Soul Clubs

The following list was published in Issue 3 of Free! Magazine, in December 1989. Entitled "Dances of the Decade" it attempts to provide a guide to some of the most important club nights of the 1980s.

Here at Soulboys we want to go one better! We want to provide the definitive Clubbers guide to the Soul-scene from the 60s to the present day. Were you there? Were you a DJ, promoter or punter? Have you got an old flyer or advertisement you can send us? Contact us at clubbers@soulboys.co.uk

NB Free! was edited by Lindsay Wesker and had strong links to Gordon Mac and the Kiss 94 FM team. At the time Kiss was the most trendy Soul music pirate radio station about, and was off air gearing up for legal broadcasting - which began on 1st September 1990.


YEAR NAME DAY AREA OR CLUB DJs
Mid 70s/80s - - - -
1965-72 The Orsett Cock Saturday Orsett Chris Hill
Mid 70s-80 The Royalty Thurs/Sunday Southgate Chris Hill/Froggy
Mid 70s-81 Crackers Fri/Sunday W1 George Power/Paul Anderson
1973-76 The Goldmine Friday Canvey Island Chris Hill
1975-96 The Norfolk Village Friday Shoreditch E2 Terry Jones
1976-80 The Lacy Lady Friday Seven Kings, Ilford Chris Hill/Tom Holland
1978-84 The Goldmine Saturday Canvey Island Chris Hill
1978-86 Frenchies Sundays Camberley Chris Brown/Johnnie Walker
1980 - - - -
1980+ The Rio Various Didcot Various
1980 The Greyhound Friday Chadwell Heath Froggy
1980-81 Munkberrys Saturday Jermyn St. W1 Trevor Shakes
1980-81 Blitz Friday Gt. Russell St. Various
1980-83 The Hilltop Mondays Kent Pete Tong
1980-84 The Best Disco In Town Fridays Lyceum Greg Edwards
1980-84 Jacksons Various Staines Vanous
1981 - - - -
1981 Americas Saturday Southall Chris Brown & Fergi/Sean French
1981-82 Language Lab Fri/Sat London Simon Cyberman & Junior G.
1981-82 The Horseshoe Friday Tottenham Ct. Rd George Power & Paul Anderson, Boo, Colin (jazz)
1981-82 Bentleys Sunday Canning Town Froggy
1981-83 Spats Thursday W1 Trevor Shakes & Des Parkes
1981 -83 Rappers Monday Epping Forest CC Froggy & Eddie James
1981-85 Good Times Road Show Various House Parties Norman & Joey Jay
1981-87 The Belvedere Arms Sunday lunch Ascot Chris Brown
1982 - - - -
1982-84 Titanic Fri/Saturday London Nutrament/Thin Dickson/Dizzy Heights
1982-84 Pandies Friday W1 DJ Tom
1982-84 Meltdown Pasties Saturdays Various Jonathan More & Paul Murphy & Jumbo
1982-84 The Dirt Box - Earls Court Jay Strongman & Rob Milton
1982-85 Cats Whiskers Sunday Streat ham Steve Walsh & Steve Jackson
1982-86 Electric Ballroom Fridays Camden George Power/Tosca/Paul Anderson, Paul Murphy
1982-86 Kisses Weekends Peckham Gordon Mac, Linden T & Guest DJs
1982-89 Crazy Larrys Tuesday Chelsea Alistair (Rapattack) & J.C.
1983 - - - -
1983 Wag Opened Saturdays W1 Hector & Steve Jackson
1983 Wag Thursdays W1 Jay Strongman
1983-84 Maze Thurs/Sat Ronnie Scotts Trevor Shakes & Des Parkas
1983-85 Swan & Sugar Loaf Mondays Southwark Nicky Holloway + Guests
1983-85 Gossips Friday W1 Tim Westwood & Steve Walsh
1983-85 Bogarts Sunday Harrow Chris Hill, Tom Holland, Robbie Vincent & Guests
1983-85 Bentleys Weekends Canning Town Derek Boland
1983-87 The Warehouse Saturdays Kentish Town
& Electric Ballroom
Jay Strongman
1983-89 Mud Club Fridays The Subway W1 & Busbys Jay Strongman & Mark Moore
1984 - - - -
1984 Soul City Sunday Heaven Tim Westwood & Linden T
1984 The Boilerhouse Various London Ben & Andy
1984-85 Barberellas Mondays Southall Norman Jay
1984-85 Film Ham Saturdays South London Jonathon More & C.J. Mackintosh & M.C. Merlin
1984-88 Blackmarket Fridays Wag W1 Steve Jervier/Barry Sharpe/Laselles/Horace
1985 - - - -
1985 Cave Man Boogie Saturday Chislehurst Caves Nicky Holloway
1985 Legends Thursdays W1 Spike & Neville
1985-86 Spats Sat. lunch W1 Tim Westwood
1985-86 Cat In The Hat Friday Comedy Store Laselles, Barry Sharpe, Paul Anderson
1985-88 Secret Rendezvous Thursdays Comedy Store Simon Gofle & Guests
1985-87 Doo At The Zoo Saturdays London Zoo Nicky Holloway & Guests
1985-87 Special Branch Fridays Royal Oak SE1 Nicky Holloway & Guests
1985-88 The Raw Saturdays Y.M.C.A. Ben & Andy/Dave Dorrell & Rob Milton
1985-89 The Raid Sat/Friday Wag/limelight Terry Farley & Paul Oakenfold
1986 - - - -
1988-87 Delirium Saturdays Astoria Noel Watson & Robin King
1986-87 Across The Tracks Thursdays Dingwalls Simon Goffe & Guests
1986-87 Doo At The Dome Saturday Thorpe Park Nicky Holloway & Guests
1986-87 Ambassadors Fridays Euston George Power/Tosca/Dezzy D & Gordon Mac
1986-88 Soul II Soul Sundays Africa Centre Jazzie B, Aitch B, Q, Trevor Madhatters
1986-88 Dance Exchange Saturdays Fridge Jay Strongman
1986-88 Family Funktion Various Warehouse Judge Jules/Dan The Man
1986-89 Shake & Fingerpop Various Warehouse Norman Jay + Good times
1986-89 Cafe de Paris Wednesdays Cafe de Paris Albert, Fat Tony, Various
1988-89 Westworld, Wetworld Carwash Saturdays Various venues Various
1987 - - - -
1987 J.B.s Reunion - Town & Country Family Funktion, Shake & Fingerpop
1987-89 Enter The Dragon Fridays The Park, W8 Colin Favor, Trevor Fung, Paul Anderson
1987-88 Performance Sunday La Vie En Rose Norman Jay
1987-88 Club Zoo Wednesdays Munkberrys Zoo, Trouble & Colin Dale, Greg & Henderson
1987-88 The Base Saturdays HQ Camden Lock Dean Savonne, Clive & Kiss FM DJs
1987-88 Fever Saturday Astoria Simon Goffe & Guests
1987-89 Shoom Sat/wed Southwark/Y.M.C.A./
Busbys/The Park
Danny Ramplin
1987-89 Daisy Chain Tuesday Fridge Jeffrey Hinton, Mark Lawrence, Princess Julia
1987-89 Love Friday Wag Steve Protor, Dave Dorrell Paul Anderson
1987-89 Fools Paradise Friday Gossips Simon Goffe & Jasper
1988 - - - -
1988-88 Babylon Thursdays Heaven Colin Favor
1988-89 Rage Thursdays Heaven Colin Favor & Guests
1988-89 Trip Saturdays Astoria Nicky Holloway & Guests
1988-89 Pig - Grays Inn Road Jay Strongman & Jules
1988-89 Good, The Bad & Ugly Saturdays Cask & Glass Jay Strongman & Guests
1988-89 Talking Loud, Saying Something Sundays Dingwalls Gilles Peterson & Patrick Forge
1988-89 Dance Wicked Thurs/Sat Electric Ballroom Roy The Roach
- - - The Arch Madhatters, Soul II Soul
1988-89 2nd Base Saturdays Dingwalls Paul Anderson & Kiss FM DJs
1988-89 Confusion Sundays Bill Stickers/Shaftesburys Kid Bachelor & Guests
1988-89 Land Of Oz Mondays Heaven Colin Hudd & Paul Oakenfold
1988-89 High On Hope Thursdays Dingwalls Norman Jay & Frankie Foncett
1989 - - - -
1989 Upfront Fridays Borderline, Stafford Trevor Madhatters & Gordon Mac
1989 Passion Saturdays Maidenhead Chris Brown & Guests
1989 Sin Fri/Sat Astoria Nicky Holloway & Guests
1989 What It Is Sundays Turnmills Paul Anderson
1989 Roots Reggae Sundays Dingwalls Joey Jay & Manasseh
1989 Method Air Aft. Fridays The Arch Ben & Andy
1989 Soul II Soul Friday Fridge Soul II Soul
1989 Orig. Rare Groove Show Mondays Bass Clef Norman Jay
- - - - -

Not to forget the sound systems that held wicked house and warehouse parties. Here is a small selection of some of the guys that carried big boxes every weekend:Mastermind Roadshow, Soul II Soul, Rapattack, Beat Freak, BT. Express, Winner Roadshow, Good Times, Main Attraction, Trouble funk, Funkadelic, Froggy Monster Road Show.

To all the DJs and ravers throughout the decade:
We have listed above just some of the club nights throughout the last ten years, which are looked upon as important milestones of the dance movement in London and the surrounding areas. We could not include all the clubs that we wanted to. Nor, indeed, could we remember half of those we wanted to include! We wish to thank all those of you who were around to contribute to DANCES OF THE DECADE in the short period of time that we had to put this together. Hopefully, in time to come, we can expand on this. We apologies if any of the information inserted is incorrect. If we’ve left anybody out, don’t give us a hard time, just a polite phone call so that when we do a feature like this again, we’ll have a more comprehensive list. DANCE ON INTO THE 90s!

"Dances of the Decade" FREE! January 1990 Issue 3 - Published December 1989


Wanna play "Name that Club"? We want to provide the definitive Clubbers guide to the Soul-scene from the 60s to the present day. Where you there? Were you a DJ, promoter or punter? Have you got an old flyer or advertisement you can send us? Do you have any additions or corrections to make to the above list?

Contact us at clubbers@soulboys.co.uk