Last train from Sheffield, or a lift with Derek Sheldon, just loved this venue...... Got one of the " Doin' it with soul" posters somewhere.

Last train from Sheffield, or a lift with Derek Sheldon, just loved this venue...... Got one of the " Doin' it with soul" posters somewhere.

my fave all nighter of all time, what a venue.

Yes,brings back a few good times,cant remember the other good ones.

Yes,brings back a few good times,cant remember the other good ones.

I promoted the all - nighters at Wakefield Unity between December 1976 and October 1977 .

The Unity was concieved as a " no - frills " all - nighter , with the intention of combining new northern sounds and underplayed / established oldies , with the emerging " modern " sounds of the time ( the publicity blurb for the Unity was
" doin' it with soul " ) .

The DJs who worked for me at the Unity were given free reign to " get on with it " , which meant that the music policy worked effectively and very successfully , as the the records they played were accepted without predudice or questioning by those who attended .

At the height of its' popularity in 1977 , it was stated and hailed by many , as being a better all - nighter than Wigan Casino was at the time .

Unfortunately in the September of 1977 , the shine of success started to tarnish , when the governing body of Wakefield Council saw that money was being made ,their blantant beauracratic greed got the better of them and told me they wanted a share of the money . They raised the hire fee 200% , and imposed more contractual restrictions . As I wanted the all — nighters to continue , I had no choice . At the beginning of October , I was called to an urgent meeting where I was informed that my hire contract had been terminated , telling me bluntly that “ why should I make money when they could “ , and that
“ they would do a better job than I could running the all — nighters " . They also imposed a banning order on from me ever booking the Unity Hall ( or any Wakefield Council owned / run property ) again for any purpose .

They attempted to stage all -nighters , but due to their ineptness and lack of experience , dropped very large b*llocks and failed miserably .

Unity DJ line up

Pat Brady
Andy Lee
Chris Donaghue
Colin Curtis
Dave Evison
Malc Burton
Bub
Martyn Ellis
Derek Greenhoff
Ginger Taylor
Ian Dewhirst
John Poole
Derek Sheldon
John Manship
Rick Scott
Soul Sam
John Vincent
Keith Minshull
Nev Wherry
Paul Rowan
Paul Schofield
Poke
Richard Searling



Malc

Edited February 7, 201510 yr by pikeys dog
swearing - workplace filters

I promoted the all - nighters at Wakefield Unity , between December 1976 and October 1977 .

The Unity was concieved as a " no - frills " all - nighter , with the intention of combining new northern sounds and underplayed / established oldies , with the emerging " modern " sounds of the time ( the motto for the Unity was " doin' it with soul " , but unofficially it was " let the DJ get on with it " ) .

That policy I am pleased to say , worked effectively and very successfully , as its' playlist of those sounds were accepted without predudice or questioning , by those who attended .

At the height of its' popularity in 1977 , it was stated and hailed by many , as being a better all - nighter than Wigan Casino was at the time .

In October of 1977 , the then governing body of Wakefield Council made the decision that they could do a better and more successful job of running the all - nighters , and withdrew my contract with them , and banned me from ever booking the Unity Hall again for any purpose .

They attempted to stage all -nighters , but dropped b*llocks and failed miserably due to their ineptness and beauracratic greed .

Full Unity DJ line up

Pat Brady
Andy Lee
Chris Donaghue
Colin Curtis
Dave Evison
Malc Burton
Bub
Martyn Ellis
Derek Greenhoff
Ginger Taylor
Ian Dewhirst
John Poole
Derek Sheldon
John Manship
Rick Scott
Soul Sam
John Vincent
Keith Minshull
Nev Wherry
Paul Rowan
Paul Schofield
Poke
Richard Searling



Malc

Great Allnighter with a top DJ line up ......... one of my favs from that era/oh what fun we had ....................still have my record box sticker from the Unity Hall allnighters/red and white logo aka Stax Records logo ?

ktf

tfk

Edited February 7, 201510 yr by pikeys dog
swearing - workplace filters

Great Allnighter with a top DJ line up ......... one of my favs from that era/oh what fun we had ....................still have my record box sticker from the Unity Hall allnighters/red and white logo aka Stax Records logo ?

ktf

tfk

Those stickers - correct they had an adaptation of the Stax logo - had the strongest glue known to man on the back .

If you tried to peel them off after being stuck down , they ripped ........ I blame the printer - Andy ( Andy56 on SS ) for being heavy handed when he mixed the glue

I bet it is still on your record box

Thanks for your - and the others - kind comments on the Unity . It was of its' time ....... but what a time

I organised and held a well attended 30th Anniversary reunion in 2006 .

The DJ line up in the night was Ginger , Sam , John Poole , Poke , Paul Rowan and yours truly .

I am comtemplating staging the 35th anniversary in 2011 , but as of yet plans to do so are set in sand and not in concrete ......... but watch this space .

Malc

Edited October 1, 201014 yr by Malc Burton

It was an awsome time Malc ! .. coach trips from Rotherham ... wonderful !

pete ! ktf

It was an awsome time Malc ! .. coach trips from Rotherham ... wonderful !

pete ! ktf

If I remember correctly Peter , you were always on the dancefloor at the front of the stage ..... as you are still doing these days wherever you go

Malc

Edited October 1, 201014 yr by Malc Burton

The photographs below of inside the UH were taken in 2004 , when I was given permission by the owner of the building to go in and take them . At that time , the UH had been empty and derelict for many years , and sadly was in a poor state .

If you look carefully at the dancefloor , you will see the warping that was caused by water seeping through the ceiling of the hall from holes in the roof .

Malc

Edited October 1, 201014 yr by Malc Burton

Malc,

Wasnt there a thread about Wakefield Unity, started by your good self.

A couple of years back?

Could someone possibly link?

Great niter.Many happy memories.Travelling with Nev RIP and JP

Best

Paul

I promoted the all - nighters at Wakefield Unity between December 1976 and October 1977 .

The Unity was concieved as a " no - frills " all - nighter , with the intention of combining new northern sounds and underplayed / established oldies , with the emerging " modern " sounds of the time ( the publicity blurb for the Unity was
" doin' it with soul " ) .

The DJs who worked for me at the Unity were given free reign to " get on with it " , which meant that the music policy worked effectively and very successfully , as the the records they played were accepted without predudice or questioning by those who attended .

At the height of its' popularity in 1977 , it was stated and hailed by many , as being a better all - nighter than Wigan Casino was at the time .

Unfortunately in the September of 1977 , the shine of success started to tarnish , when the governing body of Wakefield Council saw that money was being made ,their blantant beauracratic greed got the better of them and told me they wanted a share of the money . They raised the hire fee 200% , and imposed more contractual restrictions . As I wanted the all - nighters to continue , I had no choice . At the beginning of October , I was called to an urgent meeting where I was informed that my hire contract had been terminated , telling me bluntly that " why should I make money when they could " , and that " they would do a better job than I could running the all - nighters " . They also imposed a banning order on from ever booking the Unity Hall ( or any Wakefield council owned / run property ) for any purpose .

They attempted to stage all -nighters , but due to their ineptness and lack of experience , dropped very large b*llocks and failed miserably .

Unity DJ line up

Pat Brady
Andy Lee
Chris Donaghue
Colin Curtis
Dave Evison
Malc Burton
Bub
Martyn Ellis
Derek Greenhoff
Ginger Taylor
Ian Dewhirst
John Poole
Derek Sheldon
John Manship
Rick Scott
Soul Sam
John Vincent
Keith Minshull
Nev Wherry
Paul Rowan
Paul Schofield
Poke
Richard Searling



Malc

Malc
Fond memories of Unity as it was my first nighter. I was going out with a girl from Goole at the time & used to get bus from there to Wakefield & it used to take forever.............happy days.
Cheers
Martyn

Edited February 7, 201510 yr by pikeys dog
swearing - workplace filters

The photographs below of inside the UH were taken in 2004 , when I was given permission by the owner of the building to go in and take them . At that time , the UH had been empty and derelict for many years , and sadly was in a poor state .

If you look carefully at the dancefloor , you will see the warping that was caused by water seeping through the ceiling of the hall from holes in the roof .

Malc

Bloody hell just as I remember it.

Facing the stage we used to stand in the lefthand corner.

How sad is that, I can remember were I stood in a club 30 odd years ago

Cheers

Martyn

I promoted the all - nighters at Wakefield Unity between December 1976 and October 1977 .

The Unity was concieved as a " no - frills " all - nighter , with the intention of combining new northern sounds and underplayed / established oldies , with the emerging " modern " sounds of the time ( the publicity blurb for the Unity was
" doin' it with soul " ) .

The DJs who worked for me at the Unity were given free reign to " get on with it " , which meant that the music policy worked effectively and very successfully , as the the records they played were accepted without predudice or questioning by those who attended .

At the height of its' popularity in 1977 , it was stated and hailed by many , as being a better all - nighter than Wigan Casino was at the time .

Unfortunately in the September of 1977 , the shine of success started to tarnish , when the governing body of Wakefield Council saw that money was being made ,their blantant beauracratic greed got the better of them and told me they wanted a share of the money . They raised the hire fee 200% , and imposed more contractual restrictions . As I wanted the all - nighters to continue , I had no choice . At the beginning of October , I was called to an urgent meeting where I was informed that my hire contract had been terminated , telling me bluntly that " why should I make money when they could " , and that " they would do a better job than I could running the all - nighters " . They also imposed a banning order on from ever booking the Unity Hall ( or any Wakefield council owned / run property ) for any purpose .

They attempted to stage all -nighters , but due to their ineptness and lack of experience , dropped very large b*llocks and failed miserably .

Unity DJ line up

Pat Brady
Andy Lee
Chris Donaghue
Colin Curtis
Dave Evison
Malc Burton
Bub
Martyn Ellis
Derek Greenhoff
Ginger Taylor
Ian Dewhirst
John Poole
Derek Sheldon
John Manship
Rick Scott
Soul Sam
John Vincent
Keith Minshull
Nev Wherry
Paul Rowan
Paul Schofield
Poke
Richard Searling



Malc

Brill BRill times at the Unity Malc............ but did you not get roughed up a bit by them over the hill for running it bit like when they tried to take over Cleggy


Rob

Edited February 7, 201510 yr by pikeys dog
swearing - workplace filters

Brill BRill times at the Unity Malc............ but did you not get roughed up a bit by them over the hill for running it bit like when they tried to take over Cleggy

Rob

Affirmative Mr W , affirmative

It was for a combination of running the Unity in competiiton with , and distributing publicity information for the Unity there .

My ribs still ache from the customising they were presented with .......

Malc

Edited October 5, 201014 yr by Malc Burton

Affirmative Mr W , affirmative

Malc

Affirmative ??

Malc, I know you're catching on a bit mate but ya just gotta learn how to talk proper like the rest of us.

Edited October 4, 201014 yr by Dave Turner

Affirmative ??

Malc, I know you're catching on a bit mate but ya just gotta learn how to talk proper like the rest of us.

Just trying to get down with the kids Dave .......

What is your excuse for being up this morning ? loose bladder or early pash session ?

Malc

Just trying to get down with the kids Dave .......

What is your excuse for being up this morning ? loose bladder or early pash session ?

Malc

Thought about the pash sesh then decided on a cuppa tea instead

My first nighter in Yorkshire. I had been to Wigan & St Ives when I was at school darn sarf.

Quite a few of the older Selby crew used to go like Ady Dundas, Les Ure, Dennis Jacklin, Eric Smith(Best dancer I ever saw), Sammy Seaman etc...

I was just a whipper snapper and mainly stood and watched in awe at the dancers, only dancing to things I knew really well so I knew when to clap etc....

Happy days.

My first nighter in Yorkshire. I had been to Wigan & St Ives when I was at school darn sarf.

Quite a few of the older Selby crew used to go like Ady Dundas, Les Ure, Dennis Jacklin, Eric Smith(Best dancer I ever saw), Sammy Seaman etc...

I was just a whipper snapper and mainly stood and watched in awe at the dancers, only dancing to things I knew really well so I knew when to clap etc....

Happy days.

Now there is a sterling collection of gentlemen .

I know Ady and Les are still doing the rounds , but what about the other names that are highlighted ?

Malc

Now there is a sterling collection of gentlemen .

I know Ady and Les are still doing the rounds , but what about the other names that are highlighted ?

Malc

Sorry, no idea what's happened to any of them. Don't get out these days so lost touch with everyone on the scene.

Just hope they are all well and enjoying life. I hope this for everyone I met on the scene over the years. Great times and memories.

May try to reintroduce myself to the scene in 2011. Last went in 2002.

Those stickers - correct they had an adaptation of the Stax logo - had the strongest glue known to man on the back .

If you tried to peel them off after being stuck down , they ripped ........ I blame the printer - Andy ( Andy56 on SS ) for being heavy handed when he mixed the glue

I bet it is still on your record box

Thanks for your - and the others - kind comments on the Unity . It was of its' time ....... but what a time

I organised and held a well attended 30th Anniversary reunion in 2006 .

The DJ line up in the night was Ginger , Sam , John Poole , Poke , Paul Rowan and yours truly .

I am comtemplating staging the 35th anniversary in 2011 , but as of yet plans to do so are set in sand and not in concrete ......... but watch this space .

Malc

Yes, go on, blame the poor printer !!! I'll have you know I sweated blood sweat and tears printing those things. (In all fairness the record box stickers were a guvy job and I had to make do with what paper I had available).

Actually Malc, I've just started doing an A4 version of the poster, and just thought I'd better ask your permission. After all, it is your design.

If anyone has a pic of the record box sticker I'd be grateful if they could let me have one and I'll have a go at reproducing that as well.

Cheers - Andy

Edited November 1, 201014 yr by Andy56

Yes, go on, blame the poor printer !!! I'll have you know I sweated blood sweat and tears printing those things. (In all fairness the record box stickers were a guvy job and I had to make do with what paper I had available).

Actually Malc, I've just started doing an A4 version of the poster, and just thought I'd better ask your permission. After all, it is your design.

If anyone has a pic of the record box sticker I'd be grateful if they could let me have one and I'll have a go at reproducing that as well.

Cheers - Andy

I can appreciate the " poor " statement Andy , but as for the " sweating " ....... you reserved that for the dance floor , not the workplace

I have sent you a PM about the poster and the sticker .

Malc

Edited November 2, 201014 yr by Malc Burton

I had the pleasure of attending two allnighters at this excellent venue in August 1977 and September 1977.I will always consider this a much better allnighter than Wigan, which I was at the time attending at least twice a month. It had a much more varied DJ line up and playlist because of it.In my experience one of the most underated allnighters of the 1970`s,many thanks to the promoters for leaving me with very fond memories.

 

Attended four or five nighters here, including the last one.............have very fond memories.  

 

Such a shame it was so short-lived.  

Edited April 23, 201411 yr by CeeJay

Went once, it was alright, then we went home.