Jump to content
IGNORED

History Of Bristol Nightlife (Merged)


Big Red Rich

Recommended Posts

I used to go to The Moon Club then it became Lakota (had a few good nights in there). Also used to go to the Thekla if something good was on.

Was also seen in warehouses and fields around the area dancing until the sun come up....

I remember the Moon club dont make em like that anymore, and the Thekla, is it still there? Never used to do the Oddessay and Ritzy as they were known then, Beirkeller was good fun.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Anyone remember tony's record shop up park street?

Yep, spent many hours in there. Before being on Park St Tony's was in Focus which used to be on Princess Victoria St. _ I never used it as a night spot though as it shut at 5pm. Used to go to the Dug Out, The Studio (now 02 Academy) Tropic Club, Moon club, ----- I am quite old by the way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most bouncers were i it for the chance of belting someone legally years ago, I have heard many stories from a bouncer mate of mine, who bouncers schemed plots on groups of 1-3 people just to hand out a kicking.

thankfully, bouncers are monitored more nowadays and can't get away (so much) with the fun beltings they used to hand out.

I cannot think of any reason to be a bouncer in a pub or blub, other than the fact you quite like a bit of a dust up occasionally. It can't be for the love of the job... Stood in the cold and rain talking to pissed up punters.

David Prowse (Darth Vader, Green Cross Code Man) used to be a Bouncer in Bristol, he could hand out a damn good thumping and often did. Until people found out he had dodgy feet, and used to finish the guy by stamping on them, so he then turned all lovey and turned to film and TV

Back in the day, the idea of a pub having bouncers was unheard of. Most landlords were pretty sussed at firmly escorting trouble-makers off their premises and if they required help, there was usually a hefty barman on hand to help.

Nowadays of course, most city centre pubs are owned by bastard pubco's and usually managed by some scrawny 22-year-old who is doing a part-time course in 'hospitality management' at the same time. His staff will be a mix of weedy students and scrawny teenage Eastern European bints who wouldn't know a good pint if it bit their bony asses.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did you work for the POst Office? I work with a lot of people who worked down at the Cattle Market Road DO

I worked for the Post Office at Cattle Market Road HPO during the mid/late 1980s. A great set of lads there on the shop floor - many of them diehard City with very few Gas working there. I used to love going up to the canteen on the top floor in the morning for a full English cooked breakfast costing no more than 20p for the lot !!!!! Hats off to the catering staff there because they were top notch. I also remember some of the management there as being power mad half-wits.

To make my post Bristol Nightlife related, I do know that a few of my work colleagues used to go back into Cattle Market Road after a night on the town instead of driving home - to sleep off their hangovers in the rest area upstairs. The Post Office also had a social club in Old Market - that was good as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Neither the city centre nor a pub; but what happened to The Glen. I was too young to go in it's hayday, but I used to pass it on the 83 bus.I was just suddenly aware one day it was no longer there.

As for the earlier enquiry; no i did not work for the Post Office, but visited the Cattle Market Tavern for it's beer range & quality.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My Dad moved to Bristol in 1948 and was surprised to find pubs closed at10.00pm. When he commented on this met with "Who the hell wants to be out drinking after ten o'clock at night"?

By 1978 friends were amazed to find that the rest of the country had it's pubs open until 11.00pm on Fridays & Saturdays, but those in Bristol still closed at 10.30pm every night.

Back then the Cattle Market Tavern only had a six day licence and was shut every Sunday.They had an amazing juke box in there; it appeared to have last had it's records changed in 1963. Great if you wanted to hear Matt Monroe or Kathy Kirby.

My brother frequented The Granary in Welsh Back in the 60's as it specialised in Jazz and Blues music. When I went in the 70's it had become a haven or Rock instead.

When I went to Cardiff Uni in 1964, Bristol still closed at ten. Cardiff simply didn't close. Estonian Club until two, then off to Tiger Bay.

How we laughed at the plaque saying that the Club had been the Estonian embassy! Guess what it is now?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Neither the city centre nor a pub; but what happened to The Glen. I was too young to go in it's hayday, but I used to pass it on the 83 bus.I was just suddenly aware one day it was no longer there.

No one responded, so I was bumping it, then found my answer

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Glad-Glen/story-11254339-detail/story.html

The old quarry, which now houses a private hospital,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some great memories on here; as well as Patrick at Odyssey there was Tiny at the Steam Rock too. Odyssey on a student night used to go mental when they played Dizzy followed by Smells Like Teen Spirit at the student nights c. '92. 

 

Was at the Wurzels gig at McCluskeys on a Friday night, full of City. Utterly ballbagged then travelled to Northampton (a) next day to see us win 3-0 first game of the season with a Tony Thorpe hattrick. Shared a pizza in Frankie & Benny's pre-game, an indication of where football was heading! 

 

Wasn't there a heavier rock/metal/indie club above Busby's/Ritzy's called Badlands in 90/91? The Clipper. The Porthouse. The Rummer (& Downstairs - also saw the Wurzels in there, probably the hottest I've ever been at a gig, but they DID play Chitterling which is very rare!) The Lochiel. Boulevards. The Artichoke (pre-Corn St days) 

 

Good times!  :drunk2:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For those who went to The Granary, you might be interested in this. I got a copy for my Dad a couple of years ago, as he used to go in the early-mid 70's.

 

 

I know this is almost 3 years late, but cheers for that, my mum is always going on about how great the Granary was back in the 70s and so I have just bought her that book for her birthday. 

 

Btw to anybody wanting it, the link from Northern Red is out of stock but it's easy to track down on Amazon. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Back on topic, I started going out in town in 1997, and remember some mad nights on the Thekla.  I was 17 and a mate of mine was 16 but still at school.  We got wasted on a Thursday night and he ended up falling asleep with his head against a speaker that was blasting out drum and bass.  :laughcont: I have no idea what time we got home but I can remembering him moaning that he had swimming for PE as his first lesson in the morning.  :clapping:

 

I think it was late 90s/early 2000s that we started going to the Old Porthouse, which at the time was a bit like the Mauritania.  I pulled a woman who was 38 (which seemed really old at the time!).  I remember being really amused that she was married and had a 17 year old son (I was about 19 at the time).

 

Town does seem crap nowadays but that's probably because I am older.  I can remember when I was in my 20s people in their 30s moaning about how crap town is compared to when they started going out. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hmmmm I guess it was 91/92 for me. Usual haunts were the Rummer (opposite work) or for "clubbing" it was Ritzy's (student night on a monday?) or Odyssey's (ditto tuesday AND thursday?) and Corn Street & the Waterfront hadn't really "happened" by then although I do remember The Knot on the Harbour being about the only one open there. 

 

Everything now has a different name or is no longer there! Horn & Trumpet (Drawbridge) College Tav (Greenhouse) Rummer (Closed, well the front bar - the PROPER Rummer is) The Crown used to be decent with a big downstairs club (I think!) as well as the late night club under the Rummer (Malt & Hops) - then you had the Bristol Bridge Inn and the Sceptre opposite as well as the Porcupine down St Nicholas Street (been derelict for years, bizarre really) Later in the mid-90's the Seven Stars became our "town local" and was much more of a proper pub and town was starting to change into too many renamed bars etc - the Stars was ace. Proper characters & enduring friendships forged. 

 

Big nights out involved staying in the Steamrock til it kicked out then walking back to Bemmy via Millies on East Street or Mounstevens (?) if the door was open and they were baking. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the 80's, It had to be R&J's, Busby's and Studios for mainstream clubs with (for me) R&J's being the biggest meat market ever. Rarely failed to pull. The King Dick was also a good pre club venue.

The advent of House music changed clubbing forever and for me my fav places in the 90's were Lakota, The Maze and Cafe Blue. Aubergine@Cafe Blue on a sunday night were awesome. Also used to love the bank holiday all dayers with Safe House Sunday's at The Slug being a top and messy tickle.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hmmmm I guess it was 91/92 for me. Usual haunts were the Rummer (opposite work) or for "clubbing" it was Ritzy's (student night on a monday?) or Odyssey's (ditto tuesday AND thursday?) and Corn Street & the Waterfront hadn't really "happened" by then although I do remember The Knot on the Harbour being about the only one open there. 

 

Everything now has a different name or is no longer there! Horn & Trumpet (Drawbridge) College Tav (Greenhouse) Rummer (Closed, well the front bar - the PROPER Rummer is) The Crown used to be decent with a big downstairs club (I think!) as well as the late night club under the Rummer (Malt & Hops) - then you had the Bristol Bridge Inn and the Sceptre opposite as well as the Porcupine down St Nicholas Street (been derelict for years, bizarre really) Later in the mid-90's the Seven Stars became our "town local" and was much more of a proper pub and town was starting to change into too many renamed bars etc - the Stars was ace. Proper characters & enduring friendships forged. 

 

Big nights out involved staying in the Steamrock til it kicked out then walking back to Bemmy via Millies on East Street or Mounstevens (?) if the door was open and they were baking. 

 

I used to work in the tower office block next door in the mid 90s. Every Tues or Wed lunchtime was Sexy Barmaids hour in which the 2 ladies behind the bar would work in stockings, suspenders and a basque. It was a total lottery though, one week the ladies were in their 20's, next week they could be 40+.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the 80's, It had to be R&J's, Busby's and Studios for mainstream clubs with (for me) R&J's being the biggest meat market ever. Rarely failed to pull. The King Dick was also a good pre club venue.

The advent of House music changed clubbing forever and for me my fav places in the 90's were Lakota, The Maze and Cafe Blue. Aubergine@Cafe Blue on a sunday night were awesome. Also used to love the bank holiday all dayers with Safe House Sunday's at The Slug being a top and messy tickle.

 

I can remember it at its peak. 1000+ people queuing to get in as DJ Sasha was playing.  

 

Coincidentally, I was reading this article on the BBC about the Hacienda club in Manchester this morning: 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-33763972

 

As one bloke puts it in there: "Even at the time, you knew it was special, that you were part of something unique, and you knew it probably wasn't going to last forever."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can remember it at its peak. 1000+ people queuing to get in as DJ Sasha was playing.  

 

Coincidentally, I was reading this article on the BBC about the Hacienda club in Manchester this morning: 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-33763972

 

As one bloke puts it in there: "Even at the time, you knew it was special, that you were part of something unique, and you knew it probably wasn't going to last forever."

From being a student in Manchester from 1986, we used to go to the Hacienda a fair bit.  Thursday night being Temperance Club (their indie night), quid in, quid a pint being my favourite.  If I recall, it started off with acid house nights on Wednesdays, then ultimately every night was dance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Top Rank (later Baileys), The Granary, The Locarno, Grab a Tone night at the Granny club, The Glasshouse (Nailsea)

Aaaaah The Glasshouse. So many memories from going in there in my late teens early 20's. Dancing on the tables and staggering home via Noggins chip shop :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been to Cardiff, Newcastle and Liverpool on nights out but Bristol is still up there for me. I'm in my early 20's so it's not surprise I'm out in town quite a bit!

I usually go Park Street, any of the bars down there are good and cheap. Elbow rooms, Agora, Antix, Yamas. Greenhouse is good too! Also you've got decent clubs and bars on the triangle, always a good laugh up there!

I tend to give the waterfront a miss as I find it a little clicky, seen many fights down there so I don't bother!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I usually go Park Street, any of the bars down there are good and cheap. Elbow rooms, Agora, Antix, Yamas. Greenhouse is good too! Also you've got decent clubs and bars on the triangle, always a good laugh up there!

My stepbrother DJs in the Elbow Rooms most Saturday nights. DJ Zack I think he goes by, it's a bit too young in there for me but he loves the crowd they get in.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Admin

Bamboo club and the Dugout. Sure signs of a misspent youth. Good, though :drunk2:

Oh yes, some good nights in both of them, along with the Granary and a club in Clifton whose name eludes me. Also going back then, there were the unlicensed clubs that catered for the late night scene, there was one in Brook lane in St Pauls that was signed up as a carpet warehouse, didn't open until midnight or 1am, bar and club at the front, brothel out back, when everywhere else in Bristol shut at 1or 2. There was another little club up a little alleyway at the bottom of Park St, again, a furtive knock on the door to get in. Then up to Johns Cafe which was open all night, at the top of Colston St, for a breakfast before heading home.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...