Lost Night-Clubs of Leeds!

Samson · Post by **Samson** » Tue 08 Apr, 2008 2:36 am

I think it was licensed as I was in there latish. It was never the most popular of venues, if I remember rightly and I do not know how long it remained in operation. Reading my diary I think I only went in 2/3 times, that plus 38 years and it is all a little hazy!!

Chrism · Post by **Chrism** » Tue 08 Apr, 2008 2:26 pm

dustyfingers wrote: There was a disco above the rolarena (now a ytv buiding) on kirkstall rd who's name escapes me, we were too young to get in but our club WAS the roller rink. waiting for the bouncers to turn round so we could glide into the bar upstairs for half of D.D. you could follow a bird for 3 hours solid in those days, sometimes they didn't even notice! i think the d.j was called simon peters perhaps. white suit? speed sessions with Rocking Goose and if you got lucky an arm in arm romantic skate to 'I'm just a lonely boy. lonely and blue'i saw mungo jerry there, my mate missed the concert 'cos he had to get the last bus home before they came on.some of the older guys, rockers and greasers, used to bop to the rock n roll with their skates on. blimmin' rebels! I spent many hours of my early teens in The Rollarena and I have no recollection of a night club. I remember there being seating all round the rink upstairs and I think there was a bar up there too, above the bar downstairs.

String o' beads · Post by **String o' beads** » Tue 08 Apr, 2008 2:47 pm

dustyfingers wrote: There was a disco above the rolarena (now a ytv buiding) on kirkstall rd who's name escapes me, we were too young to get in but our club WAS the roller rink. waiting for the bouncers to turn round so we could glide into the bar upstairs for half of D.D. you could follow a bird for 3 hours solid in those days, sometimes they didn't even notice! i think the d.j was called simon peters perhaps. white suit? speed sessions with Rocking Goose and if you got lucky an arm in arm romantic skate to 'I'm just a lonely boy. lonely and blue'i saw mungo jerry there, my mate missed the concert 'cos he had to get the last bus home before they came on.some of the older guys, rockers and greasers, used to bop to the rock n roll with their skates on. blimmin' rebels! The last time I was in Mallorca former Radio Leeds DJ Simon Peters and his wife Wendy were presenters on the local English language radio station.

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Tue 08 Apr, 2008 9:29 pm

Loiner in Cyprus wrote: Samson wrote: Does anyone remember the Take Five club???It was somewhere in the New Briggate area of Leeds, I went there in/around 1969/70. I seem to remember it was owned by the composer of the tune of the same name (although it could have been a rumour!) I seem to remember it being more of a coffe bar than a club. But I may be wrong! Brubecks was on Vicar Lane, next to the ABC, I never went in there, but you could see from the outside that the walls were decorated with the music of "Take Five"I saw the "Dave Brubeck Quartet" at the Odeon in 1963.

String o' beads · Post by **String o' beads** » Tue 08 Apr, 2008 9:40 pm

Trojan wrote: Loiner in Cyprus wrote: Samson wrote: Does anyone remember the Take Five club???It was somewhere in the New Briggate area of Leeds, I went there in/around 1969/70. I seem to remember it was owned by the composer of the tune of the same name (although it could have been a rumour!) I seem to remember it being more of a coffe bar than a club. But I may be wrong! Brubecks was on Vicar Lane, next to the ABC, I never went in there, but you could see from the outside that the walls were decorated with the music of "Take Five"I saw the "Dave Brubeck Quartet" at the Odeon in 1963. Was it the Take Five that was converted into the Gemini pub then?

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Tue 08 Apr, 2008 10:31 pm

Geordie-exile wrote: Trojan wrote: Loiner in Cyprus wrote: Samson wrote: Does anyone remember the Take Five club???It was somewhere in the New Briggate area of Leeds, I went there in/around 1969/70. I seem to remember it was owned by the composer of the tune of the same name (although it could have been a rumour!) I seem to remember it being more of a coffe bar than a club. But I may be wrong! Brubecks was on Vicar Lane, next to the ABC, I never went in there, but you could see from the outside that the walls were decorated with the music of "Take Five"I saw the "Dave Brubeck Quartet" at the Odeon in 1963. Was it the Take Five that was converted into the Gemini pub then? I thought it became a Greek coffee bar and then Jumbo Chinese.

Clive White · Post by **Clive White** » Wed 09 Apr, 2008 1:44 am

Thanks for reminding me about Riffs - that was a great club with a "friendly, up-for-anything crowd" as I once heard it described. The Chocolate Factory was also great. I'd like to pull in there by pretending to be a Leeds United player...

wiggy · Post by **wiggy** » Wed 09 Apr, 2008 11:37 pm

exiled in essex wrote: The first place I ever got in (aged 14, oh my god) was Panama Joes, which later became Sam Miguels and then Yel. We then graduated to The News (aged 15) which, if I remember correctly, did not have a revolving dance floor when it was The News, I believe that came into play when it became Planet Earth. I spent a lot of Friday nights in The News so I think I'd recall the dance floor. Used to go to Confettis, which then became Ritzy's. I remember the queues being so long they stretched right down to Chaplins. Also Mister Craigs. I have a scar on my shin from walking into one of the low, black tables they had in there on the black carpet which made them practically invisible (when you'd had a few!). I also used to frequent The Gallery which became the Pleasure Rooms and then there was that all night place which used to open at 2.00am called the Bedrooms (on Lady Lane if my memory serves me right, it was all a bit addled in those heady days). Sometimes we used to go to Madisons (normally on a Thursday for some reason) and I always used to think that a nightclub with windows was somehow not quite right........Didn't the Dharbar Indian restaurant on Kirkgate used to be a nightclub, way before my time but I remember as a child seeing it being called Strawberry Affaire and then (or maybe before) Club Damian? Does anyone remember Soames Casino being on the corner of the market? Didn't that site become Primo's II?Admit it, who ever went to Spooks? I went in once against my better judgement. To jog the memories it was situated above Big Lils. Not my scene at all, I was in fear of my life. By the way, there isn't anything in Scholes called The Stables - there's The Buffers and The Barleycorn. The Buffers was always the livelier pub of the two but even though I am Scholes born and bred I never drank in there, preferred the bright lights of town! damians! thats the one i tried to think of.

andyman · Post by **andyman** » Thu 10 Apr, 2008 5:06 am

Heyi have some great memories of clubbing in leeds from the mid 90's to the present day. anyone remember any of these?tunnel bar - at the back of the merrion centre near the hotel, think it was also called yellsthe phono- under merrion centre, rock and goth club, i remember first time i went in there and went downstair, thought it was reaaly big till i nearly walked into the big mirrors on the wall opposite.ritzy - over 25's night on a wed, was wicked would be able to go in there even thought i was only 16!!!! must of looked really old.pleasure rooms - think that actually became part of heaven and hell when it opened. entrance was opposite mojo'sbrannigans - legendary!! this was the place to be, was rammed every friday,sat and just before it closed it was really popular on a sunday night. we used to be in there most sunday nights. anyone remember that guy who used to be in there all the time, think he was called leroy( he would allways be at the bar with a different women, he used to have 2 crutches, think he had polio! he was a great guy)majestics - started off a really good place to go, but was soon taken over by the idiots looking to have a scrap! i remember getting off with my mates mum in that place, he never did find out either. it had about 4 different levels to it.jumping jaks - this was the place to go before majestics, you could in fact get into majestics through here once it was about to close. remeber this place just shut down without any warning.planet earth - 50p a vodka, fantastic, was allways full of students. anyone remember the old guy who used to go in there and strut his stuff on the dance floor, he allways had women around him. last saw him in pudsey about 6 years ago.observatory - really cheap drinks but not too classyflares (formerly observatory) - was a good place to go if you wanted to pull a bird, we used to have a "20 minute rule" this meant that if you had not pulled within 20 minutes of entering then you might aswell go home, thats how easy it was in there. had many a good night in there, a few bad mornings though!birdcage - this is the new heaven and hell, but its cheap. didn't it used to have another name, irish name i think?fruit cupboard - just down near the calls, didn't go in much but seemed okwhich was the other one on the other corner near elbow rooms, wasn't there long, quite a big place.evolution - this was down kirstall road, at the warner village, they used to run a free bus from town to this place, it was an ok club, but don't think the location helped it out muchclub barcelona - this place is now a big jjb sport and fitness place at birstall near ikea, also had a free bus but was a nightmare to get home from.hoolies - think thats what its called, its was in stanningley, next to a pub called the jug and barrel i think, this place was really scary, only ever went in there once and that was more than enough.anyone got any pics of any of these places?

DavidYork · Post by **DavidYork** » Thu 10 Apr, 2008 10:43 am

I remember seeing a boarded up place called Code Club (sign written in a kind of computer type font) somewhere down near The Calls... This was 5 years ago now and the place had been shut a while, but it struck as me a really interesting place... I wonder if anyone ever went there?