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Nights out in Brighton on the Late 70s - Early 80s



BigGully

Well-known member
Sep 8, 2006
7,139
Having read this entire thread, it seems we all went to the same places in teh same order..I suppose there was an obvious pub route in those days with a few variables. 7.30 in the Druids (no mobile phones needed...It was religion. Just show up and you'd all be there!), Pump House, Sussex, Carvers (Black Lion),Annabels (Smugglers), then clubbing. Was it the Cage downstairs of Annabels. Quite seedy and druggy but brilliant! Upstairs was Nightfever. Always a smell of Amo' Nitrate! I recall the blond barmaid was also a model in one of the porn mags....

Surely you met in Shades, didnt everyone start in Shades .....
 




Ernest

Stupid IDIOT
Nov 8, 2003
42,739
LOONEY BIN
I stumbled across this brilliant thread having typed in 'coasters Brighton' into Google....I am creating a playlist of all the poynient music from my early clubbing days, starting with Saturday night all age disco at the The Court, the all age night on a Tuesday at the Top Rank with DJ Phil Leppard, Coasters , Pink Coconut/Paradox, Orianos, Nightfever.

Does anyone remember the court from 1980/81? It was an old dance school in Gloucester Place, just along from Mr Ks. On a Saturday night it opened as a Disco Run by what we described as Queen Victoria. Very strict and the music would quite often stop mid track, while she told everyone off because she'd found cigarette butts in the toilet!!! HAA.

Then Coasters with DJ Rory. What was his catchprase; 'BONA' ? Straight blokes dancing to gay music (Boystown Gang, Evelyn Thomas, Donna Summer, Lime, Divine, Hazel Dean, Sylvestor - What else???) Coasters was ahead of its time as Brighton didn't have an overtly gay scene in those days. Yet Rory in his leather chaps and cap would mince around Brighton with his pink poodles! 1983/84 was my era there. When did it finally close? It would fit in very well in Brighton these days.....Anyone know what became of Rory??? I have my suspicions!

Having read this entire thread, it seems we all went to the same places in teh same order..I suppose there was an obvious pub route in those days with a few variables. 7.30 in the Druids (no mobile phones needed...It was religion. Just show up and you'd all be there!), Pump House, Sussex, Carvers (Black Lion),Annabels (Smugglers), then clubbing. Was it the Cage downstairs of Annabels. Quite seedy and druggy but brilliant! Upstairs was Nightfever. Always a smell of Amo' Nitrate! I recall the blond barmaid was also a model in one of the porn mags....

These days I'm happy with a real ale pub and a curry after, but I wouldn't change the past for anything!

Coasters finally closed in January 1987 although Rory left in the Autumn of 1985 to go and work in a club in Southsea when the sound man Michelle started DJing in his place
 


D

Deleted User X18H

Guest
Coasters closed after the severe winter of Jan/Feb 1987. Lack of income during this time had an affect on it's fragile financies. In around 1989 it converged into Busby's and became Oriana's.

Rory can still be heard doing a guest spot on Radio Reverb under his current alias of
 


Ernest

Stupid IDIOT
Nov 8, 2003
42,739
LOONEY BIN
Coasters closed after the severe winter of Jan/Feb 1987. Lack of income during this time had an affect on it's fragile financies. In around 1989 it converged into Busby's and became Oriana's.

Rory can still be heard doing a guest spot on Radio Reverb under his current alias of

Just looked it up , it closed on January 10th as I was there and still have my tambourine I was given on the last night.
 






joker

BHA Blues Away
Aug 2, 2010
571
Eastbourne
Used to meet up at the Ship in Lewes Rd, have a few there, then on to either Sherry's or the Suite, when fun was fun.
Only went to Jenkinsons if I had a few extra quid in the bin as it was a bit expensive there, do remember seeing Suzanne Maughan and Helen Shapiro there though, walking back to happiness.
 


geoff2021

Member
Jun 22, 2009
187
the kings clubs one and two

kings one was on kings road where old melrose restaurant used to be the huttons moved there from the albany club which was situated at 19 brunswick terrace corner of brunswick square the disco dowstairs was called tinkerbelles on the ground floor was a drinking bar where you had to have the compulsory sausage and mash so as to buy a drink (archaic licensing laws) the casino was on the 1st floor where you could play roulette american and french, blackjack, craps, on the second floor invited guests for poker schools, kings 2 closed in 1994 after the club was sold to john holland of the escape
 








skipper734

Registered ruffian
Aug 9, 2008
9,189
Curdridge
anybody remember the florida rooms, tudor bar, 101 club,starlight rooms ???

You're old. I thought I was the only one on here who was a member of all the Kings Clubs plus Florida rooms etc. What about here The Scene Club in Windmill Street 1964 to 66.
 
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somerset

New member
Jul 14, 2003
6,600
Yatton, North Somerset
No pub crawls for us , only one place to be - The William Tell on a Friday and Saturday night with Jonny Diamond as the DJ (he used to do the Cliftonville on a Sunday evening) and then headed down to Night Fever.

William Tell was great, first ever pub in Brighton to have a video juke box, Sherry's then Pink Coconut once it changed, and the pub next door pre club, can't remember its name now...... and Top Rank, Coasters and Busby's....all great nights out.
 












Oddsocks

New member
May 1, 2012
70
Yes. Queen Anne was the quiet side and Swifts was the glitzy Cocktail bar side with the grand piano shaped bar.

Remember the courtyard of Henekeys (became The Berlin Bar and Helsinkies - now Hotel du Vin) it was buzzing on a warm evening..Amazing acoustics. Or was that just too many Lime and Kiwi 20/20s I'd had!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 


User removed 4

New member
May 9, 2008
13,331
Haywards Heath
Yes. Queen Anne was the quiet side and Swifts was the glitzy Cocktail bar side with the grand piano shaped bar.

Remember the courtyard of Henekeys (became The Berlin Bar and Helsinkies - now Hotel du Vin) it was buzzing on a warm evening..Amazing acoustics. Or was that just too many Lime and Kiwi 20/20s I'd had!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i once saw a stag get a blow job from a "stripper" in henekeys courtyard, turned out to be a tranny, he went spare !!
 


Elvis

Well-known member
Mar 22, 2010
1,413
Viva Las Hove
William Tell was great, first ever pub in Brighton to have a video juke box, Sherry's then Pink Coconut once it changed, and the pub next door pre club, can't remember its name now...... and Top Rank, Coasters and Busby's....all great nights out.

I remember that video juke box, I used to work further up Queens road ( building now the Big Issue place) for lunch we used to go to The William Tell drink Lager tops and plug all our change in the video juke box. Thegreat bit was they used to let us use luncheon vouchers for the drinks. HAPPY DAYS..
 










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