo. After a short while Dennis stopped playing and Colin Cooper became Colin Dennis the black country comedian. Roger, Trevor and John carried on with people like Gordon Andrews and Janet Anne, Norman Haines, Pete Allen, Tony Quinn. I played the last 2 gigs with them as the Crescendos at the Birmid and The Lyndon around 1967.

Roger, Trevor and John then went on to perform as a trio called Triangle and eventually finished as Malt Hops and Barley more than 20 years later.

I will be with Trevor this weekend so if there is anything else you need let me know.

Regards
George
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Thought I wud see if my cousin was mentioned in the line up, Roger Francis, who has now died, My name is Stan...I believe Pat is still alive and kickin his wife lives in Blackheath, Roger died at 70 so I understand, about 8 years ago.
 
sylviasayers said:
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.
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It’s Stargazey here .... and I would like to reply to Kenneth Wanstall as well as SylviaSayers.
My ‘going out dancing’ career started very quietly at the Church Youth Club on Hodgehill Common about the time the Beatles had their first hit. And being at Hodgehill School, which I overlooked the Racecourse, we heard that the Swinging Blue Jeans were to appear, and went to see them , which caterpulted us into venturing further afield, which came in the form of what later became Mothers in Erdington. I never did know the name of it, but it was above a carpet shop next to Woolworths on the High Street, where my friend Betty got a Saturday job selling ‘Nice’ biscuits. My friend Lynne Stamps used to get the No.11 bus from opposite the Off Licence and the prefabs on Bromford Road to Erdington Five Ways. And that’s where I first encountered Stevie Winwood, who played with the Spencer Davis Group and who was about 15, the same as me. He later had a group of his own called Traffic. But, not before I saw him/them at All-nighters at Aston Uni, along with Roy Wood and Wizard - all Erdington Grammer Boys. The Moody Blues appeared once or twice in Erdington, but perhaps their music was too sophisticated to dance to, as we all just stood around and listened to them under the strobe lighting that showed your dandruff if you had any.

Along with another schoolfriend friend Sue Pritchett we started going ‘up town’, to the Locarno on a Monday night, when they played records. But progressed to their Upstairs Room pretty quickly after we borrowed identification to say we were 18, when we were only 16. The Upstairs Room was more about meeting people, and that is what we were after too! Th
The Metro Club, under the arches of Snow Station might have come next, run by 2 brothers Terry and John Mullett, and 2 other guys who I worked with at Hogg Robinson, Insurance Brokers in Corporation Street. I know all this because eventually I started behind the bar there, and continued for a number of years, especially after I left home and needed more money than my salary gave me. The pull was: they paid well, you could work as little as one night a week, see new bands coming up like Fleetwood Mac, keep your tips, drink whilst you worked, and were given a pass to other city centre nightclubs - our favourite being The Opposite Lock - which with other friends I meet from out of town we would go to after my shift at the Metro. We saw Django Rheinhart there and Little Richard, and we hadn’t paid a penny to get in. Other late night haunts included The Cedar Club, where we always arrived too late for the show, but still managed chats at the bar with the likes of The Beach Boys. There was another very small club at the bottom of Constitution Hill called The Upstairs Room, and another tiny affair in Aston called The Elbow Room , but I only visited them once or twice. Even so I got to lean on the piano whilst Georgie Fame was playing at the Upstairs Room. I still like him now. He lives in Switzerland, and is still very popular at the Montreux Jazz Festival. The Rum Rummer we visited now and again, but they didn’t have live bands, so we gave it the bum’s rush! Well, only after my friend meet her future husband there! Happy Days ...
 
For me it was Rebeccas and the Rum Runner , and afterwards you could walk a girl to the night service bus stop outside of Greys no problem , now you would need to wear a stab vest , they were good days i didnt have much money but i eeked it out , just had enough to buy a pie from the caravan on Colmore Row and then home on the bus Raz X
 
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Dianne said:
Well this has brought some memories back for me - as a 17/18 year old It was "up the town" every friday saturday and sunday night (if I had any money left).

Would start off at the costermonger, then down to the Tavern in the Town,
round the corner to the Guilded Cage, then off to the Parasol or the Grapes,
then .. slowing down all the time ! ... the Parisian and last but by no means least Sloopys !

I also remember Bloomers at the Swan Yardley, usually there on a Thursday night about once every couple of months, I met my Husband there.

Other places were Rebeccas and Barbarellas , Locarno, Top Rank , Cedar Club,
Elbow Room, oh the list is endless ..... ah the good old days !!:):):):):):)
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Dianne did you have friend Evonne and did you live in Washwood Heath . Raz X
 
raz ullah said:
For me it was Rebeccas and the Rum Runner , and afterwards you could walk a girl to the night service bus stop outside of Greys no problem , now you would need to wear a stab vest , they were good days i didnt have much money but i eeked it out , just had enough to buy a pie from the caravan on Colmore Row and then home on the bus Raz X
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Raz 1968/69 me and a mate frequented the Locarno on Friday night , after coming out of there after midnight . The next port of call was the chippie next door, slow walk from there to Snow Hill .Reaching Snow Hill was hungry work so we ordered hamburger and hot dog plus coffee each , hungry work this walking. Then my mate went off too catch his late night bus
 
Here's all Birmingham Beatles venues between 1961 and 1966:-

1 Feb 1963 Maney Hall, Sutton Coldfield
15 Feb 1963 Ritz, Birmingham
10 Mar 1963 Birmingham Hippodrome
10 Nov 1963 Birmingham Hippodrome
11 Oct 1964 Odeon, Birmingham
9 Dec 1965 Odeon, Birmingham

Source: Wiki

Maurice :cool:
 
chrissweep said:
Not sure but has anybody mentioned the Top Rank in Dale End, did anyone go there ?
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Yes about a day after it opened , this was reputed to replace the good old West End , what an absolute waste of time it was cold, no atmosphere whatsoever, it could never replace an institution . Although perhaps it became one in it's own right , but not for the boys and girls of the West End .
 
Williamstreeter said:
Yes about a day after it opened , this was reputed to replace the good old West End , what an absolute waste of time it was cold, no atmosphere whatsoever, it could never replace an institution . Although perhaps it became one in it's own right , but not for the boys and girls of the West End .
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The West End was the best, especially with the floating dance floor. My dad helped demolish it. I remember him taking me there to show me what was being done.
 
Dianne said:
Well this has brought some memories back for me - as a 17/18 year old It was "up the town" every friday saturday and sunday night (if I had any money left).

Would start off at the costermonger, then down to the Tavern in the Town,
round the corner to the Guilded Cage, then off to the Parasol or the Grapes,
then .. slowing down all the time ! ... the Parisian and last but by no means least Sloopys !

I also remember Bloomers at the Swan Yardley, usually there on a Thursday night about once every couple of months, I met my Husband there.

Other places were Rebeccas and Barbarellas , Locarno, Top Rank , Cedar Club,
Elbow Room, oh the list is endless ..... ah the good old days !!:):):):):):)
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Crikey Dianne you had plenty of money and to think i bought you all those drinks in Rebeccas , i know you worked at Barclays Bank i didn't realise you owned it, Good Days before mortgages and children Raz X
 
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Vivienne14 said:
Was definitely not 18 when I went there. Don’t think they bothered about age too much, was never asked for ID. Viv.

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Viv this was the place that was reputed to replace the good old West End in the 60's for the mods , I went there about twice and that was it , atmosphere zilch , not a patch on the West End . I'd like to hear how it was when you went there .
 
Never went to the West End, went a few times over a short period to the Top Rank Suite. At the time I went they played soul, ska etc. Was a good sized dance floor. And a place to dress up - I remember having a couple of cocktail-type dresses that I wore there. False hair pieces and lots of false eyelashes too. So as far as a place to wear your posh frocks and show off on the dance floor, it was good. More of a posers paradise. (Blimey, not used the word ‘poser’ in a very long time. Do people still say that ?). I didn’t continue going there, so like you say, it probably did lack atmosphere. Viv.
 
Yes, I agree. I may have gone to the Top Rank twice - not really my sort of place.
I only went to the West End a few times and that was to the Saturday afternoon dancing. We used to go to the Locarno first and then on to the West End as it finished later. Think I was about 14 then.
 
Also went to the Locarno. Think I mentioned this somewhere else. In the cloakroom at the Locarno you were given a shoe bag. These were intended for patrons to put their outdoor shoes in so you could wear your dance shoes. Well, we each ‘borrowed’ one of these to take our stuff in to school. If you didn’t have one of these at school you were soooooo unfashionable. How sad is that ?! Some tatty old material bag (made of 1950s/60s upholstery material) was such a prized possession. Youngsters heh ?

Viv
 
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Vivienne14 said:
Also went to the Locarno. Think I mentioned this somewhere else. In the cloakroom at the Locarno you were given a shoe bag. These we’re intended for patrons to put their outdoor shoes in so you could wear your dance shoes. Well, we each ‘borrowed’ one of these to take our stuff in to school. If you didn’t have one of these at school you were soooooo unfashionable. How sad is that ?! Some tatty old material bag (made of 1950s/60s upholstery material) was such a prized possession. Youngsters heh ?

Viv
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The things we used to do/buy/wear just to be "in" and groovy
 
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