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Birmingham Nightclubs of the Past - Memories

  • Thread starter Thread starter mazbeth
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My memory (which is now becoming hazy in my dotage) is that the Opposite Lock Club was opposite the locks of Gas Street Basin. The owner also had a car steering wheel hanging on the wall at the back of the bar.

For such a small cosy club we used to get some well known entertainment personalities come and perform. The owner must have had connections! There was no Smallbrook Ringway when I used to go in the fifties.

There was also lunchtime dancing at the Locano.

There was also the Sombrero Coffee Bar opposite the Hippodrome, which had a private illegal gambling club upstairs, where members had their own key to get in - so I am told!

Living was good then, no thugs about at night and girls were safe to walk, on their own, through the city centre. Buses stopped running at midnight.
 
wally said:
My memory (which is now becoming hazy in my dotage) is that the Opposite Lock Club was opposite the locks of Gas Street Basin. The owner also had a car steering wheel hanging on the wall at the back of the bar.

For such a small cosy club we used to get some well known entertainment personalities come and perform. The owner must have had connections! There was no Smallbrook Ringway when I used to go in the fifties.

There was also lunchtime dancing at the Locano.

There was also the Sombrero Coffee Bar opposite the Hippodrome, which had a private illegal gambling club upstairs, where members had their own key to get in - so I am told!

Living was good then, no thugs about at night and girls were safe to walk, on their own, through the city centre. Buses stopped running at midnight.
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Hi Wally - I used to go to the Sombrero all the time, and the club was the Key Club upstairs although I never went in myself. And was at the Locarno most Saturday nights and the Tudor Club upstairs there. Like you say, it was safe at night in those days! Judy
 
wally said:
My memory (which is now becoming hazy in my dotage) is that the Opposite Lock Club was opposite the locks of Gas Street Basin. The owner also had a car steering wheel hanging on the wall at the back of the bar.

For such a small cosy club we used to get some well known entertainment personalities come and perform. The owner must have had connections! There was no Smallbrook Ringway when I used to go in the fifties.

There was also lunchtime dancing at the Locano.

There was also the Sombrero Coffee Bar opposite the Hippodrome, which had a private illegal gambling club upstairs, where members had their own key to get in - so I am told!

Living was good then, no thugs about at night and girls were safe to walk, on their own, through the city centre. Buses stopped running at midnight.
Click to expand...
There was certainly an all night bus service in the sixties as I used it many times.
 
And in the 1950s too. I would regularly travel from my mate's house in Handsworth to my home in Kings Heath at around 3:00am changing in Colmore Row. I'd be doing band arrangements until the early hours several times a week, travel home and then either back into the city centre or Great King Street for 9:00am the same morning. A killer that I certainly could not do now!

Maurice :cool:
 
One occasion I remember getting on the 74N in town & paying my £1 fare. Next thing I remember was waking up back in Colmore Row & getting kicked off, l couldn't pay again as I had spent all my money on the night out, saving only a £1 for my fare. The driver wasn't having any of it and I had to walk home to Handsworth. Think it was about 5am when I got home lol, it sobered me up though!
 
bullring boy said:
I think "The Opposite Lock" was a play on words. It was partly a reference to motor racing, the owner's obsession -and very trendy at the time (was there a Birmingham Grand Prix, partly along Smallbrook Ringway at about that time?) and partly as a reference to its situation, on Canal Street Basin- opposite a lock! I was too young to go there but my elder sister and her boyfriend did and it was the cool place to be. I did go to the Locarno in Hurst St as a boy (again because my elder sister and her boyfriend went dancing there.) it was all a bit too grown up for me, but for anyone still researching that period of the early sixties and what the Locarno was like, there is a scene at the end of the film version of "Billy Liar" with Tom Courtney and Julie Christie, which takes place in a Locarno ballroom. That captures the atmosphere perfectly.
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Hi Bullring Boy , there was a B.ham Grand Prix race held in 1986, it ran for 5 years. Lots of info on the Wikipedia pages, to much info for this poster to copy! The opposite lock was open in the mid 60s. I think it is still open now, well it was 3, 4 years back as a jazz venue.
 
A Sparks said:
Yes, every hour I think but only on Friday and Saturday?

Edit: on thinking again, maybe it was week nights as well - we used to be out at clubs in the week sometimes!
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The ordinary Bus service routes all left Town at 11:05, Inspectors blowing their whistles to signal "off you go" The Night service was a reduced service which ran every night of the week with one bus for each district. ours was the #9 Quinton. This started at 12:00 midnight from Town and ran every hour until 05:00.
 
jimbo said:
The ordinary Bus service routes all left Town at 11:05, Inspectors blowing their whistles to signal "off you go" The Night service was a reduced service which ran every night of the week with one bus for each district. ours was the #9 Quinton. This started at 12:00 midnight from Town and ran every hour until 05:00.
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What flyers they were. Used to travel from Weoley Castle into town and was usually the only passenger, it was like ring that bell and go like hell.
 
Brummygirl66 said:
Some brilliant stories on this thread! I wish I'd been around to go to the Whiskey a go to, but as I went born until '66 that will have to remain a dream!!

I was a modette (as we called them,) second time around in 1979 and 1980 and used to go skating at the Silver Blades on a Monday night, no idea why now, and on Wednesdays the Windsor in Bearwood used to have a under 18 club which was great, memories of dancing my legs off to all the fantastic music. I used to wear my mom's old '60's stilettos which ruined my feet, but oh! I felt so smart!

My Town clubbing days started around '83/84 and the first club I ever went to was Peppermint Place at the top of Broad Street, it was tiny in there! I remember getting chatted up by this lad who would not take no for a answer and my best mates brother who was with us pretended to be my boyfriend!

I used to go to Faces, Tressines, Snobs (but wasn't really keen on it there!), Pagoda Park, The Powerhouse, The Dome, Sam Wellers ( was a regular in there during 1987/88), Millionaires, The Bar St Martin (The Mulberry Bush after the bombings), mom used to hate me going there, so I used just not say anything, it stemned from her workmates being in the Tavern in the Town the night of the bombings, thankfully they had left the pub 30 minutes before the bomb went off. I also went in the Yard of Ale once, which was what it was renamed, but it had a strange atmosphere and I was glad to get out of there.

Also liked Le Pub and Cagney's off New Street, a good meeting point for us as the buses used to drop by there.

I used to love pubbing and clubbing in the '80's, getting dressed up and going out after finishing work on a Friday night, great days.
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I was at the University at Aston Triangle as it was known back then at the bottom of corporation street near the Law Courts and this was in 87 and with my student friends we were always out most nights being so close to the centre of town and student nights were every night back then! LOL!! I can remember many a good time at the clubs you mention and in particular the Powerhouse which was massive club and i was there at the Christmas Party Disco of 87 and it was great!!
I remember walking with two girls one either side hand in hand to Pagoda Park only to have been refused in because i was wearing jeans? Didn't appreciate the doormen back then for there decision but looking back they may have done me a favour cos these girls would have been back sleeping with me later that night or early in the morning and with the drink i might have ended up with kind of responsibilities ......??? Do you remember some clubs near to the Casino? Edwards No.7 and Edwards No.8?? We used to go into them sometimes but would always walk past them on the way back from the Dome and few yards further on opposite the car parks was a fast food takeaway called Mr Chicken where we would grab a Burger to sponge up all the lager that we had drunk! LOL!! Do you remember Bobby Browns another classic venue with long queues to get in i remember? When you mentioned the Yard of Ale i remember walking down the ramp from the Pallasades next to McDonalds and turning sharp left past the Yard of Ale and few yards further down on the right was strip club but cannot remember the name? What was it called?
 
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...

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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I used to go to the whisky ago go club in navigation street all-nighters on Saturday nights during the week it was the west end dance floor like a diving board. The Heartbeat above the silver blades was good in its day. Another top club Le metro by snow hill station. 1965-69. Happy days.
 
Marco said:
I was at the University at Aston Triangle as it was known back then at the bottom of corporation street near the Law Courts and this was in 87 and with my student friends we were always out most nights being so close to the centre of town and student nights were every night back then! LOL!! I can remember many a good time at the clubs you mention and in particular the Powerhouse which was massive club and i was there at the Christmas Party Disco of 87 and it was great!!
I remember walking with two girls one either side hand in hand to Pagoda Park only to have been refused in because i was wearing jeans? Didn't appreciate the doormen back then for there decision but looking back they may have done me a favour cos these girls would have been back sleeping with me later that night or early in the morning and with the drink i might have ended up with kind of responsibilities ......??? Do you remember some clubs near to the Casino? Edwards No.7 and Edwards No.8?? We used to go into them sometimes but would always walk past them on the way back from the Dome and few yards further on opposite the car parks was a fast food takeaway called Mr Chicken where we would grab a Burger to sponge up all the lager that we had drunk! LOL!! Do you remember Bobby Browns another classic venue with long queues to get in i remember? When you mentioned the Yard of Ale i remember walking down the ramp from the Pallasades next to McDonalds and turning sharp left past the Yard of Ale and few yards further down on the right was strip club but cannot remember the name? What was it called?
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I went to the whisky ago go club Spencer Davis group where regulars on the all nighters 1965-69 memories.
 
wally said:
Here you are Jayell - one of you old haunts.View attachment 145899
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Wally, that brought back some memories...........right before I came to the US, a group of friends rented a Dormobile right across on Bristol Rd. We had a designated driver so that we could indulge and celebrate. We came back to the El for an expresso well after midnight. One of my friends missed one of those steps on the way in. We had coffee and took everyone home. When the fellow got up the next morning, he tried to stand up and found he had broken his leg and could not stand up. His mother found him on the floor of his bedroom! she called a few of us from the general Hospital and was not pleased!
 
Evening All, I used to work and loiter at the Locarno around 1978 to 81 was best mates with the Bali hi DJ Steve, also remember that Red Sun were the live band in the ballroom I remember the DJ came from the Stoke area but for the life of me can’t remember his name, I used to cover the decks in the Bali hi durning the DJ breaks, also remember Steve used to get records to play in advance of there release, if I remember correctly the club opened at 8 and closed at 2, we got there around 7ish to listen to the new records received, remember hearing Soft Cells Tainted Love and thinking it would be a number 1 hit, it was around the Start of September another record that had a lasting impression was the Specials Ghost Town, also remember the soft cell 12inch ran through to end with a classic where did our love go, I now live in London and lost contact with Steve and his girlfriend Leslie years ago, great time in a great club with great people, and it all only seems like yesterday
 
Andrew V said:
...remember hearing Soft Cells Tainted Love and thinking it would be a number 1 hit, it was around the Start of September..., also remember the soft cell 12inch ran through to end with a classic where did our love go...
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Of course Tainted Love was originally released in 1965 by Gloria Jones and was a Motown influenced song. In the 1970s her version became a big Northern Soul track.

She was the girlfriend of Marc Bolan, is the mother of Rolan Bolan and was driving the Mini the night Marc died.

She also wrote the Gonzalez disco hit "Haven't stopped Dancing Yet".

After that short interlude, back on topic, as you were :)
 
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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My dad help in the demolition of the West End ballroom with it;s apparent floating floor. He took me & my brothers there one & saw what made the floor appear floating. I was about 12 years old at the time & told my dad they had cheated people as it was giant springs that made it float.
 
Andrew V said:
Evening All, I used to work and loiter at the Locarno around 1978 to 81 was best mates with the Bali hi DJ Steve, also remember that Red Sun were the live band in the ballroom I remember the DJ came from the Stoke area but for the life of me can’t remember his name, I used to cover the decks in the Bali hi durning the DJ breaks, also remember Steve used to get records to play in advance of there release, if I remember correctly the club opened at 8 and closed at 2, we got there around 7ish to listen to the new records received, remember hearing Soft Cells Tainted Love and thinking it would be a number 1 hit, it was around the Start of September another record that had a lasting impression was the Specials Ghost Town, also remember the soft cell 12inch ran through to end with a classic where did our love go, I now live in London and lost contact with Steve and his girlfriend Leslie years ago, great time in a great club with great people, and it all only seems like yesterday
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Andrew V welcome to BHF , I spent many a good night at the Locarno's Bali Hai in the mid to late 60's . I remember the DJ on a Friday night used to play The Boat That I Row(by Lulu) as the final record . I used to enjoy those days at the Locarno and the brown ales . I don't think it would have been the same years later listening to Tainted Love, not for me that record
 
Went to Opposite Lock many times. Believe the owner was Martin Hone who was organiser of Birmingham Grand Prix. Remember the grid markings on Bristol Street for many years after the last race.

Elbow Room and Locarno also visited. Most memorable was Barbarellas, by the Crescent Theatre. Saw The Drifters live when the late Johnny Moore was lead singer. What a lovely man, always smiling and fab voice.
 
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