Former South Shields nurse 'lucky to be alive' after carbon monoxide Eileen Burnett wrote the book South Shields Pubs, published by Amberley, in 2014. I went to Change Is probably from 1969 until Scamps opened at the end of 1973. He had a son with cerebal palsy who needed to attend Prudhoe hospital on a regular basis and he felt he needed some sort of base in the north east. I frequented most of the clubs at one time or another so it has been brilliant to find this website to bring back the memories. But you'll always have your memories. dancing from 1969. June 14th, 2022 mandarin high school basketball mandarin high school basketball Im not sure what Dave does now as my dad lost touch with him. He was playing at the Arcadia Theatre. Along with La Dolce Vita, the Cavendish featured some of the best acts on the cabaret circuit. Are you David Coates from the Felling and Ken Cooper from Windy Nook ? It was a great place to go to if you liked dancing which I did. #11 of 20 Nightlife in South Shields. No ones mentioned Nelson Street jazz club. The building that housed the Marimba no longer exists. All The Clubs from back in the day | Facebook I remember the Old Cellar club with Mrs Bailey on the door. The Downbeat was another of Mike Jefferys clubs. I was told that Davey FINLAY my dad was sent to prison for 10 years for something done down the country but as I dont really know him I cant say. Whatever happened to them ? We still went to Bloomers perhaps once a week. At 3.10 a pint they should be kept in better condition. old nightclubs in south shields - nefrocaresolutions.com Im mainly interested in the lead singer of the time called John Little (or possibly also used the name Osbourne). I beleive he appeared at a number of clubs in Newcastle and the north east. I was with the MARTELLES, we played at Club Eleven every Thursday, it was a blues night gig, great from the basement blues music. 1 of 10 The Neptune Inn, South Shields Pubs, by Eileen Burnett, published by Amberley 2 of 10 The Tyne Dock Hotel, South Shields, 1938. Other venues I remember were the RAFA club and The Bombers in Gateshead. Yes I was a big fan of The Kon-Tors, the forerunners of The Animals. :)Alas, me and my friends said theyd never be famous with a name like that!!!!! I recognize some of the names of people who have contributed here with their memories and of course I knew many of the people who were around during that great period during the 60s. I also remember the Findlay boys and one of their cohorts Big Paddy. old nightclubs in south shields - eztransport123.com TO MIKE GRAHAM, hey !! Hi Alfie Wright AKA Tony Sands Hypnotist opened the Cresendo Club Whitley bay I named it after The Cresendo Club in U.S.A I briefly played guitar with the George Ricco Band, rotating between Wetherals, La Dolce Vita and the Cavendish, 1965/66, 1. The Majestic Ballroom on the junction of Westgate Road and Clayton Street was originally built as a cinema. of Newcastle in the 60s. Then late 1962 we changed to mods and started going to the Go-Go, and also the West End boys club. Does anyone remember anyone from there? Jean McGowan ( still dancing) xx, Hi David I also used to be a DJ at the New Cellar Jazz Club later the Chelsea Cat sent some pics etc for the site good to hear you are still with us great memories of a great time in our lives. I well remember the Crescendo club belonging to Ray Grehan as I was involved in the alterations carried out there. There is a good article by The Evening Chronicle when the last record went on sale in auction. 190 Dave, Hi, used to follow the Sect, go to various clubs and halls around Newcastle.Also the Elcorts, then the New Religion, and New Elcorts, I believe. Cheers Terry, Message for Nora It had a bad name she said. i also fondly remember the great Ken Maddison we worked together often. Detroit sounds the hinge the outfit perfumed garden well me for one as I was in ALL of them our biggest claim to fame was backing the opportunity knocks star the muscle man at the middle club, byker. I have one photograph of me in Sloopys in 1970. I have very blonde hair so Don Smith the band leader insisted on calling me Mike White. Great site. The decor must be 30 yrs old. So if you two ever want to meet up just let me know, my email is david.coates@autosounds.co.uk. Does anyone remember the Kontors band; Alan price, Chas Chandler, Bernie Maguian, Gordon Cleghorn, Nick Brandon, Chunky Bourne, Barry Preston? Whow I thought I was the bees knees. I can remember seeing The Nashville Teens who played Tobacco Road it seemed like a dozen times. old nightclubs in south shields. I will never forget you were working at the theatre royal and u let me see the stage set for Alice in wonderland and let me have a go on the big swing in the stage. Oh Mike Jeffrey. My dad played with him in a band before the war as a lad in Newcastle. Another of those in attendance was Marcus Levey, who with his twobrothers ran La Dolce Vita before selling the club to the Bailey Organisation in 1965. After the party scene at John Osbornes house, the camera pans along a set of party goers as the police raid the party, and Oxley is one of those. He later managed Hendrix and Slade. The club ran for about five years and closed around 1966. Does anyone remember the Carousel Club in Chester le Street? I met my first girlfriend Yvonne there, started going to the Downbeat also Club Eleven in Sunderland with my close pal Rod. If I had three wishes . On a different note, is Keith Crombie the same guy who I bought a truck from when he was a truck salesman at Minories in the sixties. Mighty Joe Young was the band of our choice.many musicians stood in with them, Nigel Stanger being one of them, Ronny McLean on tromboneEric Burdon often sang or shouted there and Allan Price raised the roof with his piano and electric organ if I remember rightly. Jane Maddison, How are you? Oh I could go on all day. Thanks to Roger, I have been able to share memories with someone else who was working in Change Is at that time and I know he mustve played great music as I was always the last one dancing every night! Gordon Livingstone. Anyway, I hope your life is going well Trevor. But last week I did visit an old friend in Whitley Bay and realised that my Dad must have been working at The Pickwick shortly aftter it opened (which I guess was why we moved to Whitley in the first place). Wonder if anybody remembers him. In the late 1950s it was converted to a ballroom and became the Majestic. You mentioned Bill Colwill there was a Bill C. who used to be always at the Mayfair maybe to do with the music and he was in my shop every lunch time with a Colin Topping and a guy called Brian. Had a great time in the 60s. There is a good photo of the group playing in Wetheralls. My father was Carl Hersman who played keyboards. It was a no-brainer that these lads were something very special. Others such as the unique Grotto, built among caves on the seafront at Marsden, are very much still with us. power bi relative date filter include current month; old nightclubs in south shields. Happy days! Jill, Hi Jill, I remember the DJ Dave, I thought he was so hip. I used to go to the Club A Gogo in 1967/1968 as a 15 year old and saw many great bands; Hendrix, John Mayall, Cream, Family and loads of others. Chris Dale, Alan(Cass) Carlyle, Bryn Pringle, Bill Ross, Billy Todd, Paul France, Ian Davies, Chris Branch, Jed Gardner, Peppi, Joe Lant, Hetherz, Micky Finn, Rob Wright and I know Ill have missed out a few and so my apologies, but it was a long time ago. It was fun to meet and party with many stars of the times, Marty Wylde, Kathy Kirby etc. We started out at the jazz clubs and remember many nights at the New Orleans Club (I dont see that mentioned anywhere) followed up with going on to the Downbeat or the GoGo. Trevor Chance. The top map is an old street plan of the city with the various venues marked with coloured dots. Hi David, great to hear from someone who worked in so many places, back in the disco days, doing such an important job by providing the fab music. I spent so many happy weekends there in the 70s and remember being devastated when it closed down and we all had to transfer to the dolce. A former nurse said she feels "lucky to . Couldnt believe my luck. Anyone wanting to get in touch holland.A1@sky.com, Great to see all this stuff ,Ive been searching for a record I heard at the GoGo in about 67/68.Ive no idea what it was caled or who it was by ,the only bit I can remember was it was either called or had a line in it ..youve got roses in your soul Great memories. I played most north east theatres and eventually retired (I think) in 2016. Youve managed to make a truly great website even better THANK YOU!!! Billy Bottos. Ken, remembers you as a great singer. Good job with the website. Loved both Dave and Tommy Findlay In North Shields, for quite a long time in the 60s, the basement of The Jungle was a night club. 30 left on 9 February 2013. Do you know where any of the surviving ex members are now? Was the crescendo manager Ken Brady from the Gamblers? The club, which is in Greys Court at the bottom of Grey Street, has had several makeovers since opening as a cabaret club in the early sixties. I have fond if hazy memories of that weekend! In this day and age, we could never have what we had back then. Is Jim wright still alive? I lived in Whitley Bay in the apartment of a house owned by Jimmy Bence. I WAS A (VERY)YOUNG LEAD SINGER WITH THE CRUSADERS RESIDENT GROUP AT LA STRADA CLUBS 63/69,IF JANE IS READING THIS I WORKED WITH HER DAD KEN MADDISON FOR YEARS.HE WROTE MUSIC FOR ME FOR OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS AND WE MADE DEMO RECORDINGS TOGETHER FOR ERIC BOSWELL.I LOVED HIM AND BOY WHAT A MUSICIAN.I LEARNED OF HIS PASSING NOT LONG AFTER AND SHED A TEAR.I WISH I COULD HAVE SEEN HIM ONE MORE TIME.THOSE YEARS RIGHT THRO THE BEATLES ERA AND WORKING WITH ALL THOSE STARS WAS UNFORGETTABLE .OH I COULD WRITE A BOOK.GOD BLESS YOU KEN. Im always on the hunt for any photos of either, of these clubs and wondered if you had any at all. He was a good friend many years ago. Has anyone out there got an actually photo of Bloomers with its name on the building been looking for years .thank you. Newcastle was the place to be back then! I remember you, Dave Elliott, Bob Anderson and my other dads mate Alf. When they played The Cellar Club, So. One night there was a huge fight which involved about 30 people and resulted in the wall between the casino and the disco being knocked down. La Dolce Vita included a large cabaret lounge with seating for 500 and an illuminated glass dance area in front of the stage. My number is 0191 4922316 Suzanne x, Hi Suzanne, great to have someone else writing about Change Is. lol. Chirpy with a ready smile you were always a favourite of the Gamblers female fans. If you contact me, I think that I have a couple of pictures of your Dad at La Strada that you might not have seen. I have mentioned (more than once) in my previous posts about what a real shame it is that there arent any photographs of such an amazing time; with so many good nightclubs in Newcastle alone. Sandra ditched me after a couple of years and went to London and then Italy where she sadly died aged about 21. Should additionally have said that John Harker was also still at school when he met me after school in my uniform and wasnt someone older who hung around at school gates!!! She was the resident singer. Also played drums on I Keep Singing that same old song, Heavy Jelly (Skip Bifferty). You may remember us as Jean and John the tall couple who danced a lot! Mike Jeffery, owner of the Club AGogo and manager of the Animals and Jimi Hendrix was killed in a plane crash in 1973. The summer of 1967 I emigrated to Saskatchewan, Canada. I regularly caught last bus from Sunderland (where my Wife lived) to Worsick Street but missed last bus to Fenham so went to Jazz Lounge at Club Agogo until 01.30hrs and hada a few beers and watched some great acts.I then caught the All Night Entertainment bus from the Central Station at 02.00hrs with a Bun Burger in my hand from Bowers. I also wore a lot of mascara and false eye lashes which sometimes pealed off! Some of the guests hadnt seen each other for decades so there was a lot of catching up to do. We were also friends with music journalist Phil Penfold. please HELP solve the mystery that was geoff manning. (Sect, Juncos, Harlem Shuffle etc) The photograph was taken in the dressing room of The Tavern/Latino in South Shields (my memory for dates etc is very hazy)The lion was a pet and belonged to one of the acts playing at the club. I remember Pat mentioning names of people like Keith Crombie, Tommy Finlay etc who she met through Ron but the rest of us never met them. JT, #74. Gordon Clegg worked for the Post Office and passed away last year. In the event they failed to show up, probably much to the relief of the host Keith Crombie. I was born in Teesside in 1971 my Dad and Godfather had been doing the club circuit until we moved to Brighton about 73. The photos are of the Crusaders (with manager Dave Golden in the dark suit) and the Crusaders with Jimmy Tarbuck and Ray Ellington in 1963. Hi Anna #156. Wow Rue and The Rockets have certainly filled out ! Myself, Cass and Ken went down to Kings Road and came back with Leather Coats down to the ankles. Later, graduated on to the Cavendish and Greys, dont know what happened to Sect. Also played at Muscle In as I was friendly with the owner Walter McCrae. Change Is was financed by comedian, Bob Monkhouse who teamed up with Newcastle entrepreneur Ronnie Markham in an attempt to open a club that would offer something different to the many other clubs in the city at that time. Its said the owner of a Newcastle night club they visited instructed staff he was out and he retired to the cellar in order to escape an offer he couldnt refuse. Occasionally, I heard it referred to as the Gay Trouper. I am particularly interested to hear you worked in Change Is (I went there regularly from 1971-74 approx) my memories are of great music James brown, Fatback Band, Hamilton Bohannon, Family- Burlesque and Timmy Thomas to name but a few. The Downbeat was situated in Carliol Square, Newcastle not far from Worswick Street bus station. My Grandad, Billy Findlay was Davey and Tommys uncle, they used to both work and own some clubs in Newcastle, they also ran the downbeat (all of this is what my granddad tells me) there does seem to be some confusion with people saying they were related etc the second name is FINDLAY not finlay haha! We all gave up the Go-Go after Sloopys opened at about 1967, Then it was Change Is which changed to Bloomers where I met my wife Joan, and by that time everyone had moved on and got married, I got married in 1976 aged 27 and now still Happily married with 3 kids and 3 grandchildren . five sat new vikings (wally mcgill sid cross etc)high five sun(myself alan hull mickey gallagher kenny anderson martin quinn)forgot to mention when a train rumbled over viaduct all the beers fell off! Saw Alan Bown Set, Downtown Faction and a group from Teeside(?Rivers Invitation)there. Check out our Memory Lane local history website. 2. I used to visit clubs like the Flamingo,La Discotheque, The Scene,Marquee,Whisky A Go Go,All Star, Tiles etc. They were on the beaten track, but does anyone remember Billy Bottos Club on Shields Road (owned by a big local bookmaker) and the 69 Club, which was managed by Tot and Gloria Anderson, who also used to manage The Avenue in Whitley Bay, just opposite the Pickwick. The club was managed by Ken Brady who used to be in the resident band at the Majestic in Newcastle. OK strange that, exactly the same names. my info is that Bob Monkhouse did indeed have an input in Change Is..formerly the Picadilly club the resident band that opened the Picadilly in the mid sixties was Went to a Motown concert at the Sunderland Empire a couple of years ago and, would you believe it, sitting next to me was Frank Pemberton who used to own Club 11 in Sunderland with Mickey Pemberton (I think). Does anyone have memories of seeing the singer Dick Haymes at any of the following in Newcastle. It sadly closed around 2016 and briefly turned into German bar, Das Wunderbar before closing completely. Can you remember a guy called Louie who also worked at Change is? My memories of that time are very hazy, I know we had good times, I just cannot remember many of them. Sorry to waffle on just wanted you to sayhello if it should be by any chance the Bill Colwell from 1967/8 years at our Newcastle shop. I was quite good friends with Russell Smith, son of baileys owner, John Smith and I remember the house band at the Latino having a mad Australian front man. Hi Does anybody remember the Dolce Vita house band, a guy named Robbie was the bass player and I cannot remember the names of the drummer, organist and lead Guitarist. That totally made my day, especially after having visited his grave just last week. He was with his daughter who is also a sInger. Does anybody remember the house band at La Dolce Vita in the early seventies, Robbie was the bass player, John the lead guitar. Vogue. Memories just keep flooding back of all those tremendous venues. Lived in Heaton as I remember. FANTASTIC SITE. The club was taken over by the Bailey Group in 1965. Jean McGowan x, re: comment 94 George Sinclair Hi Dave Coates enjoyed reading your post I dont live in Newcastle but had lots of contacts, friends and customers from my Disque records days in town. Wish I had been a fly on the wall.. ______________________________________________. Loved them! Read more about the Mayfair Ballroom on this link. Bounce Back 2 the Old Skool . Venues were St.Georges Drill Hall by Northumberland Rd. Great bloke and wonderful muso. I am a cockney! We did Rehearsal Room, a Tyne Tees weekly feature on local bands, a half hour show presented by David Hamilton, we did 3 numbers loads of fun, and , we even got well paid for it. Sunderland. 54-56 Ocean Road, South shields, NE33 2JD 0191 4967500. old nightclubs in south shields. A weird coincidence is that the bearded chap in the middle is a friend of my wife, hes called Jason Robson, he used to work on the boxing show at the Hoppings, I wonder if he also worked at the Go Go? Brought back a loot of memories. I went to a few with Billys Mills bonzo.. remember Trevor Chance practising above a pub in Clayton Street,.. My dad used to service the fruit machines in lots of these clubs for my uncle in the 60s. Hope all is well. Any comments welcomedthanks. I think the name was Michaels? After the gig was finished Joe was going home and this band of youngsters were sitting in the arcade, one of them said Joe, lend us 10 bob to get some chips, were skint and starving so Joe took pity and obliged, that band turned out to be the Faces and the kid he loaned the 10 bob to was Rod Stewart, Joe was always moaning he never got his 10 bob back. When the Grey Street premises closed in the mid-seventies, the New Cavendish opened at the site previously occupied by Change Is and Bloomers on Bath Lane. Just been reading a comment from Pete Wallis from May 2015. Just stumbled across this great website. The builders had only erected the wall a few days earlier HAPPY DAYS !!! Does anyone remember Joe and Pat McBeth,fab dancers, Does anyone know of any Italian restaurant where someone called Frank Calzini or Franco Calzini worked in 1967 it was in Pink Lane. Then he worked for Baileys moving between the likes of La Dolce Vita, Wetherals, the Latino. old nightclubs in south shields charles upham daughters I was a teenager in the 60s and along with my friends we went to a lot of the clubs mentioned, especially the GoGo, Downbeat Club, the Pickwick in Whitley Bay, and sometimes the La Dolce Vita. Dave and his brother Tommy were the doormen the manager was Ken Brady who used to be in the resident group at the Mayfair in Newcastle. Many happy memories flooding back. which was poor quality, scratches etc. Thanks, Great memories, and thanks to everyone for sharing them. Absolutely loved it. A former South Shields nightclub is set to return to the town for one night only - and even has the support of Little Mix star Jade Thirwall. The Marimba Coffee House on High Bridge, Newcastle (off Grey Street) was another venue opened by Mike Jeffery. In particular a band member called Bill Mills. Just stumbled across it whilst looking at pics. Laygate - South Shields - Pics from the 50's & 60's - YouTube South Shields is a coastal town in the North East of England at the mouth of the River Tyne, about 3.7 miles (6.0 km) downstream from Newcastle upon Tyne. went to most of the other clubs mentioned, brilliant times ? Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Real name "Northumberland Arms". They played Family In My Own Time and Curved Air Back Street Love and T Rex Get It On. Any information you have would be great. thankyou for bringing back fantastic memories every one. I was then a young post-grad at Kings College 1966/67 and my girl-friend and I attended the Cavendish club regularly. Told him Id seen Tubby Hayes and John Dankworth/Clea Laine at Club 11. Uncle Bob n Uncle Alf. Also meeting up on Saturday at the Pit then up to the Go-Go in the afternoon, purple hearts were the thing to have instead of alcohol. I too loved that era seemed to be so much fun and simpler! Kennedy's Bar South Shields 418 South Eldon Street, South Shields NE33 5SY England +44 191 456 4363 https://www.facebook.com/kennedyssouthshields/ Excellent 100% Good 0% Satisfactory 0% Poor 0% Terrible 0% Overall Ratings 5.0 based on 4 reviews 2. We regularly played the Seaburn Hall on Cats Nite Out which was on a Wednesday. We worked with the likes of the Shadows, Seekers, Joe Brown, Lonnie Donegan, Roy Castle, Acker Bilk, Kenny Ball, the Barron Knights, Freddie Starr(oh dear), Jimmy Tarbuck, Dave Allan, Engelbert Humperdinck, Val Doonjcan to name but a few. I was the original keyboard player in the Junco partners when we were resident at the agogo. I was a DJ at The Cellar club, The Tavern, Change Is, Sloopys, The Dolce Vita, The New Caverndish and a few more. He also played at The Cavendish and LA Dolce Vita. We also went to the Cellar Jazz Club in South Shields and to the jazz club at the Grange Hotel in Fulwell, Sunderland where lots of art students from Sunderland Art College went. Thank you Rehearsals were sometimes in the Engineers Club in Ellison place. Yours nostalgically Geoff Wonfor became famous as a music video producer. you? My friend joy married Tommy. Tatler Club in the Haymarket. If anyone has any good images or information, please post on here or contact me personally. AJS 170. old nightclubs in south shields - consultoresayc.co Now a block of flats. If I could do one thing before its too late it would be to help her reconnect with people from her past in what was the prime of her life. Your email address will not be published. Today, the pub is called Kennedy's 3 of 10 The. Sadly it all changed and went bad, but interesting times! Tom was a regular photographer for the Bailey Organisation. Tunes such as Back Street Luv by Curved Air and In My Own Time by Family were played a lot. Gosh this all brings back some fab memories of going dancing with my boyfriend at Change Is/Bloomers in Bath Lane from 1972 onwards and where I became a member at 14, still at school, yes 14, a rebel. Met some real characters. They made an acetate demo at Morton Sound in Carliol Sq. I met John there in March of 1974 and we were there several times a week. Finally, in relation to the Seaburn Hall in Sunderland we also used to go there does anyone remember Ronnie Stephens and Ray Huntley great dancers. Would love to get hold of Jane Maddison, Kens daughter. My Dad used to make roulett tables for Ray Grehan in the 60s, Hi my name is Helen Findlay the daughter of Dave Findlay. The resident band at the Crescendo was the Del 5, the singer was Billy Wilson from Gateshead, there was 2 sax players one was Peter Parkinson from South Shields but Im sorry the other name eludes me. Do you remember the DJ Big Phil not sure if he ever worked in Change Is but he certainly worked in Scamps, which was the place I went to the most from 1974- onwards probably til I got to the stage where I couldnt go clubbing and get up for work in a Bank anymore-old age I think its called! My favourite thing to do was go immediately to the clubs ( can you believe I used to think going to the pubs a waste of good dancing time!) I had the Landlords bitter the following day in Wetherspoons and it tasted . But I am sure that they also got a lot of bands from London. Thank you. Top 10 Nightlife in South Shields, England - Things To Do by | Jun 15, 2022 | seguin accident report | is money matters america legit | Jun 15, 2022 | seguin accident report | is money matters america legit I believe they were the resident band at the Mayfair at that time. Without the contribution of these two men the club and music scene of the north east would have been considerably different. La Dolce Vita went into decline in the seventies and had several name changes before finally closing its doors as a venue in 2002. Most of the lads my age in 1972 aspired to have their hair like the lovely Marc Bolan. Used to ring Ivan Birchells office and find out where they were playing. I was only 18/19 years old and really loved the beat, the melody the arrangement and have been hooked all my life. I bet he wasnt too happy when he was told. June I knew John Harker ( he was a freind of my brother Gordon) and I do know Ray Huntley I will have to pass on your compliments. Driving my dads car along the wet cobbled Melbourne street to visit The New Orleans Jazz club on a winters night in the early 60s to see what I thought of the music / jazz experience set me up for life. Dusk was known for its huge New Year's Eve events, staying open till 7am. ___________________________________________________________________________. [Just stumbled across this, I am the son of David Finlay please put all your stories from the hay days so I can get some sort of history to pass on to my kids as my mother jackie and davey split up when I was a baby and I only have his reputation to talk of and dont know if what I am told is true. Kennedy's Bar South Shields 5 Bars & Clubs By steveL794 This is a great Little bar great atmosphere and is such a welcoming bar, well worth a visit great chilling bar 3. He was the minder for Tom Jones when he came to the La Dolce Vita. Your email address will not be published. How many of these South Tyneside nightclub photos - Shields Gazette I met my first girlfriend Sandra Findley then with all her friends who use to go there, Linda & Sylvia Stoddart, Pat Larby, Cath, Eleanor and Jen. The Mayfair Ballroom opened by the Mecca organization on 12th September 1961 and continued to be a major venue in the city for 38 years. They did a lovely beans on toast. While, the 1860s-built Criterion, on Ocean Road, closed in 2012 to become a Ladbrokes bookmaker, before reopening in 2018 after enjoying a major refurbishment recreating how it originally looked in Victorian times. During the mid/late 1960s I was half of the singing duo, Shirley and Johnny. I also went to the Majestic when I was about 14. i was told geoff used to have a club in NEWCASTLE called the dive bar, he sang and played GUITAR in the rooms my parents moved to SOUTH SHIELDS, CIRCA 68, I was born in 67, into the county hotel, where my mother died EIGHT YEARS later. I went back to work the club circuit in the 70s 80s and 90s but it was not the same, Hi, I wonder if anyone remembers a night club in Northumberland St I think it was above Callers it used to have a resident belly dancer and a casino. I used to work at the Oxford with Don Smith and Jims 2 room as singer with the trio. In 2011, north east photographer and author, Ian Wright who now lives in Las Vegas, had the bright idea of organising a get together for the people involved in the sixties club scene. Used to tell my mam I was going to the one at Whitley Bay as I wasnt allowed to go to the Newcastle one. I have never heard of Tom Oxley, but would love to know more. When the bingo hall closed in 2005, the Academy Music Group bought the building and converted it back to a music venue. The Crays were huge guys ,looked the part and were decked out in very flash but obviously very expensive suits .