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Edinburgh Night Clubs In The 70s/80's


I'M IBRAHIM TALL

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Jam Tarts 1874

We used to meet the every Thursday to watch Top of the Pops ? the halcyon days of punk and new wave

We would then stay for a while to watch the go go dancers

 

If any of you are old enough to remember how the old juke boxes work ( they played the singles in the order they were selected )

Girl would put on first song, wait until it started then choose the second and then ask us to press her selection for the all-important 3rd dance when her top was removed !!

 

This was usually a smooch or ?sexy? tune .. Marvin Gaye.Donna Summer or some such but we would put on White Riot or Frigging in the Rigging instead

Cue dancer and punters going mental at us leading to an eventual life ban

 

I remember trying to time the drinks to coincide with seeing the "3rd dance" then heading off to try and get the timing correct in Bridies and Burke & Hare as well.  Even down to Tipplers sometimes!

 

Happy Days!

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luckyBatistuta

anyone remember Rock Bottom?

  

Yes me.

Can't remember where it was though.

How about Burlington Berties'? Remember there?

 

Was it not downstairs on Lothian road (became subway). If that's the one I'm thinking of, they used to have a heavy metal night every week. It was an older crowd and we weren't in to that music, but used to go along to watch all the yummy stuff in their leather gear (sad I know, but we were young).

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luckyBatistuta

Anybody remember what the pub on the corner of Ponton st and Fountainbridge was called (now a Malaysian restaurant)

Edited by luckyBatistuta
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Anybody remember what the pub on the corner of Ponton st and Fountainbridge was called (now a Malaysian restaurant)

 

Was it the International bar?

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Brian Whittaker's Tache

There was one on South St David Street that was open until 6am for the bouncers to go to. You went upstairs to it. I'm sure it was called Harlequins or something. Always full of young ladies that were 'liberal' with their favours :2thumbsup:. And Tommy Moore bouncing at Busters. Big unit. 

 

Bumped into Tommy last year at an Independence Rally. Still looks exactly the same. He's still on the doors at the place down Calton Road (Studio 24 I think)

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luckyBatistuta

Was it the International bar?

Not sure if it was that at one time bud, but it's not the name I'm trying to remember.

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Not sure if it was that at one time bud, but it's not the name I'm trying to remember.

 The late unlamented Market Bar I believe

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HHGH1874 - you are correct it was indeed the Market Bar. Public Bar entrance on the corner with a wee lounge/snug bar entered off Ponton Street. Used to use it for union meetings when I worked in Lothian House.

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luckyBatistuta

HHGH1874 - you are correct it was indeed the Market Bar. Public Bar entrance on the corner with a wee lounge/snug bar entered off Ponton Street. Used to use it for union meetings when I worked in Lothian House.

 

It's still not the name I'm trying to remember, aaaaargh, doing my head in :lol:

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Malt & Hops before it closed as a pub - previous names

Yesterdays, Major Browns ,Black Pig  and Market Bar

Edited by Stuart Lyon
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Used to go to Biancos, The Engine Room, Lord Toms, Burnt Post, Sneaky Petes, Bannermans, Cafe Royal

I worked in the Cafe Royal.

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luckyBatistuta

Staggers?

  

Was it not The Black Pig at some point?

It's weird that I can remember all these pubs and clubs, apart from the name of this one. None of those names ring a bell.

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It's still not the name I'm trying to remember, aaaaargh, doing my head in :lol:

Is it the premises that is Kampong Ali now?

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Kampong Ali was the Market Bar - the pub up from it towards Lothian Rd is now Lock 25 but was the Clachan. The Port `hamilton was at the far side of the old Palais and the Fair Exchange was immediately across the road.

 

Beyond the Port Hamilt on was the Grove Bar and the Fountain/Foyes both now demolished. This Fountain is not to be confused with the one beyond Fountain Park

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luckyBatistuta

Not according to Stuart "the pub" Lyon!

This bloke knows his boozers!

:lol: We are all talking about the same bar, it's just I don't remember that name, so I have no reason to doubt him on it being the Market Bar.

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Rumours, Mad Hatters, Cinderellas and Buster Browns for me

Also there was a place at the West End downstairs I think near the Caledonian Hotel?

la'tachee i think, openned 2-5am at one time

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Auld Toll was another of mine too.

 

And the Burnt Post and the Kings Arms.

 

Penthouse was my all time favourite.

Auld Toll was a good pub then.....drank there, and Bennets Kinga Arms and Lauries.....

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Anybody remember what the pub on the corner of Ponton st and Fountainbridge was called (now a Malaysian restaurant)

major browns, worked next door ,in the early 90s

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Malt & Hops before it closed as a pub - previous names

Yesterdays, Major Browns ,Black Pig  and Market Bar

Keep up the good work Stuart....
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luckyBatistuta

Remember some crazy drinks in Outer Limits...

 

Think one was called eku 24 or something like that and my favourite at that time...pints of snakebite, destroyed me.

 

Liked the old cans of Sappuro too, as it was quite cool pulling off the whole top of the can and it became just like drinking out a glass.

 

Not sure if someone has already said, but what was the nightclub above the Playhouse called.

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luckyBatistuta

Anyone remember the Jailhouse on Calton Road?

Was that up the top opposite the station? I remember going to see A Guy Called Gerald there.

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luckyBatistuta

Became the Venue. Always seemed to be open late.

That was it, the Venue. Don't remember it as the Jailhouse, but did like the Venue.

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Do you mean Latacche...god knows if that's the spelling, as my brain is fried these days.

Cleaned myself up in the toilets in there one Friday night after an all day Xmas works lunch do circa 1990.  Big lad wasted me silly in Shandwick Place after I mouthed off.  Smacked, and then kicked in the face when I was down; woke up and staggered along to Latache; asked doorman if I could wash my face.  I could tell by the look he gave me that I didn't look great. Mirror revealed my face completely covered in blood.  Fortunately looked worse than it was; merely a broken nose, no cuts just a grazed neck/chin.  Spent the next afternoon picking dry blood from my nose up at McDiarmid Park.  Don't remember being in there for any other reason.  Aye, good times those days, even the bad days.  :D

 

A quick look at LH says we lost 2-1 (Crabbe); attendance 7883.

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Remember some crazy drinks in Outer Limits...

 

Think one was called eku 24 or something like that and my favourite at that time...pints of snakebite, destroyed me.

 

Liked the old cans of Sappuro too, as it was quite cool pulling off the whole top of the can and it became just like drinking out a glass.

 

Not sure if someone has already said, but what was the nightclub above the Playhouse called.

 

The Nite Club

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Was it not downstairs on Lothian road (became subway). If that's the one I'm thinking of, they used to have a heavy metal night every week. It was an older crowd and we weren't in to that music, but used to go along to watch all the yummy stuff in their leather gear (sad I know, but we were young).

No that was Rokkos....that was a Heavy Metal "Disco"on a Saturday night from mid 80s to possibly early 90s...moved back to the Nite Club above the Playhouse after that.

 

You've never truly had a night out until you've been to a metal club...certainly if you like your women in denim, mini skirts, lace, leathers, basques and the colour black.... which was fortunate for me!

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Auld Toll was a good pub then.....drank there, and Bennets Kinga Arms and Lauries.....

Auld Toll was a good pub then.....drank there, and Bennets Kinga Arms and Lauries.....

Illicit Still?

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No that was Rokkos....that was a Heavy Metal "Disco"on a Saturday night from mid 80s to possibly early 90s...moved back to the Nite Club above the Playhouse after that.

You've never truly had a night out until you've been to a metal club...certainly if you like your women in denim, mini skirts, lace, leathers, basques and the colour black.... which was fortunate for me!

Stop it!

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luckyBatistuta

No that was Rokkos....that was a Heavy Metal "Disco"on a Saturday night from mid 80s to possibly early 90s...moved back to the Nite Club above the Playhouse after that.

 

You've never truly had a night out until you've been to a metal club...certainly if you like your women in denim, mini skirts, lace, leathers, basques and the colour black.... which was fortunate for me!

Yeah, that was it, knew it began with an R. The view was top notch. So where was Rock Bottom then? Edited by luckyBatistuta
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Yeah, that was it, knew it began with an R. The view was top notch. So where was Rock Bottom then?

View was simply staggering some nights.....and the girl/girl dancing (especially to that Limara (Remember My Name) song by Stevie Vann Lange) was sometimes only just below the legal threshold for obscenity.

Happy days indeed...still enjoy my rock music but fear if I was going to a rock club now that I would look like a dodgy old perv!!

 

Rock Bottom was at the West End but I dont think it was a rock club was it not a diner/burger joint place with music? Kind of Hard Rock Cafe idea.

Edited by NRJ1966
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think it had a few names after that ... turned into a more normal disco type place / function suite

Was it Maddisons at some point?
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It was certainly Maddisons when the rock club went back there on Saturdays after Rokkos closed.

I do seem to remember being at a birthday party there on a Thursday and it was a "normal" chart music type disco

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View was simply staggering some nights.....and the girl/girl dancing (especially to that Limara (Remember My Name) song by Stevie Vann Lange) was sometimes only just below the legal threshold for obscenity.

Happy days indeed...still enjoy my rock music but fear if I was going to a rock club now that I would look like a dodgy old perv!!

 

Rock Bottom was at the West End but I dont think it was a rock club was it not a diner/burger joint place with music? Kind of Hard Rock Cafe idea.

Rock Bottom was definitely a burger joint at some point in its history. If you came out of l'Attache on the Princes Street/Shandwick Place side the entrance was straight in front and slightly to the right on that same bit of wide pavement. I remember going in RB steaming one night to meet up with a friend who was having a meal. Me and my mate had just sat down two minutes when a burger came flying out of nowhere and hit me square in the forehead. Picked it up and me and my mate had half each. 

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