I did a post a while ago about the Clubs in Jo'burg, growing up in the late 70's and 80's it was the thing to do
on the week-ends, especially on Friday nights. As I mentioned in a previous post, I probably went to my first "adult" disco when I was 13 years old, and the only reason we go in, was because we were with members of the "La Rochelle United" gang, and no one would turn them away! I even remember it was a Wednesday night, how the hell I got out of the house that night I have no idea, but I am sure my friend Charlene gave them some kind of story.
It was Charlene, myself and her Spanish friend, if I remember correctly i think her name was Jaunita, she didn't speak English very well and spoke very fast all I remember was "Hey Pa" and pronounced P-u as in umbrella. We walked from my house in Linmeyer to La Rochelle and then go into someone's car and went to a nighclub called "Tramps" at the "Diplomat Hotel" on the corner of Klein & Bree Streets. They used to give out free passes in the Tonight section of the Star to get in for free during the week.
They used to run "Teenage Disco's" on a Saturday afternoon at which no alcohol was sold to anyone under 18, we used to frequent "Plumb Crazy" which if I remember correctly was off the corner of Loveday and Jeppe street, it was one of the nicer disco's and they played good music. My mom would not allow us to go to disco's so we told her were going ice-skating at the Carlton, she would drop us off (never asked why we didn't have thick socks with us), we would go into the toilets at the Carlton, paste on the make-up and then run all the way from Commissioner street down to Jeppe, and after the disco run all the way back. I think eventually we just caught the bus into town on our own and told her we were going to movies at the Kine Center.
Besides "Plumb Crazy", "Club Chicago" also had a teen disco on a Saturday, that was were our friend Marius got badly beaten up by some of the La Rochelle united gang, because they fancied Charlene and he was dancing with her, no wonder he turned Gay (forgive me Marius).
Later when we were old enough to go to Disco's legitimately we must have gone to everyone in Jo'burg, Hilbrow, Sandton, Randburg and Pretoria. Here are a few that I remember:-
"Just for Kicks" - A bit of a scummy joint somewhere near to the City Hall in Jo'burg, I remember walking from the Carlton Center in the middle of the night to meet friends there, this was probably round 1982, Crime was starting to pick up and either way a young girl should not be walking in the city at night on her own, so I carried a toy gun in my pocket just in case. I'll never forget the embarrassment when I was searched going into the disco. Luckily they didn't make me hand it in :)
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"Ace of Clubs" - A really classy disco, and Thursday nights was ladies night, drinks half price and a Male stripper.
"Q's Supper Club" - Pink Patent leather I think the seats were.
"Xanadu" - A dance floor straight out of Saturday night Fever, very cool.
"Caesars Palace" in Braamfontein - Classy Place
"Raffles Night Club" in the Rand International Hotel in Bree Street, also a very classy place sister to Raffles at Sun City in those days.
There were so many clubs in Hilbrow, "Chelsea Underground", "Bela Napoli" and my mind has gone blank ... will have to come back to this.
In Hyde Park Shopping Center there was "Sasha's Singles Club" a really nice intimate classy place, it later moved to the Hyde Park hotel and changed names a few time, eventually became quite a rough place.
"Jacqueline's" in Pretoria, now that was a nice place, although the guys weren't as hot as Jo'burg guys!
"The Black Orchid" in Sandton - the girls were quite stuck up there
I'll have to continue this post when I can remember the names of the other places we frequented, let me know if you can think of any!
It was Charlene, myself and her Spanish friend, if I remember correctly i think her name was Jaunita, she didn't speak English very well and spoke very fast all I remember was "Hey Pa" and pronounced P-u as in umbrella. We walked from my house in Linmeyer to La Rochelle and then go into someone's car and went to a nighclub called "Tramps" at the "Diplomat Hotel" on the corner of Klein & Bree Streets. They used to give out free passes in the Tonight section of the Star to get in for free during the week.
They used to run "Teenage Disco's" on a Saturday afternoon at which no alcohol was sold to anyone under 18, we used to frequent "Plumb Crazy" which if I remember correctly was off the corner of Loveday and Jeppe street, it was one of the nicer disco's and they played good music. My mom would not allow us to go to disco's so we told her were going ice-skating at the Carlton, she would drop us off (never asked why we didn't have thick socks with us), we would go into the toilets at the Carlton, paste on the make-up and then run all the way from Commissioner street down to Jeppe, and after the disco run all the way back. I think eventually we just caught the bus into town on our own and told her we were going to movies at the Kine Center.
Besides "Plumb Crazy", "Club Chicago" also had a teen disco on a Saturday, that was were our friend Marius got badly beaten up by some of the La Rochelle united gang, because they fancied Charlene and he was dancing with her, no wonder he turned Gay (forgive me Marius).
Later when we were old enough to go to Disco's legitimately we must have gone to everyone in Jo'burg, Hilbrow, Sandton, Randburg and Pretoria. Here are a few that I remember:-
"Just for Kicks" - A bit of a scummy joint somewhere near to the City Hall in Jo'burg, I remember walking from the Carlton Center in the middle of the night to meet friends there, this was probably round 1982, Crime was starting to pick up and either way a young girl should not be walking in the city at night on her own, so I carried a toy gun in my pocket just in case. I'll never forget the embarrassment when I was searched going into the disco. Luckily they didn't make me hand it in :)
"Q's Supper Club" - Pink Patent leather I think the seats were.
"Xanadu" - A dance floor straight out of Saturday night Fever, very cool.
"Caesars Palace" in Braamfontein - Classy Place
"Raffles Night Club" in the Rand International Hotel in Bree Street, also a very classy place sister to Raffles at Sun City in those days.
There were so many clubs in Hilbrow, "Chelsea Underground", "Bela Napoli" and my mind has gone blank ... will have to come back to this.
In Hyde Park Shopping Center there was "Sasha's Singles Club" a really nice intimate classy place, it later moved to the Hyde Park hotel and changed names a few time, eventually became quite a rough place.
"Jacqueline's" in Pretoria, now that was a nice place, although the guys weren't as hot as Jo'burg guys!
"The Black Orchid" in Sandton - the girls were quite stuck up there
I'll have to continue this post when I can remember the names of the other places we frequented, let me know if you can think of any!
22 comments:
Sans (San Lorenzo).. Boobs,Xanadu, and Mi Vami for shuwamas. Not to forget Fontana chicken early hours of the morning
I remember Shaparelli's in Hillbrow where you could dance on special podiums if the mood (or drugs!) made you feel like it.
Shaparelli's in 1976 - what a place!!
Trying to remember the name of a club on the top floor of a Southern Sun Hotel downtown JHB in the 70's. You had to show a membership card to get in. The DJ was Jonathan Coetzee. Anyone remember the name ?
Was there not also a club called Crazy Horse Saloon the sign outside was zebra ?
Wow. Thank you Rod I, mentioning alk those clubs have certainly brought back memories of the good times we alk has as teenagers
Around 1979-1980's we used to frequent a multi cultural club among others called The New York Club it was in and around the Joburg West area like Mayfair Mayfair West or Brixton It was a well kitted out place on two levels renovated warehouse style with good decore and bar brilliant music disco R&B etc the owner was a tall 6'4" guy muscle bound a heck of a nice guy sadly he was taken out by a hitman one Friday night whilst on the door the multi cultural clubs springing up at that time were closely monitored by the SAP the area at that time was cool and really safe and the mix of the crowd totally amazing!!..I miss the heck out of old Joburg!!
Those were the days of disco and clubbing.. The top 3.. Club Xanadu.. Plumb Crazy and Bella Naloli.. But there were many others of top class live entertainment and top DJ's..
Wow the comments certainly jogged the old memory banks, there was also "Just for Kicks" which I think was near Rissik street, a bit of a dive!
I remember san la renzo Bella Napoli,Boobs,the junctioniinside Ponte, a club called alcatraz, a club called it aslo jolled at a cool club Heaven then heaven became the Doors, there was idols idols became esp le club and top club where in market Street also a club a little bit down the street was Q's my cousin was the bouncer there man I did a lot of drugs marijuana, lsd, coke, buttons and i drank like a fish good old days nothing lasts forever we grew up and things changed I have awesome memories
Thank you so much for your memories, I remember a lot of those places and some I had forgotten, do you remember what years it was?
Rizi from jozi, that was like 1986 heaven was before doors night club in Marshall Street i went like Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday night I so high always on acid Lsd and drunk I new the host he was a Greek his name was Costa he introduced me to cocain this is the doors now so hillbrow was still so good as Jimmy the Greek was running most of the clubs and jingles from boobs night club and Bella Napoli was the place there were places like Cafe Zurich and Cafe Vivienne the 3 sisters Chelsea hotel man life was great and been young was so sweet joburg was so good I am sad where we are now.. We have clubs like white horse who remembers all these places I'm mentioning like Tropicana in hillbrow where you would be shawarma at 4 or burtwurst the German little restaurant. I really enjoyed my youth. Then not to forget Rocky Street in yoeville that was another amazing part of my life dillans and strings we had hard rock Cafe and more I always think back as a young man life was good. Ceasars in braamfontein was a sweet club there was a little club in hi point call green goblet the older woman would pick me up as i entered the club lol. All I can say was Damm even casa Blanca roadhouse was a sweet place anyway those were the days my friend I wished that they would never End goodbye old joburg
Great memories of some great clubs of that era and times///1981- 1990 after that I left Gauteng to live in Cape Town
One Club that does not always gets mentioned was Club Xanadu that was inside the Casa Mia Hotel in Soper Rd Berea....This Club Rocked on Wednesdays,Thursdays and REALLY rocked over the Weekends>>> Great Lighting & special effects such as lit up dance floor .....plenty space to dance the night away..big stage for the many Bands that played there over the time that the Club operated...PJ Powers,Hotline,Ballyhoo,Syndicate were just a few...those were the DISCO days...
Thanks Maurice, I remember Xanadu but I think I only ever went there once. The 80's was definitely the Dance Decade in Jo'burg - although I think after about 4 years of clubbing I was over it. But I do remember all the clubs mentioned, I also remember seeing Ballyhoo at a club in Randburg sometime in the 80's think it was about 87. How are you Maurice? send me an email sometime, my address is Rose - Marie . Rowe @ live . ie without all the spaces :)
Anonymous said...
"Trying to remember the name of a club on the top floor of a Southern Sun Hotel downtown JHB in the 70's. You had to show a membership card to get in. The DJ was Jonathan Coetzee. Anyone remember the name ?"
Yes I do. The hotel was Rand International Hotel and the club was called Millionaires. You could only get in by invitation of if you were indeed a member. Very private and snobbish. There was another version of this club on top of the Maharani in Durban
Today is called RAND INN in Bree Street
I was so sure that the Disco in the Rand International was "Raffles" the same as the one in Sun City????
Good morning all
just finished reading all the comments and no one mentioned Barbarellas and Lapope in Hilbrow run by Alex the creek lui Pereira my ex brother in law was one of the DJs and I remember Bradley the bouncer . I was a junior manager at the Diplomat hotel and helped managed Tramps'
this was round about 1977-1980
dennis nel
Wow Dennis what a small world, we used to go to Tramps during the week because the always had free tickets in the Tonight section of The Star newspaper, that was probably 78 - 79 :)
So my mates and I stopped going to San Lorenzo after I was stabbed... We frequented DV8 opposite Joubert park, and an awesome punk club called the dirtbox, above Hillbrow records. R10 entrance and drink as much as you can. Great days indeed. Then in 85/6 the Golden Banana at the Wyntynjoy Hotel had love metal bands, along with the Irish Club. Dawsons Hotel had good live bands. Miss those days.
Wow Dennis do you remember the club across the road of Highpoint there was a bouncer called Peter I can't remember the name of the club it was in the sane building Pizza hut was.
This brings back sweet memories I frequented most if not all of these places you mentioned. Those were certainly the good old days
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