The Gemini................

Mr Irrelevant · **Joined:** Thu Aug 17, 2006 8:25 pm **Posts:** 22670

Sound familiar?

http://www.monkeyhanger.com/nightclb.htm

tonyparry · **Posted:** Wed Apr 22, 2009 7:41 am

Never went to the Gem, was never into night clubs although i could be found every thursday at the Gatsby Rock night :coool:

Montpoolier · **Posted:** Wed Apr 22, 2009 9:49 am

I can't ever remember anyone DJing in Twins, but there again I tended to go on weekdays only, just for the exended hours - and to chat with Billy Horner. :grin:

What was really strange when Twins opened was I'd been living in Oporto, where one of your main night clubs near the sea front was also called Twins. When I got back I got talking about Twins without mentioning it was the Oporto one and without knowing a homonymous one had opened in Hartlepool in the meantime. The ensuing conversation was a bit Burlesque to say the least.

Compo · **Posted:** Wed Apr 22, 2009 9:53 am

I must have been out of the town to long cant remember the gemini or club 25 were was it?

I am 26 so that might account for it as well

aptid · **Joined:** Thu Aug 17, 2006 9:49 pm **Posts:** 1506

Gemini and Twins were better from it's opening in 1974? or thereabouts to about 1980 in my opinion.

I met several young and lovely ladies in there during that time and even liked one so much that I married her.

kebab & chips · **Posted:** Wed Apr 22, 2009 3:06 pm

ElvisAintDead wrote:

I went to Club Gemini, and DJ'd in it's smaller neighbour Twins, for several years in the early 80's. To put a genuine timescale on it..when I first walked through the door on a Thursday Night they were playing "Empire State Human" by The Human League so that'll have been late 1980. The last record I heard in there was "What Difference Does It Make" by The Smiths, therefore I reckon I stopped going in Spring '84....which makes sense as I started going out with Mel in Jan '84 and although she was a Thursday Night Gem regular, she was already pretty sick of it being a few years older than me.

Believe it or not, The Gem was the ONLY place to go to hear "Alternative" :roll:

Music in the town. Steve Pettigrew used to DJ there playing an eclectic mix of New Romantic/New Wave/Northern Soul/Glam/Goth stuff but he was always open to ideas and I can remember many times taking in "new" records for him to play, mind Steve was so cool he already had most of them!

This place used to be CHOCKER every Thursday. For a start, the full Art College used to turn up, it was probably the only place in town where you could wear make-up, have back-combed hair and pointed boots without getting your head stoved in.

If I recall correctly, it was 50p to get in and a Pound a pint....at one stage you had to be a member and I've still got my card!

Leslie was the Manageress, who was actually a nice woman under hear mean, "I'm The Boss" exterior! Ray Smith (Yup, Corner Flag Ray!) was head bouncer which was good as I worked with Ray at British Steel so I was unlikely to have to queue or get hoyed out when people booed! rolfl

Other nights weren't QUITE as good as Thursdays, but I DJ'd for a bit at The Twins (just standing in for others) at what they called "Rock Night" which was always on a Friday. Good Nights actually, the smell of Patchouli and Weed....."Since You've Been Gone" and "Spirit Of The Radio"....Headbanging!!! rolfl

Saturdays were just regular "Nightclub" nights..Luther Vandross and Shalamar.. confised

. I rearely bothered with these as it invariably brought out the majority of Hartlepool's "Squares", usually looking for a fight.

More Club Gem memories later Ron!

Ah,thursday night at The Gem.Homosapien by Pete Shelley.Classic.

BritishWestHpool · **Joined:** Thu Aug 17, 2006 11:35 pm **Posts:** 1243

1985 - 89, almost every Thursday night.
Pints wentup to a quid and some people were fuming but it was easy to work out how many pints you had left when you were drunk. Bottles of 20/20 complemented the pints.
Going Underground by The Jam
Panic by The Smiths
Spellbound by Siouxsie and the Banshees.
That's probably all I can remember. Great drunken nights and people could be themselves. I never got spat on inside the Gem for wearing a Smiths t-shirt but I did in the town centre.

no6bus · **Joined:** Thu Aug 17, 2006 8:55 pm **Posts:** 5095

at one stage wasnt part of it "the piano bar"

Yubep · **Joined:** Wed Jan 31, 2007 6:35 pm **Posts:** 25266

so all of this happened in the late 70's to late 80's, and sounds good, shame i missed it, but...

Where did it go wrong then?

Cos i first went out in 1999, and it was all the wesley, buzz n zoom etc when did this change?

Did music dictate this or was it just different trends and owners of bars?

Mampi Swift · **Posted:** Wed Apr 22, 2009 4:59 pm

Aye, I started going out in 1999 too. Went a fair few times when it was Uropa and it was a bit of a dive, although similarly, it had an alternative night on a Thursday where you could get absolutely smashed for about £10.

Pierrepoint · **Joined:** Sat Jan 17, 2009 3:04 am **Posts:** 1723

I not sure but I think the piano bar came after the Twins but before buzz and zoom.. I think..

Yubep · **Joined:** Wed Jan 31, 2007 6:35 pm **Posts:** 25266

Mampi Swift wrote:

Aye, I started going out in 1999 too. Went a fair few times when it was Uropa and it was a bit of a dive, although similarly, it had an alternative night on a Thursday where you could get absolutely smashed for about £10.

thursday has always been alternative night, from uropa through to coast and shades, thats like THE night for alternative.

Although it was, bars opening like jax and idols has changed that slightly.

BillinghamPoolie · **Posted:** Wed Apr 22, 2009 8:04 pm

The last time I was in the Gem was Thursday 9th June 1983. Can't remember anything about the music, due to it being my stag night, and I was well gone by the time we got there. I remember being on the dance floor, saying something to a young lady I was dancing with, who flounced off, I wonder what I could have said? I then sat back down, and threw up all over one of the lads who was with me. As it happens he was the person responsible for me meeting Chris, there's gratitude for you! Oh yes, someone called Thatcher won an election that day as well. banghead

LeicesterPoolie · **Joined:** Sat Aug 19, 2006 5:48 pm **Posts:** 1278

are we talking about the same place

used to have a casino upstairs and latterly became known as the 'claggy mat'

no6bus · **Joined:** Thu Aug 17, 2006 8:55 pm **Posts:** 5095

wasnt that the riviera in lucan street

threepintwonder · **Posted:** Wed Apr 22, 2009 8:45 pm

LeicesterPoolie wrote:

are we talking about the same place

used to have a casino upstairs and latterly became known as the 'claggy mat'

no the claggy mat was the riviera where 42 nd street is now

poolieinnottingham · **Posted:** Wed Apr 22, 2009 8:50 pm

My first memory of the Gem was in about 1990 when they used to have 'Grapevine' nights in there for under 18s.

Then a few years later I started to go in on Thursday and Friday nights. Although the music/atmosphere was better on Thursdays, it was much easier to get tapped on Fridays.

In about 1994, 42nd Street decided to set up a Thursday 'alternative' night to compete with the Gem, which had reopened after a refurb as 'Buzz and Zoom'. My mate used to work in Hit Parade, and I got to know the owner quite well. 42 were stuck for a DJ, and as the owner of Hit Parade knew about my extensive 'alternative' vinyl collection, she tipped me off and I got the job.

The first week was pretty quiet, although the second week got very busy. At the time, the electronic alternative stuff like Leftfield/Prodigy/Underworld etc hadn't crossed over to the indie crowd. A couple of times I played something that wasn't strictly guitary, and a massive goth would come up to the DJ box and start foaming at the mouth. "What the fook is this?" he would ask, "Put the Sisters of Mercy on NOW!"

It's a shame but a few of these alternative types proved to be more small-minded than the 'townies' they would sneer at. I used to point out that someone like My Bloody Valentine used more technology than The Orb, but they wouldn't have any of it. They just assumed anything electronic was 'rave' and closed their ears.

Unfortunately the manager who employed me left, and the new manager had no time for alternative night, so that was the end of my DJing career. I used to get £5 an hour too, which was a small fortune in those days.

LeicesterPoolie · **Joined:** Sat Aug 19, 2006 5:48 pm **Posts:** 1278

threepintwonder wrote:

LeicesterPoolie wrote:

are we talking about the same place

used to have a casino upstairs and latterly became known as the 'claggy mat'

no the claggy mat was the riviera where 42 nd street is now

thank god for that, all those good nights I thought I'd missed

Mind the claggy mat had its moments :wink:

And · **Posted:** Wed Apr 22, 2009 10:07 pm

Best night of the week ever

http://www.sharemyplaylists.com/thursda ... mini-1986/

The Gemini................

Gadgies online