Valentino’s in East Fountainbridge, behind The Point Hotel, started out life in 1866 as The Palladium, a variety theatre, it was then converted to a cinema in 1912 during the silent era. Closing as a cinema in 1932, it reverted to it’s variety roots. In the late sixties, and into the early seventies, it was known as the White Elephant club, the picture below was taken in 1971, and if you look closely you will see white elephants painted on either side of the entrance. It became Valentino’s in the late seventies, with the balcony area being transformed into the members only club JJ’s. I have also had an email from Dave Paton of Pilot and Elton John fame who kindly told me he saw Slade, and The Writing On The Wall there during it’s time as The White Elephant. Many bands played here, some were to go on to massive success. In it’s time also known as The Muscular Arms.
The site of Valentino’s 25th April 2009. ©S.S. 2009.
- 1980 9th March Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, & The Flowers
- 1980 6th April Shake, & Boots For Dancing
- 1980 27th April The Delmontes, The Ettes, & The Fire Engines
Simon writes “Julie Delmonte of the Edinburgh band the Delmonte’s. I was experimenting with an 8mm Minox spy camera – terrible result!”
- 1980 4th May The Cure, & The Passions
- 1980 11th May The Monochrome Set, & Josef K
- 1980 18th May The Teardrop Explodes
- 1980 1st June Adam & The Ants
- 1980 8th May Pink Military
- 1980 29th June The Fall, The Thursdays, & Fire Engines
- 1980 17th August Bauhaus
- 1980 21st August The Scars, The Associates, Josef K, & Fire Engines
- 1980 12th October Echo & The Bunnymen
- 1980 26th October The Mo-dettes
Simon Clegg writes: “The Mo-dettes most well-known song is “White Mice”, which was self-released as their first single in mid 1979 on Mode records, with “Masochistic Opposite” on the b-side. The single was distributed by Rough Trade. It spent 5 weeks at No.1 on the Indie charts. This gig at Valentino’s was to promote that single. June Miles-Kingston (in this picture) re-emerged in the late 1980s as the drummer for The Communards; and she also worked with Fun Boy Three, Thompson Twins and Everything but the Girl. She is the sister of the former Ten Pole Tudor guitarist, Bob Kingston and now performs as a jazz singer in London.”
- 1980 9th November The Teardrop Explodes, & The Thompson Twins
- 1981 25th January U2, & Fire Engines
- 1981 8th February A Certain Rato, & Josef K
- 1981 15th March Nash The Slash
- 1981 19th April New Order & The Visitors
- 1981 10th May Orange Juice, & Blazing Saddles
- 1981 24th May Dead Or Alive
- 1981 21st June Scars, & Article 58
- 1981 11th July Blue Orchids (this gig took place in JJ’s)
- 1981 9th August Fire Engines
- 1981 16th August Josef K, & Aztec Camera
- 1981 30th August The Delmontes, & Article 58
- 1981 25th October Bow Wow Wow
1981 26th October The Au Pairs, & The Visitors
1982 10th January A Certain Ratio
- 1982 20th February Blue Rondo A La Turk
- 1982 1st April Spandau Ballet aftershow party
- 1982 4th April Orange Juice
- 1982 24th April TV21, & Peter Capaldi
- 1982 1st May Scars (Mk2 without Bobby “Rab” King)
- 1982 9th May Mari Wilson & The Wilsations
- 1982 15th May Passage
Simon Clegg writes “This picture of my then girlfriend Liana was taken upstairs at Valentino’s in the early 1980’s. She now goes out with a famous Scottish sound engineer called David Henderson.”
