Now, for all you young'uns, who have only known about yuppy pubs and wine bars....there was once a propa pub in Sunlund town centre called the old 29. This was yer propa spit n' sawdust pub, complete with glass carpet! Live bands often played here in the late 70's, early 80's, but none so famous (or should that be infamous!) as our very own Angelic Upstarts! Ahhh.....memories!!
Old 29, Then off to the Beehive (upstairs) for a fight.. I Remember them well. And the Black Bull. (someone always put that back window out) As well as the Upstarts wasn't there Red Alert, or something like that...
Ah, The Beehive, another propa, rough as **** drinking establishment, and the only boozer in Sunlund to have its own song........... "There's a beehive in the town, in the town. Where all, the bootboys hang around, hang around. So if you want your ****in' head kicked in, Go to, the beehive in the town!" ........and then over the road to the painted wagon!!
I loved the Old 29 and was gutted when they pulled it down. I saw some cracking bands there, and one that stands out is 'The Showbizz Kids' who had a huge local following but for some reason never made it on the national stage.
Saw all those mentioned and the Toy Dolls as well, the thing is you go in when there is no band on and it is tiny thinking back there must have been about 500 people in there. Also had a can bar with a fire to dry you out when it inevitably rained. Proper bar no flash lights or smoke extractors either.
Old 29, shoes sticking to the floor, unless a fight had just finished and then the glass stopped your feet sticking. Off to the Dun Cow (To clean shoes on their nice carpets.) Into the Vestry to see if any of the lasses in there were up for an early shag against the wall. Round to the stowed out Boro, upstairs watching the world go by. (I recall myself and six mates jumping out of the Boros top window to help out a bunch of lads being attacked across the road.) Off to Annabells and hope the bastard that hated your guts wasn't on the door!
Was in twenty nine when t cooper died on stage (obviously not the 29 stage) on some show. I used to get the round in there cos I knew the barmaid. 6 pints hand a fiver over and change of twenty. good old days. Crown ale beer. a gallon of that and crawl home like a border collie
Back further mate as a kid when it was The Rink. Doing March of the Mods Saturday mornings. We have all heard the joke about the drunk guy putting his hand down the front of a gorgeous lasses pants and finding meat and two veg. Saw this actually happen in Fusion, haha it took 3 of us to stop the lad killing the tranny.
What about La Strada, Wetheralls. Saw Lenny Henry at the La Strada he must have been 16 at the time. I have never seen any comedian destroyed so badly ever. (Amazes me he came back after the abuse that was hurled at him.) Every joke he tried to tell was ancient and everyone was beating him to the punchline. I was well under age for Wetheralls but used to squeeze past the bouncers with all the lads older than me.
remember it when i was 17-18 started drinking there before match then to the derry and across the river to the boilermakers club whitch i think became the barbary coast and then to the match
What about the upper deck? good pub for a few bevvys on a saturday afternoon before the match watching the girlies walk by.
The Boomtown Rats must have played the Empire one night cos I remenber seeing Bob Geldorf havin a piss down the back alley at the side of the Old 29..what a place that was
Get to the Derry cross the road and walk towards the Empire that gap where the Fire station is was The Old 29, there was a great Army Surplus shop there as well used to sell bondage strides boots the lot.
The Old 29 with a moss like surface to the pool table, Debbie Harry Poster in the window. The first time I came across Baz Warne was in the Toy Dolls at the Wine Loft in Holmeside and latterly in the 29 with The Troubleshooters and Smalltown Heroes. Good to see him in The Stranglers, does a good job. Dial9 club anyone? Good article davros.
Dunno about the bondage stuff mate, your sex life must have been more advanced than mine. Did buy all my work jackets there mind. Wasn't there an amusement arcade and joke shop along there too? Well I know about the amusements as I used to congregate there with the lads.