No significant evidence of panic-buying/shortages so far with this third lockdown

[Lencoboy]

I'm too young for discos other than the school ones Nightclubs in my day. So, Valentinos and The Place in Hanley. Kinetic in Longton for the ravers.

I bet you would remember Shelleys in Longton. Rough as though...

Clubs (of all varieties) now all seem like an alien concept to me, even pre-Covid.

Nightclubs in particular could be pretty scary places at times, especially as one false move or look could sometimes result in being in the receiving end of a good kicking, or even worse, a glassing, stabbing or even a shooting, especially in venues with the most lax security, which in turn tended to attract the most pondlife.

WMCs were/are generally much tamer IMO, though I've witnessed the occasional epic punch-ups in them over the years, mostly at the very end of the night when I was helping to pack my brother's band's gear down and out of the venue and were definitely scary and most unpleasant to witness, but AFAIK with the absence of 'weapons'.

[NoraB]

Clubs (of all varieties) now all seem like an alien concept to me, even pre-Covid.

I went for the music, Len. The before disco and post-disco was exhausting. I always had to psyche myself up to go and I needed those three days to get over having been but once I was standing on that dance floor feeling the boom boom throughout my body - I was gone, man. Solid. Gone. Music & lights (that's a song btw) to me is like catnip to a cat, and my idea of heaven is a dance floor, loud music, lights and nobody there but me.

Nightclubs in particular could be pretty scary places at times, especially as one false move or look could sometimes result in being in the receiving end of a good kicking, or even worse, a glassing, stabbing or even a shooting, especially in venues with the most lax security, which in turn tended to attract the most pondlife.

Blokes + booze+ females + trendy nightclub/pub/whatever = fight night. (and women can be WORSE than blokes for fighting!)

[pulisa]

I think I might write a Mills and Boon novel - like The Duchess of York.

Blaze sauntered over to her, looking sleek and stinking of Lynx. He discreetly breathed into his hand, sniffed, then asked Nora if she wanted some fun. Nora's heart started racing, and not in a good way. She flashed her wedding ring in Blaze's face, as if that would surely put an end to this encounter? Undeterred, Blaze reached into his pocket, took out his own band of gold, and shouted above Culture Beat's 'Mr Vain', 'I WON'T TELL IF YOU WON'T, LOVE - I'LL MEET YOU ROUND THE BACK OF THE SKIPS IN FIVE!'

What do you think P? Do you think I have what it takes to be a Mills 'N' Booner?

Deffo, Nora. Clear the decks for your Booker nomination! "Earthiness with that touch of realism and joie de vivre which is so essential in the post-Covid world"

[Lencoboy]

I went for the music, Len. The before disco and post-disco was exhausting. I always had to psyche myself up to go and I needed those three days to get over having been but once I was standing on that dance floor feeling the boom boom throughout my body - I was gone, man. Solid. Gone. Music & lights (that's a song btw) to me is like catnip to a cat, and my idea of heaven is a dance floor, loud music, lights and nobody there but me.



Blokes + booze+ females + trendy nightclub/pub/whatever = fight night. (and women can be WORSE than blokes for fighting!)

Agree totally with your latter paragraph. And I do think that some people actually revelled in the drama of punch-ups in those places, especially in reference to Elton John's classic 70s hit about Saturday Nights!

Though nothing more than a pathetic borefest for me to witness nowadays!

[MyNameIsTerry]

I always think I must have lead a very sheltered life when I read Nora's posts..

Terry..You're in trouble!

I was too young for Shelleys (it had closed just before my pubbing days started) but my brother went there many times. Longton was his main drinking venue, by my day it had lost a few main pubs so Hanley was mine. But I knew Shelleys had a rep for being a good place if you want a fight, along with other Longton pubs like The Union, but don't go The Congress or that one above the shops next to Midland bank as it was full of off duty coppers having their illegal lock ins

The Dunrobin was rough. Still a big plot of unused land since demolition where people fly tip. Can't remember the name of my brothers favourite local which became a small business. Claim to fame; Alex Higgins once stopped by in his later years (was doing a local exhibition) with his minders and my brother got to play him.

Closer to home and you get more of the same. The Tiger Moth, Kings Arms, The Station, Saracens Head, The Waggon And Horses. All good pubs for a few pints, a drug deal and a punch up. Portland House too.

(All gone for a long time now though except The Congress. The Union became a solicitors of all places!)

[MyNameIsTerry]

Clubs (of all varieties) now all seem like an alien concept to me, even pre-Covid.

Nightclubs in particular could be pretty scary places at times, especially as one false move or look could sometimes result in being in the receiving end of a good kicking, or even worse, a glassing, stabbing or even a shooting, especially in venues with the most lax security, which in turn tended to attract the most pondlife.

WMCs were/are generally much tamer IMO, though I've witnessed the occasional epic punch-ups in them over the years, mostly at the very end of the night when I was helping to pack my brother's band's gear down and out of the venue and were definitely scary and most unpleasant to witness, but AFAIK with the absence of 'weapons'.

Long before my anxiety days, LC, so I loved pubs & clubbing as a young man. Got into a few scrapes.

The last bus from Hanley on a Friday night was the punch up bus. Gang fights between 2 local areas until the police finally noticed and stopped it.

I stopped drinking in the early years of my anxiety so I'm well off the scene. The last Friday before Christmas in Hanley was carnage. Fight night. Tons of bouncers and coppers everywhere. Take your mates but not your GF that night. Again, the plods eventually worked out it was a yearly tradition after many years

[MyNameIsTerry]

I think I might write a Mills and Boon novel - like The Duchess of York.

Blaze sauntered over to her, looking sleek and stinking of Lynx. He discreetly breathed into his hand, sniffed, then asked Nora if she wanted some fun. Nora's heart started racing, and not in a good way. She flashed her wedding ring in Blaze's face, as if that would surely put an end to this encounter? Undeterred, Blaze reached into his pocket, took out his own band of gold, and shouted above Culture Beat's 'Mr Vain', 'I WON'T TELL IF YOU WON'T, LOVE - I'LL MEET YOU ROUND THE BACK OF THE SKIPS IN FIVE!'

What do you think P? Do you think I have what it takes to be a Mills 'N' Booner?

Classy, I can tell. Otherwise it would have been "in the skip"

[Lencoboy]

I was too young for Shelleys (it had closed just before my pubbing days started) but my brother went there many times. Longton was his main drinking venue, by my day it had lost a few main pubs so Hanley was mine. But I knew Shelleys had a rep for being a good place if you want a fight, along with other Longton pubs like The Union, but don't go The Congress or that one above the shops next to Midland bank as it was full of off duty coppers having their illegal lock ins

The Dunrobin was rough. Still a big plot of unused land since demolition where people fly tip. Can't remember the name of my brothers favourite local which became a small business. Claim to fame; Alex Higgins once stopped by in his later years (was doing a local exhibition) with his minders and my brother got to play him.

Closer to home and you get more of the same. The Tiger Moth, Kings Arms, The Station, Saracens Head, The Waggon And Horses. All good pubs for a few pints, a drug deal and a punch up. Portland House too.

(All gone for a long time now though except The Congress. The Union became a solicitors of all places!)

Wow, that's an interesting account of a lot of the dodgy venues in Stoke, most of which you said no longer exist.

Just for the record, and out of interest, did you ever know of any notorious dodgy pubs/clubs in the Burton area during that same era?

[MyNameIsTerry]

Wow, that's an interesting account of a lot of the dodgy venues in Stoke, most of which you said no longer exist.

Just for the record, and out of interest, did you ever know of any notorious dodgy pubs/clubs in the Burton area during that same era?

Not me, LC, my brother might. Too far away from me in the wrong direction as we always headed into SOT for Hanley or Newcastle. Stoke town centre was a dead hole by my time too. Tons more dodgy pubs round here that I bet my brother new as he was well into pub crawls...until his current GF civilised him

Closest I can think of is The Coachmakers? Hangout for The Outlaws. But I was more rave back in them days so wouldn't be in rock style pubs, more skin heads in my day.

[Lencoboy]

Not me, LC, my brother might. Too far away from me in the wrong direction as we always headed into SOT for Hanley or Newcastle. Stoke town centre was a dead hole by my time too. Tons more dodgy pubs round here that I bet my brother new as he was well into pub crawls...until his current GF civilised him

Closest I can think of is The Coachmakers? Hangout for The Outlaws. But I was more rave back in them days so wouldn't be in rock style pubs, more skin heads in my day.

I referred to Burton partly in jest, because it's the other 'main' settlement in Staffs whose name is suffixed with 'on Trent'. No superiority or gloating intended. And I don't actually live in Burton, just attend a day centre there which I have decided to err on the side of caution and not attend for at least the next 3 weeks or so until the Covid situation starts to settle down, despite the fact that, unlike the first lockdown last spring, all such places still remain open.

Also, AFAIK, Burton has never really been on the receiving end of extremely bad publicity in the media, in terms of major incidents occurring there, and in parts, it looks far rougher than it actually is, but definitely far removed from Bandit Country!!

But then again, pretty much every area the country over has its problems, though of course some more than others.