Author Topic: 70's / 80's clubs....  (Read 191311 times)

dalsegno

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Re: 70's / 80's clubs....
« Reply #255 on: 23:20:49, 08/01/15 »
The pub in the Arndale was a John Willie Lees house, who brew Moonraker, and funnily enough the pub was called the "John Willie Lees". If you didn't know how to get in, it was always very difficult to find the entrance. If memory serves, you couldn't actually gain access into it from the Arndale, but only from Withy Grove.

Pete

I worked in that pub when it first opened. It was supposed to be called "The Ship"..some of the windows were like port holes...I was told a pub called "The Ship" existed there before the Arndale monstrosity..True?  JW Lees (Brewery) opened it and I think it was a special event (Centenary?) so they called it "The JW Lees" (they still exist, and are doing very well...Middleton based, NOT Oldham!). The print workers came in during all of their many breaks and turned the upholstery black with ink...they were barred from upstairs! A management couple from a top holiday camp were brought in to run it..paid £7.5k between them....big money. One night some plod left the food service lamps on (when the kitchen was shut) and the manager said to me with tone"What are them lamps for"...I said "to keep the food warm"(obvious really?)..he barked "I f@*king know that...switch them off"!! Ask a daft question?

Jasper Bauer

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Re: 70's / 80's clubs....
« Reply #256 on: 23:48:12, 07/03/15 »
 Sandpiper in its day a swish. Nightclub  both bar area downstairs. And upstairs night club. ,I used to live in didsbury in 1978 onwards. And used to go to sandpiper. 3 or 4 times  a week.  Always good fun. From memory. , spammy used to work on the bar downstairs , liz and Colin ran the club happy times


Lily Blake

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Re: 70's / 80's clubs....
« Reply #257 on: 10:28:51, 20/08/15 »
Hi.  I'm new to this forum and I'm feeling nostalgic about 1970s.  Loved Friday and Saturday nights out in Manchester.   We used to go to a few bars before a club.   Did anyone go to Dive Bars (Portland Hotel) , The Boardroom and The Young Pretender?   The Young Pretender was our last stop before Placemate 7.  Loved it in Placemate!  Spent most of the time in room 1.  Went into the bigger room when they had an act on such as the comedian Jim Davidson.  Was anyone there when he was on?    Gary Davis was the nephew of the owner and he gave me a job behind the bar in room 1.  Spent many a night jigging about behind the bar.  Loved it!   We also went to Tiffany's (plastic palm trees and all). Genevieve's, Kloisters, Pips and a few others but Placemate was my favorite. 

dowse

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Re: 70's / 80's clubs....
« Reply #258 on: 18:39:32, 28/09/15 »
Anybody remember "Pattys" it was in like an old mill type building just behind the CIS, it was a right hovel, the sole bouncer was a big Colored fella called solomon.

They sold food also, and believe you me the woman that cooked it was a double for Les Dawson, the food was rank, i never touched it personally, Les put me off ordering, with her fag in one hand, egg yolk on her top, you get the picture...

And what about Busbys...

The club somebody was asking about earlier, the nutjob place, i remember one being called "HELL" i never went to it but some of my pals did...

toddy

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Re: 70's / 80's clubs....
« Reply #259 on: 21:13:53, 16/10/15 »
I went to one which I was told was called the john bull, near the underground market,

the  39 steps was open in the early 90's, not sure about the 80's, was off a back street on cross street
 I never went to the 39 steps but wondered if anyone remembers it and if it really had 39 steps or just called after the book/films

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Mark D

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Re: 70's / 80's clubs....
« Reply #260 on: 20:58:59, 12/01/16 »
I have been talking this through with some mates and none of us can remember the name of this club. It was on Cross street and if you walked down cross street from King St going to Market Street it was on the right hand side roughly opposite the Royal Exchange and you went down stairs to go into the club, I am talking late 70's .
« Last Edit: 21:30:17, 12/01/16 by Mark D »

Manx

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Re: 70's / 80's clubs....
« Reply #261 on: 21:58:29, 12/01/16 »
Might have been the 'Bodega' a basement club opposite the Royal Exchange (jazz and beat) it later became the 'Top of The Town' it also had an upstairs bar, the 'Red Barn' which later became 'Sounds'

Mark D

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Re: 70's / 80's clubs....
« Reply #262 on: 22:28:04, 12/01/16 »
No I don't think it was called that

inexile

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Re: 70's / 80's clubs....
« Reply #263 on: 23:03:34, 12/01/16 »
That area of the city, around Shudehill and Victoria station was thick with seedy clubs in the sixties. A lot of them completely illegal, just tap on the door and you were in for the night. One in particulr (although it was just about legal) was went by the grandiose title of The Victoria Sporting Club. It was just across from the taxi rank outside the station and for a while was owned by a lovely Cypriot guy called George. He was originally a waiter at the Expresso Bongo cafe just up the road. He won about nine thousand pounds (a lot of money then) on the football pools and used a chunk of it to buy the club we all knew as the Vicky. If George is still around I sincerely hope that he has since had a long and happy life.

Hideaway69

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Re: 70's / 80's clubs....
« Reply #264 on: 08:34:33, 13/01/16 »
Have to agree with Manx, the club Mark D describes is definately 'Top of the town', just down the street from Cross St Chapel.
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Mark D

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Re: 70's / 80's clubs....
« Reply #265 on: 16:34:49, 13/01/16 »
What year did Top of the Town close

Manx

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Re: 70's / 80's clubs....
« Reply #266 on: 00:03:09, 14/01/16 »
'Top of the town' until late 60's, then by the 70's was a clothes shop but late 70's i dont remember

maggi

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Re: 70's / 80's clubs....
« Reply #267 on: 08:40:03, 14/01/16 »
I worked and played at the club that became "The Sandpiper"     


It was then called Ray's Place in 1970/71    (casino downstairs, disco up)   


Billy Q.T. used to D.J.     also Ian Raven   Pete Dean & Mike


It was student nights on Weds/Thursdays


Great times


Mark D

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Re: 70's / 80's clubs....
« Reply #268 on: 09:38:24, 14/01/16 »
So I was right, I am talking about 78,79,80, If TOTT closed in 70/72 it must have been called something else later on ?

Chermimosa

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Re: 70's / 80's clubs....
« Reply #269 on: 17:49:39, 19/01/16 »
Reading through  here, bringing back so many good times, I didn't think I had much of an "On the town" life in the early 70's.


Many a memory being jogged.


I used to go to the birdcage in Ashton, pay kids fare and get in as +18!  till a bouncer, who knew a member of my family recognised me!  Gave me a friendly, stay out of the bar!


Placemate, Tiffany's, Jilly's regular weekend haunts.


Tommy Ducks, the Dive Bars the lunchtime and after work.


Remember the odd Christmas party night at Foo Foo's Palace as well.  Still makes me shake my head when I think about it!  A night I used to always insist on being the driver!  :smitten: