Remember the Penthouse Club?

Can anyone recall ever going into the PENTHOUSE club before it became Rebels in 82. trying to remember if it looked different to REBELS or not, was it painted bright purple???

I used to go in there every Saturday night...happy memories.

Was it in fact purple inside then or black???

Black as I remember but then I wasn't usually in that fit a state by the time I reached the Penthouse

Inside, it was the darkest club I ever saw. Black walls and floors, and very subdued lighting.

I remember once being one of the last out, and just before I left, one of the staff turned the main lights on. It was the shabbiest hovel you ever saw. No wonder they kept it dark.

On the plus side, the DJ was quite imaginative, and you could often hear records which came from outside the mainstream. "Roxette" by Dr Feelgood is one that springs to mind.

They weren't too bothered about customers being maybe a little under eighteen either.

Thanks folks, for ages I've been trying to remember the name of it. the steps were killers, funny how they always seemed to be slippery on the way out and not as many as when you went in...must admit it was a dirty hole though, but we used to go down there most weeks

A friend of mine who is blind tried to go in there on a night out with his "sighted mates, when it became rebels (or was it dollars ? -it's another place, like baileys/ the cavendish/romeo and juliets, which has had more names than a royal baby!)

The bouncer there refused him entry saying

"You can't come in, you're a fire hazard!"

To which my friend replied

"You what? Are you serious? Do you think that I will spontaneously combust, or something? Don't you think that with my senses, the first whiff of smoke, I would be the first out of that door?"

(I heard a legend that the bouncers there were reknowned for being fond of controlling unruly folk by throwing them down the stairs, with no regard for the potential for spinal cord injury.

Mr PT can verify the truth in this urban legend, as he endured this treatment at their hands as a result of a case of mistaken identity, in fact. I heard that there was one bloke whom they did this to, who did actually suffer a spinal cord injury and was paralysed, ending up as a wheelchair-dependent paraplegic)

PT

I seem to remember the bouncers standing out on the street throwing people in

Hi, I celebrated my 18 th birthday in the Penthouse and went in there on several occasions. Similar layout to Rebels but with fewer lights. Condensation would drip from the ceiling and in the gloom you could make out large ominous looking bikers, hair,beards and an awful lot of leather[who turned out to be a friendly crowd]

The guy's toilets often had no working lights at all and so you either had to have the night vision of a cat or be incredibly careful where you aimed.

There were several long bench like seats comimg out at right angles to the side walls and the ones in the furthest corner were so dimly lit that's were couples often sat!!

Never ever be in the place when the main lights came on, it was a tad scruffy!!!!

You should see it now.......condensation cant drip from the ceiling any more......fragments of masonry and concrete instead now.

Was PENTHOUSE painted purple just b4 Rebels, or was it black at that time. Underneath the black paint is purple so just curious when it was painted out.

I recall going to the Penthouse shortly before it became Rebels in the early 80's. It was the first and last visit. I remember an extremely dark "dive" of a place with a mixed clientelle of alternative music types in long macs, regular types and skinheads. When I asked for two pints, the huge, surly barman reached under the bar to present me with two warm drinks that had been already pulled and left to go stale. What a charming establishment.

If my aging memory is correct then it was painted black, I'm sure all the bench seating was covered in padded black plastic though it had so many rips and holes in it most of the padding had long since disappeared.

The beer [get them under the trades description act] the warm gnats wee was revolting and so I usually stuck to vodka although I'm pretty certain that was watered down somewhat.

I also have a hazy recollection of the place being called 'Dollars' but can't for the life of me remember whether that was after Rebels or before. If it was before maybe that explains the purple paint.Maybe I'll have to contact Bob the old DJ to put my mind at rest