The opening of the club was preceded by an intense advertising campaign in the local press involving some quite off-beat and quirky adverts: . But you'll always have your memories. He gave me my proverbial 5 minutes of fame. Does nobody remember the Jimmy Bence Orchestra the resident band at the Mayfair? Thursday nights at the Agogo were the highlights of my week thats when the big-name touring acts played there, and admission was seven shillings and sixpence. She was called Maggie Ross, quite a dancer as I recall. He had retired to the Seahouses area with his wife. dancing from 1969. Bernie MacKie was rhythm guitar and started his working life in a shop on Gateshead High St. called Barkers, an electrical shop. :)Alas, me and my friends said theyd never be famous with a name like that!!!!! I am a cockney! I was just a nipper at the time but I remember my folks going to all those clubs as well as Change Is. I have great memories of spending many nights, years later, listening to Nigel Stanger and Lindolph DOliviera playing with the East Side Torpedoes too. Laygate - South Shields - Pics from the 50's & 60's - YouTube The Whitley Bay boys club venue was called Zone 22. You know, that little moving side to side that all the Motown groups did on tele. Our selection of photographs from the ChronicleLive archive recalls 10 South Shields pubs, past and present. What a great little site! We started out at the jazz clubs and remember many nights at the New Orleans Club (I dont see that mentioned anywhere) followed up with going on to the Downbeat or the GoGo. (Payne) He was a singer on the circuit in 70s or Bevan Orchard who played keyboard for him? Dusk nightclub to return to South Shields for one night only, as John and I are celebrating our 39th wedding anniversary today and so have been looking back to when we first met in two very special nightclubs in newcastle (long gone but never forgotten) mainly Change Is (later known as Bloomers) and our very favourite place Scamps. I can still remember the feeling of excitement as you stepped down each dark stair til you opened the door and the whole place came alive, with music, gorgeous people and the amazing music which never sounded the same anywhere else and still doesnt! The resident band at the Crescendo was the Del 5, the singer was Billy Wilson from Gateshead, there was 2 sax players one was Peter Parkinson from South Shields but Im sorry the other name eludes me. What a night!!!!!!! Hi Fred A TOUCH OF VELVET, A STING OF BRASS your intro tune? Restaurants in South Shields 1. I spend my time between Corbridge and Florida. Sydney Australia. I remember early 70s nightlife which began for me in the Dive Bar underneath the Swallow hotel. 9 South Tyneside nightclubs and pubs we loved and lost - Shields Gazette thankyou for bringing back fantastic memories every one. Dont know how she knew cos she had never been there!!! I remember Pat mentioning names of people like Keith Crombie, Tommy Finlay etc who she met through Ron but the rest of us never met them. The club was in a street of semi derelict terrace house and the club itself was an ordinary terraced house with the music on the upper floor. Mike Pemberton and Mick Pickering had Club Eleven, what memories. What a very comprehensive and informative site and great to see some of the places that meant quite a lot to me in my younger days. He told me he had a photo of Ronnie Kray with a bloke sitting on his knee! I was told that Davey FINLAY my dad was sent to prison for 10 years for something done down the country but as I dont really know him I cant say. La Dolce Vita supporting P J Proby. Sharing the ladies toilets with the staff from the bus company in the same building. The demon drink (Pernod) was to blame. However good atmosphere,great friendly bar. Does anyone remember her and her then boyfriend Ron Thomas who worked at the A Gogo (later going on to work at the Quay Club) always had an alsation with him and lived in Sandyford. Happy Times. Good bands played there. Buy Tickets . Maybe a good starting point might be the Chronicle as I am sure that they have a library full of old photos. A friend in music (Colin Bradley who played in a Teesside band called The Road Runners with Paul Rodgers and Micky Moody in the 60s) was kind enough to send me a link. The Guys and Dolls, Marimba and the El toro featured a lot in my life then, my sister Ann Taylor worked as a receptionist at the Turks and has contributed previously, happy days. Big hair and big eyes and John with his shoes wouldve been 65 We married in 1976 and continued to go out to Scamps and are still married now. Can anyone remember my dad, who was the manager of Change is nightclub in late 60s early 70s James/Jimmy Cowie a Scottish chappie from Aberdeen. Some magic names and places. Oh I could go on all day. Hi FABULOUS SITE MY HUSBAND DENNIS BRAZIL REMEMBERS THESE CLUBS WHEN WORKING IN NEWCASTLE YEARS LATER BEFORE WE WERE MARRIED I REMEMBER FROM WORKING IN NEWCASTLE WITH A FRIEND LOVED NEWCASTLE AND THE CLUBS ESPECIALLY THE PEOPLE WE ARE IN LEEDS. Newcastle was the place to be back then! Sloopys Disco was opened upstairs at the Dolcey. im ABSOLUTELY desperate for any kind of info on him his life seemed to START in newcastle, ive heard all kinds of rumours, i can testify to what a nasty PIECE of work he was, so dont worry about hurting my feelings, i had none left by the time he was finished with me. It closed in 2015. The Downbeat was situated in Carliol Square, Newcastle not far from Worswick Street bus station. It was fun to meet and party with many stars of the times, Marty Wylde, Kathy Kirby etc. I had the Landlords bitter the following day in Wetherspoons and it tasted . A weird coincidence is that the bearded chap in the middle is a friend of my wife, hes called Jason Robson, he used to work on the boxing show at the Hoppings, I wonder if he also worked at the Go Go? Enjoy the trip. Jean, Great Blog takes me back to that time in my life, I was the drummer in Axtree Junction the lead singer and Guitarist being Bob Barton who went on to be in Becket and on the Old Grey Whistle test, I remember playing at the Blaydon Races for 10 pounds and many other venues throughout the Northeast for similar amounts, had the privilege of being the local band playing alongside many 60s bands including Family, Dave Dee and band The foundations, Love Affair and many more on the baily club circuit, now at 69 years I look back on those times with great pleasure. Ziggy's 19 Bars & Clubs By jacquelinesQ1680QF Detroit sounds the hinge the outfit perfumed garden well me for one as I was in ALL of them our biggest claim to fame was backing the opportunity knocks star the muscle man at the middle club, byker. I was so petrified that I felt that every part of my body froze. blog 28 mentions thelate Mike Carr.. been on wikepedia and seems he still walks among us.. thankfully. Sandra ditched me after a couple of years and went to London and then Italy where she sadly died aged about 21. Our selection of photographs recall an era of social club beauty contests, colliery wagons,. Ziggy's 19 Bars & Clubs By C9460ITmarkg Great article, as with Michael(the previous poster)I have a family connection to these times. Hi Dave Coates enjoyed reading your post I dont live in Newcastle but had lots of contacts, friends and customers from my Disque records days in town. Reading this took me back to my childhood. Then went soth and played with Entire Sioux Nation. I also wore a lot of mascara and false eye lashes which sometimes pealed off! Brilliant site! Fuelled by this success, they picked a fight with Family singer Roger Chapman who proceeded to chin both of them in two minutes. Pete Wallis ( ex Juncopartners and Gamblers), Re Jean McGowan, there are some photos of the inside of Bloomers nightclub on Facebook site called 70s Newcastle Nightclubs if thats a help still have not found a photo of the outside in its hey day but still looking. I did overhear a conversation in which one of the guests asked the other if he had been present at the Gogo on the night that Dave Findlay knocked out Keith Crombies teeth! When they played The Cellar Club, So. Remember some of the places between 1968 to 73 as a 18 plus year old. Great site.Keep it up, Paul x. Exciting times. Does anyone remember the Kontors band; Alan price, Chas Chandler, Bernie Maguian, Gordon Cleghorn, Nick Brandon, Chunky Bourne, Barry Preston? re comment by margaret duz comment no. Pete Coulson here ,was lead singer with the Pilgrims & later Bassist with the Hillcresters e mail is [email protected] would like to correspond & anyone else who remembers me from those good times,now living nr.Boston USA, cheers, Hi Holly here lead singer with Toby Twirl. I beleive he appeared at a number of clubs in Newcastle and the north east. Cheers. Im not sure what Dave does now as my dad lost touch with him. You may remember us as Jean and John the tall couple who danced a lot! Marcus now lives in Leeds and is a professional artist. Thanks Happy times, gone forever, but never forgotten. I remember being a young teenager and the Junco Partners practising in the bedroom at my family home Caroline Cottages, John is my brother and I do remember Pete Wallis being the keyboard player and amazing they are still playing after all these years. theses lists and memories are priceless but who can remember the truly horrible bands? If anyone has any input on my post please respond. Owner, Sandford Goudie, opened a second La Strada in Sunderland in 1967. I remember seeing Sandford Goudie and his glamorous wife there regularly.We watched a young comedian called Jimmy Tarbuck performing, just before he came to fame at the London Palladium. The late Joes favourite tale which I have heard dozens of times was the night they were working the GoGo and a very young band were guests, in Joes words bloody useless. Can you remember a guy called Louie who also worked at Change is? June 9, 2022 . would love to find out anything from this.thank you Shyirra. 1. Was the crescendo manager Ken Brady from the Gamblers? Bars & Clubs. Dave Finlay was a very good decorator and I used to pick him up at his house in Jesmond and travel on to Whitley Bay At the time the club was only open on Friday and Saturday evenings . Some good people who were pioneers back then and desrve a lot of credit for making Newcastle (a millon miles from London)a firm favourite with some great artists in the 60s from all over the UK and abroad wanting to play this region. Vintage photos of clubs and bands in N.J. - nj.com Great site..lots of nostalgia. Theres also a poster from the 60s of The Seaburn Hall when the Crusaders supported the Moody Blues. We regularly played the Seaburn Hall on Cats Nite Out which was on a Wednesday. I also went to the Majestic when I was about 14. 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There were two lads called Tich and Grass who frequented the club and fancied themselves as hard men.They beat up Paul Williams, who was then with Mayall, when he bumped into one of them. Yes Trever. I still have the Badfinger single I won off the DJ in my treasure box. ideal for struggling musicians. Whatever happened to them ? In North Shields, for quite a long time in the 60s, the basement of The Jungle was a night club. I had an input early in the posts re La Strada and Ken Maddison and was lead vocalist at the Sunderland and South Shields nightclubs. It was a no-brainer that these lads were something very special. 69 Club Westgate Street plus MANY social clubs all around the North East. Yes I was a big fan of The Kon-Tors, the forerunners of The Animals. I lived in Whitley Bay in the apartment of a house owned by Jimmy Bence. The Tunnel nightclub, Jarrow, December 1991 (Image: NCJ Archive)1 of 9 Sylvesters nightclub in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, in Tyne and Wear, circa 1990s (Image: NCJ Archive)2 of 9 The Casablanca. Great venue. Burlesque was my band until car accident and moved to London and became a session singer. old nightclubs in south shields - mail.fgcdaura.sch.ng Top 10 Nightlife in South Shields, England - Things To Do Also played drums on I Keep Singing that same old song, Heavy Jelly (Skip Bifferty). The club closed as Change Is and reopened as Bloomers. I remember the 60 they where wonderfull years. Life goes on. I was a regular there in the 60s maybe 63-64-65ish I remember you Chic Reid if you see this please get in touch. Also loved the Gogo. The building which housed La Dolce Vita still stands but now contains luxury flats. Does anyone remember my dad Mike Mccormick who worked for teddy berg at greys, Having read through these posts I dont think anyone has mentioned the fantastic group called the Gas Board they played at the Quay Club also the Majestic, Theres a bit about the Gas Board on this page, Liz: http://readysteadygone.co.uk/bryan-ferry/. Near the North/South Shields ferry landing. Your email address will not be published. Kennedy's Bar South Shields 5 Bars & Clubs By steveL794 This is a great Little bar great atmosphere and is such a welcoming bar, well worth a visit great chilling bar 3. The Old Ship Inn 8 Bars & Clubs By Fairydusters It's like stepping back in time in this bar. If anyone knows how to get info on the bands that played there I would be most grateful. We also played at the Seaburn Hall Cats night out regularly and the Rink ballroom. Finally, in relation to the Seaburn Hall in Sunderland we also used to go there does anyone remember Ronnie Stephens and Ray Huntley great dancers. Its a good job my parents never heard about the murder that took place there in the mid 70s. unfortunately I missed the Go Go but spent many happy hours at The Dolce,Sloopys,Cavendish,Bloomers (Change Is) Ruperts,Annabels ,Sands Club,Sombrero,Chelsea Cat,Julies,Burgundy Cobbler,Latino,Fiesta the list goes on and on saw some great live acts over the years. 54-56 Ocean Road, South shields, NE33 2JD 0191 4967500. Went to the Dolce for years and my mate at the time was DJ at Sloopys. Ownership changed hands around 1966 and eventually the Gogo closed its doors two years later after the Bailey Organisation opened a disconightspot called Sloopys above the La Dolce Vita. A couple of years ago we were in Benidorm and we got talking to these three couples, one of them said You are obviously from the Newcastle area, where did you go on Friday nights in Toon ? I answered The Maj Ok he said, now who where the resident group ? Rue and the Rockets I answered, Well meet Rue and the Rockets, its us three and we are still going in fact we are on the Dynastic tonight. Apparently thats where John first spotted me when I was dancing and that was all I was interested in at the time! Greys club is one of the few Newcastle Clubs that has been running since the sixties. Please see cornell . Sad to hear about Dave passing. We were also friends with Clive Lee who was a total fruitcake in the style of Freddie Starr! (Sect, Juncos, Harlem Shuffle etc) Mike Jeffery, owner of the Club AGogo and manager of the Animals and Jimi Hendrix was killed in a plane crash in 1973. Notice: Function is_feed was called incorrectly.Conditional query tags do not work before the query is run. Does anyone have a list of bands appearing at the Ballroom in the University Union in the 1960s, Eclection, Family, Jethro Tull, Graham Bond, Taste, Pink Floyd , Alex Harvey for starters. Thats apparently where John first saw me but at that time 1972/3 I was much too interested in dancing. After the refurb of the Crescendo I carried on working for Ray firstly on his new house in Forest Hall and then on his new project which was amusement arcades in Sheffield and Nottingham I think he was talked into these by his brother in law I dont think his heart was in this part of the business as he loved the buzz of music and clubs when the Crescendo burned down he went on to buy The Deleval Arms on Scotswood road but it never opened.The last time I saw him was around 1977 but he seemed to have lost his sparkle definitely not the man I knew.As I had moved away from the area shortly after this I was shocked to learn years later that he had passed away he had been one of the best bosses I ever had. Like George I have been looking for pics for years. Then he worked for Baileys moving between the likes of La Dolce Vita, Wetherals, the Latino. old nightclubs in south shields. We did Rehearsal Room, a Tyne Tees weekly feature on local bands, a half hour show presented by David Hamilton, we did 3 numbers loads of fun, and , we even got well paid for it. The resident band was called the Del 5 the singer was Billy Wilson from Gateshead There was 2 sax players Peter Parkinson from South Shields was one but Im afraid the other name escapes me, Bernie was the organist while his brother was the drummer they were from Sunderland. FANTASTIC SITE. I was there in the 60s with Joe Brown & The Bruvvers. Lol. Greys Club. I think my dad was a drummer for a while with a band called the After Eights. He must have been in his late fifties in the time I knew him, and I think me may no longer be with us forty years on. The Dolly Peel 12 Bars & Clubs Open now By SteveLorro Very cosy little pub, friendly atmosphere, friendly staff and plenty of beers to choose from. Anyway, I moved to the states in 1970 and after moving around a lot I ended up here in California where I have a couple of gyms. Nobody danced once they came out. A long shot here but wondering if you ever heard of a band called the Lyle Brown showband or similarplayed in whitley bay in the mid 60s. on drums (not Des Omally) and Maggie Miles vocals. HI, My mate and I were upstairs buying hot dogs and I got ours and put plenty of Tomato sauce and Mustard on both and went to move away from the counter when a guy in a light tan suede cowboy Jacket backed into me covering his suede tassels in sauce. Used to tell my mam I was going to the one at Whitley Bay as I wasnt allowed to go to the Newcastle one. I would like to add, we played with Johnny Dankworth at Club Eleven, on the same bill was Danny Williams (Moon River) Great guys and what a night. which was poor quality, scratches etc. Hello, this has been a great read. It was said that the floor levels could be permutated fifteen different ways and that the dcor could be changed at will by projecting images onto the curved walls. Just been reading a comment from Pete Wallis from May 2015. The Crusaders played La Stradas as resident band three times a week for over six years, but also played the big hotels, the Locarno in Sunderland, the Mayfair in Newcastle. My social life started at the Cellar Club in South Shields, moved on to the GoGo whilst it was at its height, back to the Cellar (renamed the New Cellar and then the Chelsea Cat), with a few detours along the way via the Latino, Dolce Vita, Greys Club, Change Is and finally Julies. It was an eye opener for a very young me and I loved it. I left England in 1966 to emigrate to Canada but still look fondly back to my younger days and great music in Newcastle. Ahhh the memories of such magical days This pub used to have a bad reputation but what a change, visited for Sunday Lunch and enjoyed a lovely meal, a good choice of meals served Carvery style, with the largest choice of vegetables we have ever seen. Unofficially, the jazz sessions at the Marimba continued long after midnight. Served lovely meals and had big Manny Burgo, ex-boxer on the door. old nightclubs in south shields - jjbluesbar.com Starting with the Downbeat Jazz Club in 1960 and most of the other venues mentioned. Just discovered this site. On the left, the dark haired lady is Barbara Young, and on the right is her sister Joan Young. Hi Margaret, Loved them! My dad, George McGuinness, was the pianist at the Mayfair in the 60s. Equally we are desperately trying to find an internal shot of Scamps? Oh how I wish I couldve been there! We always met at the Pit for coffee where we decided what time to meet before going to the Club Ago Go. Saw Alan Bown Set, Downtown Faction and a group from Teeside(?Rivers Invitation)there. The best thing is Im still alive and have great memories. Hi David, great to hear from someone who worked in so many places, back in the disco days, doing such an important job by providing the fab music. In response to the comments about Bloomers on May 11th by George Sinclair, I spent so many happy weekends there in the 70s and remember being devastated when it closed down and we all had to transfer to the dolce. 1 of 10 The Neptune Inn, South Shields Pubs, by Eileen Burnett, published by Amberley 2 of 10 The Tyne Dock Hotel, South Shields, 1938. Our 10 photographs from the ChronicleLive archive recall some of the many and varied pubs, past and present, of South Shields, As anyone who's ever done it will vouch - South Shields is a great place to have a night out (in normal times, anyway!). The decor must be 30 yrs old. Jean, I wonder if you could share any photos you may have of Bloomers nightclub. Does anyone have any info on Jimmy Bence and his Orchestra, particularly around 1965ish? Ronnie P knew all about them being a Londoner tho little heard of them in Newcastle at the time.He said women and children wernt safe from them. My old mans band (Alan NIcholson snr). The Beatles played for 5 bob. I know I had a great time working at many NE clubs during the late sixties and early seventies. he was garbage and so were we! Lead singer John Little or possibly used the name Osbourne or Osmond.