Johnny Peters and the Jets were the first group to break into the Mecca ballroom circuit. We were asked to do every Thursday night at Sale Locarno about 1959/1960 by Bill Bloxham the manager.
When we used to come round on the revolving stage, we used to play the theme music to Sunday night at the Paladium.
The trouble was there were no electrical sockets on the revolving part of the stage, and you were lucky if the amps didn't go off as the plugs pulled out when you came round to relace the dance band."
Butch Mepham
The Sale Locarno had become a local Mod venue from the early 1960s and a friend of mine was chucked out of there for stomping in cuban heels on the sprung? dancefloor to Dave Clarke Five's 'Bits and Pieces'.
By around 68 it had become the Blue Rooms and was full of suited smart mods, in grey, brown and lastly tan/green mohair.
They had the silver glitter ball hanging from the ceiling and the bar sold Double Diamond in traditional pint pots. Cliff Bennett, One Way Love ...Zoot Money, Big Time Op, James Brown. There was a Time, Bill Moss, Sock it to 'em Soul Brother and Carolina by the Folks Bros were some of the hippest stuff played along with the Atlantic and Tamla more well known. Oh How Happy was played a lot by Edwin Singers? as well as Beach Boys, George Harrison ' My Sweet Lord'. Scooters lined the back of the tunnelled entrance alll over the car park.
Lots of these guys never got into the hard rock newer sounds, prefering to stay loyal to soul and the place probably became a precurser and recruiting ground for Wigan Casino, as the scene drifted into the seventies and the Blue Room remained a soul venue by the late seventies. Though I myself didn't really attend after 69.
Carina Star was a lesser known venue on School Road and also a casino. The mod sounds here were more mainstream, I think, and 60s things by the Tremoloes, Call me Number 1 and Eddison' Lighthouse, Love Grows were played often. Although obscurities like the Ethiopians, Hong Kong Flu were played alongside the Contours, A Little Misunderstanding.
As we teenagers left around midnight, the same club but casino area upstairs, there was no downstairs, the club was filling up with older Teddy Boy gamblers and there Beehive girlfriends who would gamble on the tables until early hours.
Warren Taylor
Fantastic venue - as were all the Mecca Locarnos. Revolving stage, great atmosphere, appreciative crowd.
I even remember there was an internal CCTV system and tv screens - quite an innovation in 1965!
The Vincents played Sale Locarno on a few occasions. Vincents biog shows the ad for Thursday 18th November 1965.
Good memories.
Peter Royle
11/3/10
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Freddie at Sale Locarno - circa 1961/62
(Courtesy Roy Henshall, with Freddie's permission)
Ray Teret,Bob Lee and two of the other regular DJ's from the Blue Room days. |
