He had arrived and times were changing.
The dark austerity of the post-war period was practically a thing of the afterlife and things went hand in hand in the UK and in our region.
It was a time of full employment, and here in the northeast, shipyards, coal mines, factories, offices and outlets were in full swing.
There were paintings for everyone looking for him, and other people had more cash in his wallet than ever before.
There is a developing market for the newest generation of durable goods for the customer, such as refrigerators and rotating machines; ownership of a car, once reserved for the rich, has soared; and TV rentals and sales soared after the Tyne Tees channel began broadcasting in 1959.
Meanwhile, hardworking men and women also sought to have fun.
Here in Tyneside, following London and other major British cities, the beginning of the decade saw the opening of nightclubs.
These exclusive places were night spots, providing a touch of glamour and sophistication. At the end of a week’s work, other people can simply put on their cheerful rags and pass out for drink, food, play and evening shows.
Roger Smith runs the Ready Steady Gone website, which recalls the club scene from the early 1960s to the early 1970s.
He writes: “Newcastle, from the mid to the 1960s, had a lively nightlife that, outdoors in London, is probably the most productive in the country in terms of cakes, meals, dancing, music and gambling.
“There were a dozen nightclubs with outstanding artists in the city each and every day of the week. No wonder London gangsters like the Kray Twins looked to get into action.
“Those of us of a safe age, we go to clubs like La Dolce Vita, Grey’s Club, Cavendish and Club A’Gogo”.
At the dawn of the 1970s the era of nightclubs comes to an end with its cabaret and its numbers of birds in basket, which are gradually replaced by a new phenomenon, the disco.
But what happened to the former Newcastle clubs after the game of the gamblers and the stars of show business?
ChronicleLive photography/video journalist Tim McGuinness took to the streets of downtown to revisit the busy attractions and buildings through 10 fast-growing nightclubs in the heady swing era.
Thanks to Roger Smith and Ready Steady Gone for the information.
Oxford Galleries’ iconic dance corridor on New Bridge Street opened in 1925. Many Tyneside couples met there over the decades, before marrying later. Much later it had several names: Tiffany’s, The Ritzy, Ikon, The Studio, Central Park, Diva, Liquid Envy and Club LQ, closed in 2015, only its façade remains today.
Opened in 1969, the club is located on Bath Lane, Newcastle and spread over 3 floors with reception, disco and cabaret room, all with curved walls, for a while comedian Bob Monkhouse became interested in the place, which later replaced his call to Bloomers.
Located on the historic side, Quay Club was located across the street from the popular Crown Posada pub. Opened in 1965, it has one of the city’s most popular nightlife establishments, attracting many musicians performing in Newcastle. Demolished.
Originally a movie theater in the 1960s, Westgate Road was the home of the Beatles, as well as the Kinks, Manfred Mann and Moody Blues. For a time, the position was negotiated as a bingo hall. Today, 02 Academy, a thriving concert hall, operates on site.
Located on the corner of Westgate Road and Low Friar Street, Mayfair began his life as a ballroom in 1961. From the 1960s until its demolition in 1999, many major rock bands played there. Gate Leisure Complex is on site today.
This position is located on the fourth and fifth floors of 1 Pink Lane, opposite Bowers Restaurant.
The former nightclub, opened in 1962, located above Handyside Arcade on percy Street in the city and which attracted some of the most important emerging stars of the mod/blues/rock era, closed its doors in 1968. to make way for the Eldon Garden Mall.
The Marimba on High Bridge opened in 1959 and, by day, is a café. At night it has become a personal club with jazz music provided by some of the most productive musicians in the area. The construction was destroyed with the chimney and then rebuilt.
The ‘Dolce’ at 38-42 Low Friar Street opened in 1963, presenting itself as ‘the most sumptuous nightclub in the North’ and attracting some of the biggest British and American stars. In 1984, it became the Walkers nightclub. The apartments occupy that of the old club.