The Leeds Mod & Soul scene in the 60s

Top tips for great nights out in Leeds
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Si
Posts: 4480
Joined: Wed 10 Oct, 2007 7:22 am
Location: Otley

Post by Si »

Thanks, Sundowner.As an aside, I remember that while I was taking photographs on an upper floor, I saw a car arrive in the driveway, so I hid. I heard two people (a man and a woman) enter the house, and so I tried to keep a couple of rooms ahead of them, as they toured the spooky house. I could hear them talking, and it turned out they were from the council (they were discussing the house's imminent demolition.) At one point, the woman said to her companion, "Have you ever felt that you're being watched?"Little did she know!    

rylo
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue 07 Oct, 2008 12:30 pm

Post by rylo »

I did keep quite a few membership cards from those days and so will attempt to upload them this weekend. Also, Si by coincident, I did a post grad year at Hyde Terrace and did a project on Leeds city centre pubs and have a few photos from around '72 inc the Guildford and funnily enough, the Haddon Hall, just off Burley Rd. I will get these out also and upload them on the Pubs thread.I've also visited that Intercon site you mentioned, try the various Mecca Locarnos, it makes interesting reading!

Si
Posts: 4480
Joined: Wed 10 Oct, 2007 7:22 am
Location: Otley

Post by Si »

Hi, Rylo,I'd like to see your pics. I thought the Intercon site was wonderfully tacky! I tried e-mailing "Boss DJ" Kingsley Allison for further information, but his e-mail address doesn't appear to be working.According to the site, there wasn't a Leeds Intercon. They were in Harrogate, York, Wakefield, and strangely, King's Lynn.

nelly1951
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun 27 Mar, 2011 1:25 pm

Post by nelly1951 »

I'm looking for info or pix on a couple of places, the Bee Gee Club and a coffee bar called the Concadora (not sure if that's the right spelling). I used to go to the Bee Gee Club and the coffee bar with my mates. We also used to go to a bar called the Ioanus (again not sure if this is right spelling, probably not) I'm ssure it was down some steps between what is now Flares and the Scarborough Taps in the city centre. Thanks for any info anyone might have. Cheers.

Si
Posts: 4480
Joined: Wed 10 Oct, 2007 7:22 am
Location: Otley

Post by Si »

Si wrote: It was an art college photographic project, so I took loads (B&W)and printed them myself. I produced a booklet about it, but unfortunately I've been looking for it for years! It's in the house somewhere - I'll start another search. Most of the pictures were of the house, but I did take some in the disco, although, if I remember rightly, they were a little under-exposed (no flash!) The building was completed in 1901, and was apparently modelled on Haddon Hall in Derbyshire, so the disco in the cellar was quite incongruous! The whole place was in a bad state of repair, with vandalism and water ingress. The lead had been taken from the roof, the leaded lights smashed, and the crenelated coping stones pushed off. Sorry - this isn't Leeds!!!     Sorry for the delay, but as promised, here's a pic of Oakdale Manor (shortly before demolition) which had the Intercon in the basement. I can't find a photo of the actual disco.Yes I know - it's still not Leeds! (Once again, click on the red X to view.)    
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Kathie
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Joined: Wed 10 Aug, 2011 11:56 am

Post by Kathie »

We used to go to the Spinning Wheel and the Twisted Wheel (think that's the name) in Manchester we either hitch hiked or tried to get someone with a scooter for a lift. The music was so good just danced the night away.

geoffb
Posts: 342
Joined: Fri 23 Feb, 2007 9:53 am

Post by geoffb »

Hi Rylo,I followed your path around Leeds although two years later, its good to remember those halcyon days, I'm glad you have confirmed the name of the club upstairs at "Old Mecca" as the Key Hole Club, I spent many a Friday night in there. It would be great to see a copy of the membership card. Did you get to the Central Club on Central Street, another soul scene in the 60s.

yorkiesknob
Posts: 272
Joined: Sat 19 Dec, 2009 6:45 pm

Post by yorkiesknob »

I was a " Soul Man " attending the Central in the late 60s.Still enjoying the music (Northern Soul). Often wondered when the name Northern Soul was first used.
Where there's muck there's money. Where there's money there's a fiddle.

scag
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu 11 Aug, 2011 3:05 pm

Post by scag »

nelly1951 wrote: I'm looking for info or pix on a couple of places, the Bee Gee Club and a coffee bar called the Concadora (not sure if that's the right spelling). I used to go to the Bee Gee Club and the coffee bar with my mates. We also used to go to a bar called the Ioanus (again not sure if this is right spelling, probably not) I'm ssure it was down some steps between what is now Flares and the Scarborough Taps in the city centre. Thanks for any info anyone might have. Cheers. Can't remember the bar IoanusBee Gee was superb- ripped blue seats, Joe Hall behind the counter, scooters lined up outside- Magic City Pin Ball machine- coke in bottles not in lines - happy days......    

loudjazz
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun 02 Oct, 2011 10:33 am

Post by loudjazz »

my dad used to own the Blue Gardenia - the BG, while the cafe and club used to attract the young uns with bands like steampacket,4 tops,joe cocker etc some real action used to be upstairs in the card room. as a kid i wandered up there and didn't really know what the green baize tables were with little letterboxes in the middle. many years later the old man told me that the house took a cut of every game which got posted into the table! local band 'the outer limits' (jeff christie on vox) played there a lot. brian auger played in leeds not so long ago (a true English gent and purveyor of real British R&B - why Queenie hasn't OBE'd him is anyones guess!) and he remembered the BG when he played there with rod stewart and long john baldry.I'm trying to find more info about the place so any snippets would be appreciated.

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