Bored at work, so I decided to do a google walk around a few nighter venues I used to frequent.......Is Yate (the venue not the town !) still there ? I don't recognise the car park/shopping centre on google , has it been extended/re-developed ? .......Mind you, haven't been there since 1980 so it could be my memory playing tricks

Still there. There's a whopping great big Tesco in front of it now but the staircase up the outside is still visible. 

Still there. There's a whopping great big Tesco in front of it now but the staircase up the outside is still visible. 

 

Ahh, that's why I couldn't see it, I could see the Tesco...

Before the allnighter was at the old stars and stripes  nite club it was across from that at the sports center......those were the days....not sure if sports center still there,did tesco buy it up...

snooky

Which was the venue that had those weird plastic screens in front of chairs (were they for Bingo) ?.

 

Russ

Which was the venue that had those weird plastic screens in front of chairs (were they for Bingo) ?.

 

Russ

Towards the end of the "Stars & Stripes" incarnation Russ and they did tend to get in the bloody way, and I'm not a dancer!

Yea, always looked a bit weird...

 

Russ

When they had renovated the Stars and Stripes venue, that lovely big floor had been replaced with a sunken floor less than the size of the six yard box on a football pitch.

There was even a ladder down to it at the end that was farthest away from the old stage.

 

Snooky the Baths were still there last time I drove through Yate. But there is a new (opened in the last 18 months i think) Sports venue that has a swimming pool. So maybe the building is still there but it has a differnt use nowadays? Vince Ayres (Member on here) ran alldayers and the occasional soul night at the old baths venue in the 90s. But I was told that the room had been made smaller than when the niters were held there. That was before my time, I went from 1978/79 to the Stars and Stripes venue only. For anyone good with dates. Soul Sam was the guest at my first niter. And for me the best received tune of the night was Ben Zine - Village of tears.

I was at that niter when Sam guested. I do remember him playing the Happy Cats.

When they had renovated the Stars and Stripes venue, that lovely big floor had been replaced with a sunken floor less than the size of the six yard box on a football pitch.

There was even a ladder down to it at the end that was farthest away from the old stage.

 

Snooky the Baths were still there last time I drove through Yate. But there is a new (opened in the last 18 months i think) Sports venue that has a swimming pool. So maybe the building is still there but it has a differnt use nowadays? Vince Ayres (Member on here) ran alldayers and the occasional soul night at the old baths venue in the 90s. But I was told that the room had been made smaller than when the niters were held there. That was before my time, I went from 1978/79 to the Stars and Stripes venue only. For anyone good with dates. Soul Sam was the guest at my first niter. And for me the best received tune of the night was Ben Zine - Village of tears.

The baths were very strange.....my first allnighter at age of 13 0r 14..went with my brother...details are vauge now but dave thorley knows more....Kojack was a great man.....this subject has been covered before on here...many crazy nights...we all knew about 'the Crack'(not drugs)Many great friends we met there...sadly several have departed us now...

chris brick   &    harry cook......those were the days

Yate......, great times , the Tewkesbury soul boys , Stroud , glos & Cheltenham it was our Wigan ....... someone should put on a one off yate niter ," il be there"

Yate......, great times , the Tewkesbury soul boys , Stroud , glos & Cheltenham it was our Wigan ....... someone should put on a one off yate niter ," il be there"

 

Dave Thorley did one in Berkeley Power Station's club. It was mobbed.

And I have noticed a few guys who made the trip that night, (maybe 4 or 5 years ago now?) are still going to nights and the niter in Gloucester. I hadn't seen them in 20 years before that. So it sparked their interest again.

The actual venue is now Riley's Snooker hall. The concrete steps are still there. And the entrance where you paid. Best times ever!

Never been in a venue that was so full of nutters,what great times Dave

not forgetting the Reading contingent...as you said Spin, it was our Wigan though some of us where still doing the trip up north now and again.

At the outset, courtesy of "Inter City Soul Club", a la' "Kojak"  ( the late John Harvey ), if I remember correctly, the venue was called the Stirling Suite.....

Loved it even more when "Dinksy" ? from Portsmouth ran it under the Southern Soul club banner if I recall?? 

Great Great  Times

We went to Berkeley , i think mike could do a "Yate" special at wotton hall , might have a word ..........got a dusty box full , B j Thomas , leon Thomas , Joe Frazier etc etc

At the outset, courtesy of "Inter City Soul Club", a la' "Kojak"  ( the late John Harvey ), if I remember correctly, the venue was called the Stirling Suite.....

Loved it even more when "Dinksy" ? from Portsmouth ran it under the Southern Soul club banner if I recall?? 

Great Great  Times

Still got my Southern Soul Club membership card and Inter City Soul Club patch somewhere, and anyone remember Kojak's daughters name, he used to take her with him to quite a few venues.

Dave Thorley did one in Berkeley Power Station's club. It was mobbed.

And I have noticed a few guys who made the trip that night, (maybe 4 or 5 years ago now?) are still going to nights and the niter in Gloucester. I hadn't seen them in 20 years before that. So it sparked their interest again.

I flew in from Spain for Dave's Revival.....just for 1 night was bloody cold..........met a load of old friends...

Just to concur with what others have said, Yate was totally different to other nighters, I can't think of any other venue I could compare it to if I were being asked by someone who never went what it was like.... I went to most if not all of them from mid 78 until the big bust in early 80....Great times. It was well supported by Beds & Herts contingent event though the drive home across country was a bit of a nightmare in those days......The reality of the late 70s scene was far removed from the one often portrayed these days. Great as Wigan was, it was only one venue amongst many that were just as good but in different respects (IMO)

Just to concur with what others have said, Yate was totally different to other nighters, I can't think of any other venue I could compare it to if I were being asked by someone who never went what it was like.... I went to most if not all of them from mid 78 until the big bust in early 80....Great times. It was well supported by Beds & Herts contingent event though the drive home across country was a bit of a nightmare in those days......The reality of the late 70s scene was far removed from the one often portrayed these days. Great as Wigan was, it was only one venue amongst many that were just as good but in different respects (IMO)

 

Well put Martyn, this has always been my take on things too....I would also add, that Stafford & the 100 Club were probably more Yate than Wigan, if the comparison had to be made. 

 

The few times I went to Yate, I found some of the folk pretty scary TBH !!!....didnt really know anyone, but f*ck me did I have a good time, folk I know from there, but never spoke to at the time, seemed much older than me back then, altho they wernt really, many have since become great friends.

 

Yate is a vastly underated influence on the NS scene in general, through the likes of Dave Thorley, Greety, Ady Pountain, Clarkie, Tony Ellis Shay, Hippo, Steve Smith etc.

 

Re:  The Power Station Allnighters - One of the best venues I have ever attended an Allnighter at, the first was a Yate re union & was mobbed, there where then several other Nighters there which had brilliant DJ line ups & fantastic music played, I went to every one, unfortunately the attendance dropped for each one, altho DT & M, did thier utmost & the music was brilliant....if people had got off thier arses, we would have had one of the best Nighters in the country for decades in the South....shameful that thru ill attendance it had to end....dont just talk the talk, walk the walk & attend these great venues..... 

 

Best Russ

 

When they had renovated the Stars and Stripes venue, that lovely big floor had been replaced with a sunken floor less than the size of the six yard box on a football pitch.

There was even a ladder down to it at the end that was farthest away from the old stage.

 

Snooky the Baths were still there last time I drove through Yate. But there is a new (opened in the last 18 months i think) Sports venue that has a swimming pool. So maybe the building is still there but it has a differnt use nowadays? Vince Ayres (Member on here) ran alldayers and the occasional soul night at the old baths venue in the 90s. But I was told that the room had been made smaller than when the niters were held there. That was before my time, I went from 1978/79 to the Stars and Stripes venue only. For anyone good with dates. Soul Sam was the guest at my first niter. And for me the best received tune of the night was Ben Zine - Village of tears.

 

Just as an add on Soul Sam gave me and my missus a lift to Leicester after Yate ,( he was driving an White MGB GT) - which was the closest he could get to Peterborough , was doing a dayer somewhere - nice guy -

Never been in a venue that was so full of nutters,what great times Dave

 

 

Remember the night it kick off with some funk boys out side - with Chris & Harry and the south wales lot , always good for the red bull !!!!!!! 

Remember the night it kick off with some funk boys out side - with Chris & Harry and the south wales lot , always good for the red bull !!!!!!! 

 

I remember it going off with some football mob, (Bristol Rovers ?)....Or am I thinking of the same incident. Loads of smarties scattered on the floor.I got handed a handful of Filon, so it wasn't all bad    

 

 

 

It was extremely disappointing Russ.

I had discussions with mates from Dursley, about 5 miles away, about why they didn't go. Most went to yate regularly. And the general response was they weren't as active as they were back then. So they preferred to hear stuff they knew rather than the Yate (and as you say Stafford/100 club) ethos of fresh sounds.

 

Its a shame but we've discussed this elsewhere. Like you Iwent to every one. I can remember dancing in the main room watching you dance to a totally different song upstairs. it was quite surreal. I really feel for Dave trying it there. It is a great venue, and as you say the music was first class.

Wish I had a better memory, only went a coupla times, could have been 3, long way from Manchester in those days  , I reckon around 77ish 

First journey was a bit epic, got distracted by a big red moon-don't ask-and forgot to go down the M5 ended up going across country after we got to Watford and realised things weren't quite right   

Any way, we thought we wouldn't know anybody, first face we saw? Mick Sayles from Stockport.

 

"what are you lot doing here?" sez he.

 

" trying to avoid Tw*ts like you."  we replied.

 

Second journey was even more "eventful"