Dancehall in County Arcade

Bunkers, shelters and other buildings
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Oldvynal
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue 25 Aug, 2009 8:00 pm

Post by Oldvynal »

Hi jcd In the 60s the Mecca was the in place to be ,despite the occasional fights and throwouts ,in those days it was accepted and the trouble was mainly caused by drunks frequenting The nags head, robin Hood , and the Yorkshire Hussars ..The good old days it keep you young and active thinking back to when a teenager ,even when they play some old song takes me back to the mecca days where the girls outnumbered the boys and it was take your pick at smooch time .I now live in Manila miles away from Leeds ,but even here the old songs are still played especially on a Sunday morning where they have a three hour TV programme playing the old classic songs .you can watch it on facebook on R J 100 . R j or Ramone Jacinto has recorded many records and is a well known guitarists who interviews famous musicians and singers on his sunday morning TV show . for instance The ventures . the Beach boys Cliff richards to mention some . So if you have time maybe you or anyone reading my post can watch on facebook and be taken back in time the the 60s 70s & 80s and even remember the good old Mecca

j.c.d.
Posts: 571
Joined: Mon 27 Jan, 2014 4:54 pm

Post by j.c.d. »

Hi there, yes the Mecca was certainly the place to be and once unfortunately I was involved in a fracas and the bouncers bustled us into Savilles office where he told us to "Get on with it" I took off my coat but the other fellow did not want to know, luckily for me as he was much bigger than me. (I had floored him with a lucky punch in the Dance hall so I was fortunate that he did not want to fight. sadly we were "Cloched" for four weeks. (it seemed I had had my life put on hold during that time) Bopping and Jiving to all the latest U.S. A. hits was fantastic. might sound dated now but then it was fabulous.......... Take care Pal.

jonleeds
Posts: 717
Joined: Thu 31 Jan, 2008 4:59 pm

Post by jonleeds »

I always remember a tale my dad told me about how in the 60's himself and a friend were violently thrown out of the Mecca because Jimmy Saville got it into his head that my dad and his friend had vandalised a photo of Saville meeting Elvis Presley that was on the wall of the dance hall. My dad says this wasnt true about him or his mate wrecking the photograph, but apparently Saville was something of a bully and he thought they were responsible (or he just wanted to throw his weight around which sounds more likely). Anyway my dad says as they were being dragged outside by the bouncers that him and his mate managed to hurl one of the bouncers over their shoulders knocking over Saville and the other bouncers. They then made off into the night without receiving the customary beating that Saville and his cohorts liked to mete out to poor unsuspecting chaps.
Have your fun when you're alive - you won't get nothing when you die... have a good time all the time! - Chumbawumba!

And no matter how things end, you should always keep in touch with your friends - Dave Gedge

j.c.d.
Posts: 571
Joined: Mon 27 Jan, 2014 4:54 pm

Post by j.c.d. »

The Locarno was like my second home in the late 50s (according to my Mother) and although it was packed every night there was very little trouble there, considering that most of the clientele had consumed a fair amount off drink beforehand. Savile started playing records only on a Sunday night and that was the death knell for any live trio or Bands. from then on it was records only and this soon spread throughout the country. If you were not in for 10pm or maybe 10.30pm. the doors were closed. there was emergency doors which led into the Three Legs pub yard and if the bouncers were not guarding it we would open it and let pals in. I knew some lads who used to climb the drainpipes in the Pub yard and up over the roof and there was a way to the balcony in the Arcade where the gents toilets where. This after a quantity of drink. they would then "Wash and brush up" This dangerous practice rebounded one Saturday night when the crazy gang found green paint on the front of their suits from the fall pipes. If you ever go in the back yard of the "Legs" you will see the building is on three floors or more, it makes me cringe to just think about someone climbing there in the dark.

Oldvynal
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue 25 Aug, 2009 8:00 pm

Post by Oldvynal »

Thats so true J C D we used to do that also saved paying the 2/6 to get in .I remember Savile used to sometimes stand at the door with his bouncers around him , many of the girls at the Mecca thought he was wierd and that turned out to be so true which recently was disclosed but at that time it did not bother us as you know we used to go there for the girls and the music and have a good time and nearly every night of the week and even sometimes in our dinner hour from tech college how different it is today .The atmosphere was so different then and it doesnt seem the same today I think we were blessed being teenagers in the 60s as todays music is in and out of the charts and most songs are forgotten where most of the 60s songs are played and danced to today I was fortunate to get a ticket to go see the WHO live at leeds university , man what a night that was there must have been 3000 there even on the roof as the gig was held in the dining hall .The sound was deafening but its something that i will never forget That was a mad night .Living now in Manila I mentioned RJs sunday Jam and with luck he has a Bistro in the basement of the DUSIT THANI 5 star hotel where you can go and listen to live bands and RJ playing nothing but 60s music every friday night and you can dance as well and even have a sit down meal also the place is packed out which reminds me of my teenage years at the Mecca .The place keeps you young and active as we are not teenagers anymore even at times we think we are ........

Cathyp
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Joined: Wed 01 Oct, 2014 9:30 am

Post by Cathyp »

Hi, I have enjoyed reading this thread. My dad was Wilf Preen, manager at the Mecca and then I believe he moved on. His friend Tony Marshall is still a family friend of ours now. Does anyone have any information or stories on my dad? He died when I was 3 so I didn't get the opportunity to talk to Hume about those days. Thanks Cathy

Oldvynal
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue 25 Aug, 2009 8:00 pm

Post by Oldvynal »

Hi Cathy I remember your dad when he was manager at the mecca in the early 60s and at times spoken to him .he was always polite and smartly dressed in a dark suit dark hair , and if i remember rightly he had a mustache. Its a pity you were only 3 yrs old as he would have told you many stories of the bands who played there and of jimmy Savile who was DJ . Its just a pity he messed up with what came out recently .The mecca like many was our second home going 5 times a week and on Wednesday lunchtimes .I used to go there with my mates two of them being Paul and Barry Ryan who had a hit record... Eloise.... and i think he has a comment on this site and i think still lives in Leeds In those days the sound of the sixty's was just electric you had to live it to experience the atmosphere .Today the sound of the sixty s still lives on while many of today's songs are in the charts and forgotten .

Cathyp
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed 01 Oct, 2014 9:30 am

Post by Cathyp »

Thank you for that, it is nice to read about him on here, would love to go back in time and be a fly on the wall!!!

gill1491s@gmail.com
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu 21 Mar, 2019 6:11 pm

Re:

Post by gill1491s@gmail.com »

oldleedsman wrote:
Tue 26 Feb, 2008 7:50 pm
In the mid-70s there used to be an underground shopping precinct underneath County Arcade on the Headrow side- you entered it via one of the shops by the middle section of the arcade. I seem to remember it being a nightclub/dance venue before that. Can anyone tell me more?
I remember those shops. They sold a lot of hippy clothes & jewellery which my friends & myself used to wear. I remember wearing an arm full of silver bangles that I bought from there. It was quite dingy & always had a smell of burning joss sticks. It used to be the old Mecca dance hall before that.

WhaleOilBeefHooked
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri 11 Apr, 2008 5:58 pm

Re: Dancehall in County Arcade

Post by WhaleOilBeefHooked »

gill1491s@gmail.com wrote:
Thu 03 Nov, 2022 10:41 pm
oldleedsman wrote:
Tue 26 Feb, 2008 7:50 pm
In the mid-70s there used to be an underground shopping precinct underneath County Arcade on the Headrow side- you entered it via one of the shops by the middle section of the arcade. I seem to remember it being a nightclub/dance venue before that. Can anyone tell me more?
I remember those shops. They sold a lot of hippy clothes & jewellery which my friends & myself used to wear. I remember wearing an arm full of silver bangles that I bought from there. It was quite dingy & always had a smell of burning joss sticks. It used to be the old Mecca dance hall before that.
The underground shopping place was called 'Swing In'. I'm sure there was a door to the right of the Mecca entrance...I could be wrong though. I used to buy records from a shop called 'Schmatters and Platters' in there. This was possibly early 1972.

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