Was out with my old mate Mickey Davey on Saturday for the first time in ages - his mate Paul was a photographer and came to Wigan one night in 1980 (?) and took about 500 pics - I've been mithering Mickey to get these loaded up for years and here's a few - Mick gave me all the photo's with me on years back and unbelievably I have managed to lose them    - anyway Mickey's the coloured lad testing his splits and with the 'tache stood outside M's foyer doorway:

 

 

Main Room

 

 

Outside M's foyer doorway

 

 

Vernon in dance comp

 

 

M's - a young Pete Murphy leaning on the speaker

 

 

 

Mick Davey

Edited December 23, 201311 yr by Barry

That's an extremely packed night for 1980, was it an anniversary?

That's an extremely packed night for 1980, was it an anniversary?

 

It was summat as the dance competition gives it away Pete - can't remember, may have been 81!!??

Oldies night perhaps ?   Thanks for putting them up Barry , great pics,very clear, would love to see more,  500 similar have been lost ? thats a great pity , they would have made a book  or a permanent exhibition of some kind if they were all of this quality . 

It was summat as the dance competition gives it away Pete - can't remember, may have been 81!!??

 

Yeah look at the amount of people on the balcony as well.  Definitely an anniversary if there was a dance competition.

(Says the bloke who only went twice after 1978)

Oldies night perhaps ?   Thanks for putting them up Barry , great pics,very clear, would love to see more,  500 similar have been lost ? thats a great pity , they would have made a book  or a permanent exhibition of some kind if they were all of this quality . 

 

He's not lost 'em - I lost the ones with me on em Pete - he still has em - don't worry I'm back on  at him now

1980 seems fair. The american football shirts were the rage during that summer. I think i see Paul patterson from grantham in the first pic, which makes sense, we were at the 7th anniv ( if im mistaken, then maybe it will be the oldies anniv, feb 81) ?

Great photos

Edited December 23, 201311 yr by IanP

1980 seems fair. The american football shirts were the rage during that summer. I think i see Paul patterson from grantham in the first pic, which makes sense, we were at the 7th anniv ( if im mistaken, then maybe it will be the oldies anniv, feb 81) ?

Great photos

 

Yeah you might be right with the 81 Oldies Anny Ian. 

Brilliant photos - thanks for posting them.  They`re certainly a better quality than a lot you see - ah happy days....    

Great photos Barry.  I'll have to see if I can find the ones I took on my old Instamatic.

 

 

 

Vernon in dance comp

 

 

 

Think this was taken the same night Barry?....

 

Edited December 23, 201311 yr by Zed1

Think this was taken the same night Barry?....

 

Is it me or have they changed every one's posion and moved the piano since he did the spin to the splits.

Was out with my old mate Mickey Davey on Saturday for the first time in ages - his mate Paul was a photographer and came to Wigan one night in 1980 (?) and took about 500 pics - I've been mithering Mickey to get these loaded up for years and here's a few - Mick gave me all the photo's with me on years back and unbelievably I have managed to lose them    - anyway Mickey's the coloured lad testing his splits and with the 'tache stood outside M's foyer doorway:

 

 

Main Room

 

 

Outside M's foyer doorway

 

 

Vernon in dance comp

 

 

M's - a young Pete Murphy leaning on the speaker

 

 

 

Mick Davey

The blonde guy is Stuart and the guy on the right had a brother? knocked around with a guy called China from Poulton and Blackpool.

Edited December 23, 201311 yr by Prophonics 2029

Was it second price  a B&W TV and first prize was a music centre? for the dance competition.

Think I entered it that year, they played Eula Cooper and Vernon beat me....

Edited December 23, 201311 yr by Prophonics 2029

Was it second price was a B&W TV and first prize was a music centre? for the dance compettion.

 

 

 I think first prize was a pair of 40" Spencers........  2nd prize was two pairs!.

 I think first prize was a pair of 40" Spencers........  2nd prize was two pairs!.

That's over 180 inches of girth and that adds up to 75 yards of the finest Wigan `wool from the fine breed of sheep called drynylons.

Edited December 23, 201311 yr by Prophonics 2029

Is it me or have they changed every one's posion and moved the piano since he did the spin to the splits.

Not sure, but the guy hiding under is still out of harms way

Off round to see Vernon tonite,will tell him to av a look at these,can see ste livsey from horwich on a couple and a couple of Bolton girls as well.

Brilliant photos - thanks for posting them.  They`re certainly a better quality than a lot you see - ah happy days....  

Ditto.

Great pictures.

Thanks for posting Barry.

The memories come flooding back

         

Very good quality.....more of the same please.

Great pics!

All you guys were lucky to go there. I'm sure you realise!

All you guys were lucky to go there. I'm sure you realise!

It was an awesome time which will never be repeated.

Great pics those, I"m thinking deffo 80's maybe 81 with those wedge hairstyles is a give-away.

I'd mainly stopped by then, but looks a choker block night.

Get the rest off your mate Baz, superb.

Brilliant quality aren't they.....if it was the oldies anniversary Feb '81, we were there somewhere

 

Great pics those, I"m thinking deffo 80's maybe 81 with those wedge hairstyles is a give-away.

 

Pete Wright from Shaw and Billy Wright from Royton, both had "John Boy" (as in the Waltons) wedge hair cuts as early as '76/77.....mind you we were trendy b*stards round our way   

Brilliant quality aren't they.....if it was the oldies anniversary Feb '81, we were there somewhere

 

 

Pete Wright from Shaw and Billy Wright from Royton, both had "John Boy" (as in the Waltons) wedge hair cuts as early as '76/77.....mind you we were trendy b*stards round our way   

 

Yeah, yer probably right, they were around at the Ritz dayers 76/77 too, but as I remember, it's was crowds coming up on coaches from the West Mids, the funk brigade, Levine/Curtis mob, not many in the Northern crowd at that time.

Except for a few trendy ones on the Northern scene, (I know of one, Rob Taylor R.I.P) from Warrington, he always had a Brian Ferry job, but they seem to hit mass market 81ish, mainly from the football terrace too, not the nightclubs I'd say at that time.

Yeah, yer probably right, they were around at the Ritz dayers 76/77 too, but as I remember, it's was crowds coming up on coaches from the West Mids, the funk brigade, Levine/Curtis mob, not many in the Northern crowd at that time.

Except for a few trendy ones on the Northern scene, (I know of one, Rob Taylor R.I.P) from Warrington, he always had a Brian Ferry job, but they seem to hit mass market 81ish, mainly from the football terrace too, not the nightclubs I'd say at that time.

 

that's right....and the funk crew were defo the trend setters when it came to fashion.

that's right....and the funk crew were defo the trend setters when it came to fashion.

 

Yeah, they used to wear v neck mohair jumpers, small collars, top button fastened, drainpipes, winkle pickers.

I always thought they were a really cool crowd, some of my mates on on the Northern scene thought they were from Mars!

They were deffo years ahead of the game, think they were Brummies or Wolves, deffo midlands.

Yeah, they used to wear v neck mohair jumpers, small collars, top button fastened, drainpipes, winkle pickers.

I always thought they were a really cool crowd, some of my mates on on the Northern scene thought they were from Mars!

They were deffo years ahead of the game, think they were Brummies or Wolves, deffo midlands.

 

....we had our own "Gok Wan" in Dougy Ling from Oldham....who was wearing straight legs and converse by late '77...Mecca Man at heart

Great photos mate, thanks for posting.  Would love to see the rest. 

The plastic sandals and drainpipe trousers just didn't seem to appeal to my sartorial epitome of duffle coat, Skinners and wellies!

The plastic sandals and drainpipe trousers just didn't seem to appeal to my sartorial epitome of duffle coat, Skinners and wellies!

 

     ....yeah I was more of a "Man at C&A" kind of bloke myself

I think at the time mine was more "Man In A&E."

The photos are great and it really does remind me that this was a real place and not just a figment of a now old and adled brain.

However this is some 4 or 5 years after I stopped going to any Northern clubs....the change in fashion does seem far more drastic than I had appreciated it to have been. And as someone has said it does appear to be a transfer from the terraces and mainstream youth fashion of the time.....from what I remember?! Not perhaps a distinct fashion or scene identifying differential.

Sorry make it more like 2or 3 years after stopping going to the Mecca and Ritz/ Blue Rooms.....

I think at the time mine was more "Man In A&E."

Man at SK&F 

How sexy does the girl with the black bra on look ?

given me a bit of a chubby has that !!!!!!

     

I had shoulder length hair in 77 when I was in the 5th year at school and as wedge hair styles were associated with the northern scene then, I got mine cut that way along with a few mates I had the same style for about ten years!!!

Edited December 23, 201311 yr by AndyJ

How sexy does the girl with the black bra on look ?

given me a bit of a chubby has that !!!!!!

     

It was dark blue actually..........and I should know....it was me!!

 

Thanx anyway

Edited December 23, 201311 yr by Guest

Is it me or have they changed every one's posion and moved the piano since he did the spin to the splits.

It looks like Zed1s photo has been flipped at some time....if you get what I mean,  

guy under the joanna......whats he up to?

 

.....looking for escapee tiger-barbs?

Talking of hairstyles, can anyone remember the fashion for having the sides dyed blonde.  That was definitely 80 / 81.

Talking of hairstyles, can anyone remember the fashion for having the sides dyed blonde.  That was definitely 80 / 81.

I had two badger stripes down either side of me head....a white stripe down one side with red under it and a white and blue creation too  

Jesus...no wonder Wigan closed down, did you lot start wearing John Wayne shirts and pixie boots?

Kaja-goo-gooey or what!

Quite a lot of the main Wigan Casino photos in black n white that have done the rounds over the years ie ones that where being sold by certain people and framed back in the 90s ect where taken by local Lowton lad Mick Davey he had or had a big folder of the ones he took most of the  iconic photos from that era Mick took he's still knocking about and lives in Leigh he was great mates with Wayne Hackett and Micks sister Cath still goes along to Lowton soul nites every now n again... I've seen all the photos he took there are some brilliant photos from that era 

Quite a lot of the main Wigan Casino photos in black n white that have done the rounds over the years ie ones that where being sold by certain people and framed back in the 90s ect where taken by local Lowton lad Mick Davey he had or had a big folder of the ones he took most of the  iconic photos from that era Mick took he's still knocking about and lives in Leigh he was great mates with Wayne Hackett and Micks sister Cath still goes along to Lowton soul nites every now n again... I've seen all the photos he took there are some brilliant photos from that era 

 

 

G

G

G

Sorry chaps...a bit pissed...it wasn't Mickey that took the photos...it was Paul....Bee Gees haircut...tache...I truly believe that Micks photo stash are possibly the best hidden secret of Wigan as it was at the back end ever.

 

...nice to hear someone bring Wayne Hackett up...Wayne was the muscly black guy that used to dance to the left of the stage in M's...anyone remember when he died his shaved Afro blonde? With the arch cut into the back? 

 

He always looked cool as...still does...seen him and Mickey doing the 'black lad dancing in unison' thing at Lowton in the past...but if us skinny white assed fe kerbs would have utilised the same moves, we would have looked ridiculous haha...should I shut up? 

 

Sorry had had my memory pricked.

They were taken on a proper round the neck, two hands on Nikon with a long lens....I do forget feck all ;)