The Downbeat Magazine

06/04/2024

CLUB A’GOGO DANCE PARTY
Tomorrow!! Sunday 7 April (2-6pm
Marlborough Social Club

Last chance to grab your advance tickets Sunday’s dance party then it’s pay on the door only (cash please 🙏🏻). And remember you can ONLY reserve a table when booking in advance . Buy here ... https://www.clubagogo.co.uk/events-1/the-club-agogo-dance-party-27

Kicking off at 2pm we’ll see you on the dance floor kids!! 🕺

(Members £6/Non members £7)

02/04/2024

So many books , so little time … 🥹

02/04/2024

CLUB A’GOGO IS BACK ON SUNDAY!!
7 April (2-6pm)
Marlborough Social Club
Tickets £7 door / Members £6

We’re back on Sunday for another of our foot stomping Club a’Gogo Dance Parties!! Last event was a sell out and tickets are selling fast so grab your advance tickets NOW via the link
https://www.clubagogo.co.uk/events-1/the-club-agogo-dance-party-27

Expect an afternoon filled filled with Mod classics & 60s floor fillers all played on VINYL. See you there kids!

31/03/2024

Loved Camden in the 80s, a great piece in the Observer. Can’t say I care much for it now , a bit too sanitised for my liking but then it was over 30 years ago when it was my watering hole … gulp 🥹

The new biopic of the London singer has put the London borough’s rich musical past in the spotlight. But what of its future?

31/03/2024

STUDENTS & Subculture Studies

We’ve always been big on helping the young ones in whatever way we can either by offering work experience or by giving free stalls to art & fashion students at our markets but this time we’ve been asked to help in a different way.

It’s fantastic to see what seems to be a surge of interest in our sub cult history. Last month we were approached by three students asking for help with their research/dissertations into such diverse subjects as the differing styles of the Mod & Rockers, the changing fashion of the Northern Soul scene and the underground Rave scene in 90s Newcastle.

Whilst we can’t write the dissertations we can help by pointing the students in the right direction/making contact with the relevant people who were ‘there’ and are willing to share their memories . As the glory days of subcultures disappear further into the past it’s good to see the younger generation taking a keen interest in this important part of our social history.

Ps anyone else needing any help just give us a shout 👍

26/03/2024

Must admit I do have a soft spot for an anorak god knows why, maybe it’s a throwback to childhood, I think they are so cute. This pic of mod girls wearing their anoraks was shared in another mod group with no info re who the girls are/date/location etc.

Mine was displayed in our exhibition on mod culture at Newcastle City Library (third from left on rail). Was anyone else a fan of these in the 60s?? (or 80s even ).

14/03/2024

Happy birthday to my absolute favourite actor of ALL time, the legend that is Sir Michael Caine.

Seen here signing autographs in Newcastle’s Central station during a break in the filming of Get Carter.

09/03/2024

The Clothes We Wore …

Anyone who knows me will know I am a huge collector of vintage clothing, primarily 60s and 50s pieces as these are my favourite fashion eras but more recently I have started to collect 70s items too (well it is 50 years ago (gulp 🥹).

With that in mind I was delighted to be invited to write about my love of vintage in The Echo magazine, the piece fitting in quite well with their most recent event ‘The clothes we wore…’ . Read it here.

06/03/2024

** HELP NEEDED - Student Dissertation **

Can anyone out there help Leo with his dissertation? He’s focussing on the Newcastle Alternative scene and how it then changed towards the rave scene . Here’s the outline below and the more detailed questions for anyone who was there and also anyone who was running clubs at the time and would like to help Leo are on the pics.

Please contact Leo direct via email at [email protected]

“Hi Jools,

Thanks for your reply! Yes, I’m aiming to focus my dissertation on the alternative scene, although I understand that the nineties saw a shift in the difference between alternative and mainstream as the majority of people just ended up wearing baggy clothes and raving in the 90s. So ideally I want to capture what caused the shift in culture from alternative subcultures in the 80s, to widespread similarities in music and style in the 90s, and the effects this has had on modern day music and style in Newcastle…”

Thank you!

03/03/2024

CLUB A’GOGO BOOK

This just popped up on my memories and reminded me of the international interest our book has had, currently gracing the shelves of a permanent Mod exhibition in Leon, Spain.

“Huge thanks to Alejandro Diez Garín for buying our book ‘Club a‘Gogo & The Mod Scene of 1960s Newcastle’. Alex helped us with the book by supplying us with rare magazine articles about Club a’Gogo and the fashion scene in Newcastle . Alex also allowed us to use his amazing images of the Animals playing live at Tiles club in London.

Like us, Alex also runs a book publishing company called Ediciones Chelsea and is an avid collector of all things 60s. He will soon be opening a museum in Leon, Spain ‘FUNDACION CLUB 45’ dedicated to this great period in our cultural history. To find out more visit here’s the promo video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-Io0g8PG2M

Can’t wait to visit Alex!”

Grab your copy of our book here https://www.clubagogo.co.uk/product-page/club-a-gogo-the-mod-scene-of-1960s-newcastle

01/03/2024

CLUB A’GOGO HERITAGE PLAQUE

Now that the weather looks like it’s finally turning Spring like it’s selfie time!!

As always we can’t resist grabbing a pic in front of the Club a’Gogo heritage plaque (always so proud) and now it’s YOUR turn!
So if you’re ever passing Percy Street in Newcastle send us a your pics and we’ll get them shared on our Socials. Get snapping kids!! 📸

Ps thanks to Anne, Lisle, Maggie and Eve for their fab pics

28/02/2024

CLUB A’GOGO BOOK @ HMV

This has just popped up on my memories reminding me just how exciting it was to see our book ‘Club a’Gogo & The Mod Scene of 60s Newcastle’ displayed on the shelves at HMV (we even had our own window display!) We had a fantastic turnout for our book signing events with Paul doing a series of DJ sets in HMV to get the party started. Good times 🥰

Our book is now sold out at HMV but is available now via our website. Limited stock left so grab your copy here before the go https://www.clubagogo.co.uk/product-page/club-a-gogo-the-mod-scene-of-1960s-newcastle

24/02/2024

** BEWARE OF TICKET SCAMS **

There’s been loads of scammers trying to sell ‘their’ tickets for this event . They are scammers do NOT engage with anyone offering tickets for our event.

We only accept tickets purchased direct from our website. In addition, tickets are non transferable and only the named ticket holder will gain entry. Advance tickets are now sold out so it’s PAY ON THE DOOR ONLY (cash please).

This is looking to be a cracking gig , see you all there kids!

24/02/2024

Last chance to get advance tickets to see the flippin brilliant The Go Steady on Sunday. Tickets £10 via the link or if you miss out it’s pay on the door (cash please ).

See you there!! https://www.clubagogo.co.uk/events-1/club-agogo-dance-party-with-the-go-steady

Have a great weekend people!

We'll be at the Club a GoGo in the Marlborough Club, Newcastle on Sunday from 2pm for anyone in the North East.

TGS x

22/02/2024

No prizes for guessing which ‘Lauren’ is my fave! I love this song 🥰

"Doo W*p (That Thing)" by Ms. Lauryn HillListen to Ms. Lauryn Hill: https://LaurynHIll.lnk.to/listenYDWatch more Ms. Lauryn Hill videos: https://LaurynHIll.l...

22/02/2024

A woman that I look up to as one of most inspiring women in recent history, the powerhouse that was Nina Simone. If you’re ever feeling down and think you’ve got nothing inlife just listen to these lyrics again.

Nina Simone performs "Ain't Got No, I Got Life" live in London, 1968.Buy Nina Simone Live on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2CTY6Jv

14/02/2024

CLUB A’GOGO plus The GO STEADY!🎯
Sunday, 25 Feb,Marlborough Social Club
Tickets £10 Advance

The legendary Club a'Gogo Dance Party is back on the 25th February AND you lucky lot we also have a live set from Edinburgh’s premier mod band the Go Steady!

The GO Steady play 1960's Beat & Mod music from bands such as The Small Faces, The Who, The Creation, The Eyes & The Yardbirds, as well as R&B and Soul songs from the era.
They are fast establishing themselves as a major player on the UK Mod scene. Their last 2 gigs with us sold out so grab your advance tickets NOW before they gooooo!!

https://www.clubagogo.co.uk/events-1/club-agogo-dance-party-with-the-go-steady

11/02/2024

Oh I do love my 50s dresses and here’s a throwback pic of me wearing this amazing dress from my favourite London vintage shop Hunky Dory on Brick Lane. It’s a very rare occasion for me to be leaving that shop empty handed. Fantastic place 👗(oh and great menswear too!)

07/02/2024

CLUB A’GOGO with the GO STEADY!
Sunday, 25 Feb. Marlborough Social Club

Club a'Gogo is back on the 25th February AND by popular demand we have Edinburgh’s premier mod band the Go Steady joining us for another blistering live set of mod & 60s classics. Tickets are selling fast so grab your advance tickets via the link https://www.clubagogo.co.uk/events-1/club-agogo-dance-party-with-the-go-steady

See there kids!

The Club a'Gogo Dance Party is back AND by popular demand ... the flipping amazing Edinburgh mod band The Go Steady!!

07/02/2024

CLOBBER

Just found this fab little dress on EBay (not within my budget sadly) and I really love the jersey stripe fabric, very Mary Quant in styling .I was not familiar the label but apparently Clobber was founded by Jeff Banks and his business partner in 1965 during the boutique boom. Jeff was also married to Sandie Shaw and many my age will no doubt remember him as the founder of Warehouse in the late 70s and the presenter of the Clothes Show (oh how I loved that programme!).

Did anyone here own any Clobber pieces??

Ps my mam and dad has those fab leather chairs in chocolate brown. Wish they’d kept them!

05/02/2024

MARY QUANT at the V&A

Last week I shared some pics of a present I received from one of Newcastle’s original mods, a pull out Mary Quant make up ad from the Honey magazine. have since found of from one of the curators of the Mary Quant exhibition that is is actually a really rare piece of Quant memorabilia.

What a lucky girl I am!! Thank you Edith! X

03/02/2024

Mary Quant …

Although Mary Quant is more famously associated with the mini skirt just have a look at this dress she designed in 1964. Mary did a range of designs for Buttericks, an American patterns company . Here’s Patti Boyd wearing the same dress for a promo shoot with the Rolling Stones. Must admit I find this length a really unflattering one

01/02/2024

Morning all 🤩 thought I would share this pic (not credited as I don’t know who owns it ). These girls are actually ‘revival’ mods from around 1979, I thought they look so much like the originals. It’s just how me and my friends dressed back then too. They will all be in their 50s now .

Happy memories for me , discovering the 60s music and fashion for the very first time .

22/01/2024

Room at the Top

Another book I picked up recently for peanuts and another classic. I first read Room at the Top in the early 80s when it was possibly on my college reading list as I can’t see how I would have known of it otherwise. If this were a first edition it would be worth approx £240 (it’s not 😖). Dipping into the book again it’s fascinating how much society has changed, Alice the ‘other woman’ is described as ‘old’ with fading looks. She was 34…

‘The film is set in Yorkshire and follows the ambitions of Joe Lampton who arrives in Warley (Bradford) to take up a new job in the Treasury department. Joe is determined to make a better life for himself and schemes to wed a wealthy factory owners daughter but falls in love with an older woman along the way…’

19/01/2024

When one book leads to another…

I was recently gifted this great book ‘Resistance Through Rituals’ about our post war sub cult history . Having a little dip into it I found another book that needed to be hunted down. The Paint House . I’d not heard of this one before but a desirable book for any self respecting suede/skinhead.

Managed to source a first edition for £20👍

17/01/2024

We’re so lucky at times for the lovely people we meet doing what we love. Huge thanks to Edith for sending me this fab Mary Quant make up ad all the way from France . I love the quirky cartoon imagery detailing Mary’s ‘story’ and it’s in mint condition too (originally from the Honey magazine )

Thank you Edith! I love it 🥰 ###