Sadly, Ecclesfield WMC will be no more after this weekend, but to finish on a high, Don't Shoot the Messenger will be playing for the final Saturday night.

Don't miss a great night out with fantastic live music from one of Sheffield's finest covers bands.

www.dontshootmusic.co.uk

Im sorry to hear about this.
I did used to go in for a coke when fishing on the dam in the summer.

It's gonna be a huge one, don't miss it, a piece of history in the making.......

http://soundcloud.com/pauljones50/paul-jones-dont-stop-believing

Last night ever ? thought it was sunday when it closed.

it is but they're not having a band on on sunday.

wonder if they'll be a closing down sale on beer ??

Heard that Ecclesfield club has closed it's doors on Sunday night!! Hope somebody comes in and rescues it or another loss to the community.
In the meantime there is an active facebook page re saving our working men's clubs and an online petition.
Please sign or join the group.

Do you have a link to the Facebook group? I'd like to join!

Do you have a link to the Facebook group? I'd like to join!

www.gopetitipn.com/petition/42425.html
The facebook page is save the working men's clubs and entertainment industry

shame, most WMC never moved witht he times, to atract younger customers.. same happened in the Dial house

Unfortunately I can only see the demise of the working mens clubs, because the younger generation do not use them very much. I used to go in the lane top but unless there was a rock band on, the average age of the people in there would have been around 60

WMC's won't survive unless they attract new cutomers between the ages of 20 and 50, but they won't attract these customers if they put the lights on at full blast at 10pm on a Saturday night and start playing bleeding BINGO for nearly an hour (as per the one I was in last Saturday 5/3/11).

A new approach should be introduced of good live music (not backing tracks) with midweek Acoustic and Jam nights and decent recorded music playing in-between the Acts. These are good music/entertainment venues in the heart of communities and should be used, but do the committee's want to change?


I think many committee members would rather see them close down than make the radical changes needed.

WMC's won't survive unless they attract new cutomers between the ages of 20 and 50, but they won't attract these customers if they put the lights on at full blast at 10pm on a Saturday night and start playing bleeding BINGO for nearly an hour (as per the one I was in last Saturday 5/3/11).

A new approach should be introduced of good live music (not backing tracks) with midweek Acoustic and Jam nights and decent recorded music playing in-between the Acts. These are good music/entertainment venues in the heart of communities and should be used, but do the committee's want to change?


I think many committee members would rather see them close down than make the radical changes needed.

Totally agree, the band spends forty five minutes working their arses of trying to get the audience fired up, then it's lights on, could we have an hour of deathly silence please lol. There's not much beer being bought while 2/3 of the club are sat down playing bingo.

A friend of mine does a jam night on a thursday night at a local club. He does it for free, brings about 30 to 40 people in, who are all spending at least a tenner each and he doesn't get any support from the committee whatsoever. They can't even be bothered to advertise it for him :confused:

Mr Jones, I think your friends experience of running a good 'jam night' but not getting the support of The Committee is a good example of whats going on.

The Save our Clubs petition is fine, but is doomed to fail if it is not accompanied by the Committee's facing reality. The main reason clubs are empty is not because of the smoking ban or the recession, its because ;

*for most 20 to 60 year olds it is a crap night out in a WM Club compared to ones they can have elsewhere as the night is designed to entertain pensioners,

*The decor is generally the same as it was in 1978.

*Even if the band is playing modern type music the night soon reverts back to
something resembling a night in a Darby & Jones club.

It will not be easy to get customers out of Wetherspoons etc., and into WM Clubs but an example of what can be done is Birdwell club at Barnsley (although no longer a WMC) which can fill the club on a Sat night even with a £5 charge for a good band,......... but there is no committee men giving out do's and don'ts on the microphone, and certainly no BINGO just the band then background music in-between.

The smoking ban and the price of beer has killed many a club and pub, but it has to be said, the wmc's do not help themselves, especially as everything comes a poor 2nd to bingo! It could be U2 on stage but they wouldn't come before the damn bingo!

I would agree that the smoking ban has had an impact on all Pubs and Clubs, but my point is that its not inevitably all doom & gloom as most people don't smoke now and some places are thriving.

People are still going out but many people of all ages up to 60ish go into Sheffield centre for a drink and then pay for a taxi back rather than go to the local WMC or Pub like they did 20+ years ago.

The question is ....what can bring them back into the WM Clubs before the clubs die?

I would agree that the smoking ban has had an impact on all Pubs and Clubs, but my point is that its not inevitably all doom & gloom as most people don't smoke now and some places are thriving.

People are still going out but many people of all ages up to 60ish go into Sheffield centre for a drink and then pay for a taxi back rather than go to the local WMC or Pub like they did 20+ years ago.

The question is ....what can bring them back into the WM Clubs before the clubs die?

Yep, i agree with what you're saying too. I don't know what to say, it's a difficult one because people like WMC for what they are, the trouble is the older working class people as they used to be are no more. The WMC were aligned with the 'proper' working class man who had his tea on the table, shirts ironed and out to the club every night. Things have changed dramatically and 90% of clubs haven't. Sadly, within the next 10 years or so, the WMC's will be few and far between.

i am the person(fool)who does the jam nights mr jones was talkin about at bellhouse club on a thursday for nowt.committee dont give a toss and there is no support what so ever, they cant be arsed.. and all i get is the fogies in the other side sayin its spoiling their bingo.. awww poor them.. im trying to get em some custom and it feels as though they are doing me the favour.. waste o time really me thinks.. cant wait for the petition that says save our club.. mick

Mr Jones and Sams Town are spot on, especially the live music and bingo aspects. Maybe we should put an offer in for the lease on Ecco club!

I had a quick visit today to get some external photo's before the club is no doublt demolished :(
Brought back some memories !

My Grandad was the President there for many years,and my Gramma used to work behind the bar too,

Its boarded up now,so no pics looking through the windows :rolleyes:


JJ..

WMC's are going into steady decline for sure, but without the bingo they wouldn't be open at all. After all it it profits from the bingo that is helping the WMC's stay open.