Post by Tigger on Jun 26, 2008 19:36:10 GMT -1
OK… to start the ball rolling…….
Who remembers going to St Bernadette’s Youth Club on Princess Road, Withington.
Sometimes called ‘Bernies’ or simply SBYC.. or even the ‘Quicksilver Disco’. To get to the ‘club’ which was underneath the Church one had to negotiate two flights of concrete steps. Turn right and you were confronted by a couple of doormen (one called Brian - had a 'goatie' beard) and some of the craziest advertisment posters you have ever come across. The Evening News also carried some crazy adverts for the club on a Friday night... anyway... I digress.
In through the double red doors to the foyer where you parted with either 2s (member) or 2/6d (guest) on a ‘disco’ night. On a group night it sometimes went as high as 3s (member) and 3/6d (guest)… but you did get to see and hear ….. DEEP PURPLE… (they were giving away copies of their first single 'Hush' - still got mine)....also groups like.. Spectrum, The Phoenix City Smash, Ivans Meads, Rumble Fat Band, Life n Soul (my faves), The Tages (a Swedish group who’s organist later formed another Swedish outfit… ABBA). Toggerey 5, St. Louis Union (another fave rave) Tiger Fog, High Society, Big City Soul Band. Hermans Hermits also appeared there along with quite a few other well- known-at-the-time beat groups.
The sounds played by the DJ’s (there were four and worked in rotation) were of-the-day stuff and always had a full dance floor. And that dance floor was spotless (as they should be) – superb for dancing.
The room was large with full size windows (velvet curtains) to the right. Cloakroom to the left of the stage and the (separate room) soft drinks bar also to the left as you walked into the room.
The drinks bar had bench type seating (the sort you used to get around the walls in pubs) and sold Fanta,Pepsi,Coca Cola as well as goodies such as crisps, toffo,bounty,milky way etc etc etc.
The club used to have groups on EVERY week, then around 1967 started having them once a month – which was good for the dancer… but not so good for the Groups or their agents. On a ‘disco’ night you would get around 200 people in.. on a group night, about 100. So it was sound economic sense to keep to the 3/1 formula.
Who remembers going to St Bernadette’s Youth Club on Princess Road, Withington.
Sometimes called ‘Bernies’ or simply SBYC.. or even the ‘Quicksilver Disco’. To get to the ‘club’ which was underneath the Church one had to negotiate two flights of concrete steps. Turn right and you were confronted by a couple of doormen (one called Brian - had a 'goatie' beard) and some of the craziest advertisment posters you have ever come across. The Evening News also carried some crazy adverts for the club on a Friday night... anyway... I digress.
In through the double red doors to the foyer where you parted with either 2s (member) or 2/6d (guest) on a ‘disco’ night. On a group night it sometimes went as high as 3s (member) and 3/6d (guest)… but you did get to see and hear ….. DEEP PURPLE… (they were giving away copies of their first single 'Hush' - still got mine)....also groups like.. Spectrum, The Phoenix City Smash, Ivans Meads, Rumble Fat Band, Life n Soul (my faves), The Tages (a Swedish group who’s organist later formed another Swedish outfit… ABBA). Toggerey 5, St. Louis Union (another fave rave) Tiger Fog, High Society, Big City Soul Band. Hermans Hermits also appeared there along with quite a few other well- known-at-the-time beat groups.
The sounds played by the DJ’s (there were four and worked in rotation) were of-the-day stuff and always had a full dance floor. And that dance floor was spotless (as they should be) – superb for dancing.
The room was large with full size windows (velvet curtains) to the right. Cloakroom to the left of the stage and the (separate room) soft drinks bar also to the left as you walked into the room.
The drinks bar had bench type seating (the sort you used to get around the walls in pubs) and sold Fanta,Pepsi,Coca Cola as well as goodies such as crisps, toffo,bounty,milky way etc etc etc.
The club used to have groups on EVERY week, then around 1967 started having them once a month – which was good for the dancer… but not so good for the Groups or their agents. On a ‘disco’ night you would get around 200 people in.. on a group night, about 100. So it was sound economic sense to keep to the 3/1 formula.
