Entertainment
Cryer
Along with the Starfighters and Quartz, Cryer were a heavyweight in Birmingham rock music circles. Constantly gigging, and touring in support of such notables as Gillan and Ozzy Osbourne, the band had a great live reputation - not least due to the extensive use of somewhat unpredictable pyrotechnics operated by roadie Stevie Husband - alongside [...]
The Starfighters and The Pits Rehearsal Rooms - Granville Street
A more classic example of a rags to riches - to rags again cautionary tale of the music industry could not wish to be found than that of Birmingham’s Starfighters. Formed in 1979 the band comprised of Steve ‘Bertie’ Burton (vocals) - previously of Birmingham rock band Cryer, Stevie Young (guitar), Pat Hambly (guitar), Doug Dennis (bass) and Steve Bailey (drums) [...]
The Futurist Cinema - John Bright Street
Work began in 1914 on the then to be named Majestic Theatre which opened some two years later in 1916 only to change its name to The Futurist Theatre some three years later in 1919. Always trying to be at the forefront of the cinematic medium, the Futurist was the first cinema in Birmingham to have curtains [...]
Abigail’s Dining & Cabaret Nightclub - Hill Street / John Bright Street
On the back of the runaway successes of the Bermuda Club, Cedar Club, Barbarella’s and Rebecca’s - Birmingham nightclub pioneer Edward Fewtrell identified a niche in the market for an upmarket dining and cabaret club in the City catering for the more affluent residents of and visitors to Birmingham. He identified the run-down Savoy Hotel [...]
Rebecca’s Nightclub / Boogies Nightclub - John Bright Street
Opened by Edward Fewtrell in 1966 as Rebecca’s - named after his eldest daughter - the premises operated along similar lines to later opened Edward’s Number 7 and Edward’s Number 8 bar and nightclub which were housed in an adjacent building in opening in 1979. On the ground floor accessed from John Bright Street was Rebecca’s [...]
Goldwyn’s Nightclub - Suffolk Place
Aimed at a slightly more upmarket crowd than Boogies and Edward’s nightclubs and bars just around the corner, with the opening of Goldwyn’s nightclub in 1989 - along with Paramount bar beneath it in 1988 - Edward Fewtrell aimed to tap-in to the theatre-going public (the Alexandra theatre being next door) and to present live [...]
Edward’s No.8 Night Club - The Rock Complex Remembered
As was noted elsewhere in this section, my youthful pubbing and clubbing experiences were based around the ‘Rock’ scene of the mid-1980s, such as it was in those days. This consisted of shuffling from the Costermonger at the back of the Oasis Market to Mr Bill’s on Needless Alley on a Sunday and Wednesday [...]
City Centre Nightlife in the 1980s - An Introduction
Once upon a time in my my youth I could regularly be found gallivanting around the Birmingham pub and club scene in both various states of alcohol-induced abandon and as a member of staff of numerous clubs and bars throughout the 1980s. It is with the hazy memories of this period in mind that I [...]
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