Historic venue that was above the Communist Book shop in Essex Street in the city centre. Main Punk venue and featured in the BBC John Peel Arena show featuring a set by the Nightingales.
Brenda Burrell also sent this picture of the membership cards for the Star Club.
As always, we need your memories of this venue and gigs you saw there!
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© Brenda Burrell 2010
First gig there was Vision Collision supporting (ahem) Duran Duran. Andy Wickett was their singer (before Simon le Bon) 50p entry, 18th November 1979.
Also saw Out of Order with The Sadists (1980) & a band with Rob Lloyd from The Prefects/Nightingales…not sure if they were Legz Akimbo??
Wasn’t at this gig but great footage of John Peel there
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00jd86m
I saw loads of bands there – also played there a few times myself. Some of the bands included The Au Pairs (their second gig as their debut was at the Fighting Cocks), Vision Collision (great band – would love to hear a tape), The Denizens, The Prefects, Red Alert, Nightingales – great place. There always seemed to be a reggae DJ playing as well – not hard core stuff (e.g dub – though I love it) but reggae covers of “pop” hits of the time.
Good times.
ps I played bass with 021 though we never did play at the Star Club.
Mike may not have played with 021 at the Star Club, but didn’t he play rhythm guitar there in the one and only gig of the Nasty Pencils? Apart from all the great bands and the p*** poor beer, my best memory of the place was the small meeting room at the back where the handful of devoted old school Communist Party members used to congregate in a smoky haze while the bands were playing “So comrades, what do you think of our chances in Coseley this year…” Bostin.
the androids played there a few times and often used it as a practice venue. untill the day of the N.F riots. The crowd came up from digbeth and smashed up the shop below. i was upstairs in the club that day. we all hid in the store room. when it had calmed down the shop was trashed. i remember helping to clean the shop up, only to be told by photographers to retrash it for the photos. such is life..
I actually played in The Nasty Pencils back in 79, I remember playing ‘I don’t care’ by the Ramones twice over cos our set was so short. Great laugh though
Actually Mike 021 did play at the Star Club on 23/3/80 with The Accused supporting, but this was quite a while before you joined the line up.I still have a recording of that night and also one a month before that we played with Save the Sheep.The Accused also played a third gig there with Media Macabre. great nights!
Fashion did a Rock Against racism gig there with Mosiah sometimne in 1978
Interesting info re. early Star Club here…scrolll down for pics
http://www.grahamstevenson.me.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=619:frank-watters-&catid=23:w&Itemid=124
A little known fact is that the first band to play there was the Solicitors – Mark Freeth singing, Michael Baker on guitar, Mick Rhodes on bass and me on drums. That would have been around October 1978. We were still at school and we were pretty awful (a pre-requisite for any decent punk band). We were on the same bill as Au Pairs and Denizens.
We did not have any transport, so we would carry all our stuff on the 67 bus from Castle Vale and across town. Sadly I have lost touch with all from then, but they were happy days.
If you want me to put you in touch with Mark Freeth e mail on paulpanic@fsmail.net,Do you still have any Solicitors recordings from those days?
i have some photos of the solicitors gig at the bornbroke hotel. email me an i will send you some copies
Hey Nick, that would be great. I never did get any photos of us. It would have been late 1978, I was on drums, and I rarely stayed sober enough to keep rhythm! Please email to garyfletcher9721@aol.com
Would love to know the whereabouts of a dear old friend Fossit, who was the lead singer in Vision Collision. Please let me know if anyone knows.
Steve
021 did actually play the Star Club, (I was the Singer), I can’t remember who with, it was very early in our development, just pre Mike Hancox and John Groake joining from the Andriods, Star club was def a badge of honor for Birmingham’s music scene in the day, as I remember, our drummer didn’t turn up so we borrowed on from the audience.
No. We really did.
Three minuet wonders at power and pace, how difficult could it be!!
You did indeed Tony and it was with The Accused on 23/3/80
the first gig i went to there was to see punk/ new wave band julie and the opinions-who i thought were a great band with great material they had a residency there-anyone remember them ? i always remember the rastas on the door who always were friendly and i used to get served at the bar even though i was only 14 ! saw loads of other bands too-who was that bloke with a drum machine and wasp synth ? loz
Yes- saw Julie & The Opinions twice. First at The Fighting Cocks with The Utensils & again at The Mercat Cross. Wonder what they’re up to now?
Hi are you the Loz who often came to see The Accused and did your own fanzine called Eustanasia, if so please add me on facebook or email me paulpanic@fsmail.net
I played here Friday 17th Sept 1982 with my band Active Restraint. We broke up the following year but reformed early 1985 (with a different drummer) as … The Mighty Lemon Drops.
I was at the Star Club during the 1980s, not sure of the year, prolly ’84/85, but one night it was an evening hosted by the Communist Party of Great Britain to entertain a visiting member of the Central Comittee of the USSR. Can’t remember the bloke’s name. A couple of elderly veterans of the 1930s did a few numbers, the man sang revolutionary songs the woman accompnied him on an accordian. At the end we all stood up and joined in singing the state anthem of the Soviet Union.