Nite Club | The Edinburgh Gig Archive

The Nite Club was situated at Greenside Place, within the main building of the Playhouse. The door directly to the right of the Playhouse box office led upstairs to a club that hosted many gigs from February 1980 after being converted by the promoters Regular Music.

Entrance and stairs to the former Nite Club photographed on 20th May 2010. ©S.S. 2010,

*Thank you to Alan for the photo which dates to circa 1981. The billboard outside the theatre is for magician Peter Reveen who was on a record breaking 8 week consecutive run at the Playhouse.*

1980 16th February Shake
1980 22nd February Scars, & Josef K
1980 14th March The Cuban Heels, & The Recognitions
1980 15th March Mowgli & The Donuts, & The Visitors

***Mowgli & The Donuts at the Nite Club. Thank you to*** ***Simon Clegg*** ***for the picture***

1980 21st March Flowers, & Boots For Dancing
1980 22nd March The Solos, & The Radars
1980 28th March Those French Girls, & F.K.9

1980 29th March Switch, & Trax

1980 4th April Another Pretty Face, & TV21
1980 5th April Everest The Hard Way, & The Delmontes
1980 11th April Josef K, Orange Juice & The Go-Betweens (note misspelt Joseph K on poster).
1980 12th April SkaNite featuring The Rude Boys & All The Rage

***Josef K at the Nite Club. Thank you to Lee McPhail for these rare pictures. © Lee McPhail 1980.***

***Orange Juice at the Nite Club. Thank you to Lee McPhail for these rare pictures. © Lee McPhail 1980.***

1980 18th April Spizz Energi
1980 24th April Chasar
1980 1st May Holocaust

**Thank you to Keith More & Nick Grieve for this scan.**

1980 8th May Heavy Metal Soundhouse (club)
1980 9th May The Members, & The Distractions
1980 10th May The Photos, & Fashion
1980 15th May Cadiz
1980 16th May The Hitmen, Mowgli & The Donuts & Insect Bites
1980 17th May Protex, & Venigmas
1980 22nd May Heavy Metal Soundhouse (club) & The EF Band
1980 23rd May Doll By Doll, & Richard Strange
1980 24th May The Cheetahs, & The Good Old Boys

1980 29th May Gary Moore
1980 30th May The Freeze, & Avo8

***The Freeze, Nite Club 1980. Thank you to Pete Tainsh for the eight pictures above. © Pete Tainsh 1980.***

**Two Rare Freeze badges. Thank you to Ian Dunipace for these badges.**

***The Freeze at The Marquee. Thank you to Davis Wilkie for this photo. ©Davis Wilkie.***

1980 31st May League Of Gentleman (Robert Fripp) & The Martian Schoolgirls
1980 5th June Colossus
1980 6th June Suicide

***Thank you to Oddfellow for this advert.***

1980 7th June Athletico Spizz 80, & Altered Images
1980 12th June Soundhouse H.M.
1980 13th June Wah! Heat, Everest The Hardway, & Modern Eon
1980 19th June Freebird
1980 20th June Berlin Blondes, & Positive Noise
1980 27th June TheScars
1980 5th July Clive Langer And The Boxes, &The Delmontes
1980 11th July Ginger Baker’s Energy
1980 12th July The Rude Boys
1980 18th July The Associates
1980 19th July The Damned, & Nightshift

**“Nite Club Punters” thank you to** **Simon Clegg** **for the two pictures above.Simon Clegg writes** “Finally, the names of all those in this iconic photo which not only appears to articulate the Edinburgh punk gig scene of 1979 but almost of the entire punk genre itself. The person to the extreme left looking sullen with a glass of lager in his hand is Callum McCormick, whom I last heard was living in Brazil. The person next to him throwing his hands in front of the lens, objecting to the photograph being taken, is Paul Fernie (deceased).The individual who is obscured by the hands is Jesse Hopkins, who can be contacted via www.arsejelly.com The man at the back is Kevin “Scabies” Scott who is a painter and decorator in Edinburgh and the female at the back is Maria who I believe is now a mother and then there is Denise Bissett on the far right. Thanks to John Shadwell“

*Rhona Mackay centre, Karen to her right, Katie to her left, and two other regulars on the Nite Club Stairs.*

**“Nite Out” thank you to** **Simon Clegg** **for the two pictures above. Rhona Mackay centre. January 1981**. **Simon Clegg writes** “These three girls were at a gig at the Nite Club and just out for a good night out. I can’t remember the band or how I got this angle. I must have been chatting to them for them to let me get in so close. There is a sense of urgency about this shot so maybe it’s along the line of the bar. I got a lot of good ones that way. They all had really pretty faces; the one on the middle looked particularly Scottish. I liked the one on the far right and I used this picture again in 1987 when I was editor of M8 – which was a very different magazine then.”

*Nite Club punter watches a gig. Thank you to Simon Clegg for this picture.*

“Anna Burnside” thank you to Simon Clegg for this picture. **Simon writes** “Anna started her career on Sounds after being given encouragement from the late Johnny Waller – writer and manager of various Edinburgh bands. She later worked with me on the live gig circuit writing reviews. Claims to fame – probably one of the youngest students ever to attend Edinburgh University – she was 16 in 1978. Anna now works for the Sunday Times Scotland.”

1980 8th August Roy Harper
1980 9th August Flowers & Boots For Dancing
1980 10th August Weapons Of Peace
1980 11th August Any Trouble
1980 12th August Bill Nelson
1980 13th August John Martyn
1980 14th August Ozzy Osbourne’s Blizzard Of Oz

***Nite Club advertising boards found lurking in the depths of the Playhouse. Thank you to Mark for this picture.***

1980 15th August John Peel, The Cheetahs, & Positive Noise
1980 16th August Richard & Linda Thompson
1980 10th September The Thompson Twins, & Young Marble Giants, TT’s, Local Heroes SW9 (No Nukes Benefit)
1980 27th September The Dead Kennedys

***The Dead Kennedys at the Nite Club 27th September 1980. Thank you to Debbie Woods for the two photos above. ©Debbie Woods 1980***

1980 9th October Tygers Of Pantang & Garry’s H.M. Soundhouse
1980 10th October Orange Juice & Josef K
1980 11th October Another Pretty Face, & Random Factor

Misty In Roots gig review from Dundee’s “Cranked Up” fanzine, can anyone provide an exact date for this gig? Thank you to Gordon for the scan. This Misty In Roots gig was originally scheduled to take place in the Nite Club, but so many people showed up that the gig was swiftly moved to the Playhouse below.
**Gordon who attended the gig writes:** “Misty In Roots ended up on the main Playhouse stage rather than in the Nite Club as advertised. I actually remember the band were hanging around outside the venue looking at the size of the queue and they initially thought it was for some other show taking place at the Playhouse, then they found out the crowd was for Misty!! Ha ha, Edinburgh came up trumps that night with a great turnout and got a great show in return!”

1980 16th October Freebird & Garry’s H.M. Soundhouse
1980 17th October Sector 27, & The Au Pairs
1980 18th October Crass,& Poison Girls (2 shows)
1980 23rd October Cadiz & Garry’s H.M. Soundhouse

1980 24th & 25th October The Revillos
1980 31st October Those French Girls & FK9

***Those French Girls at the Nite Club. Thank you to Lee McPhail for these photos. ©Lee McPhail 1980.***

1980 1st November The Exploited (2 shows, 5pm & 9pm, support on the 5pm show only was Pre War)
1980 7th November Everest The Hard Way & New Apartment
1980 8th November The Comsat Angels
1980 14th November The Fall

**Angus Brown who was in the Nite Club the night this picture was taken writes:** *“the man in this picture is Andrew Macrae, who is still my best mate, the woman is called Anne, she worked in a boutique in Cockburn street”.***Simon Clegg writes:**“Funnily enough years later, about 1995, I met this girl Anne as I was walking down Broughton street, Edinburgh, and she was walking up. She said “I remember you, you took my picture once”. I felt great for the rest of the day”.

**Jackie Robertson writes:** The man on the left with a scarf and tie on is now my husband George Robertson (we still have that scarf, our son wears it!) whilst the guy on the right is David West. Good to see pictures of them with hair!

***Richard Newell, Lindy, and out of shot Kirsty Alexander.***

**Mary Mowat in 1980. Simon Clegg writes:***“Mary joined S.F.E. as communications manager in the spring of 2008 and handles their public relations activity”.*

**The Ettes singer “Trash” at the Nite Club.**

“More Nite Club punters” Thank you to Simon Clegg for the nine pictures above. If you are the subject of any of these pictures, Simon Clegg would like to hear from you. He can be contacted here. Simon Clegg writes:*The girl in the Two-Tone gear is Jackie Radden. She was probably unmarried at the time of this picture (December 1979), but she married Graham Radden, the drummer of The Freeze.*

1980 15th November The Stray Cats

***Thank you to Ian Dunipace for this rare badge.***

1980 20th November Vardis
1980 21st November U2

1980 22nd November The Cuban Heels, & The Shaking Pyramids
1980 29th November Split Enz
1980 6th December Eddie & The Hot Rods
1980 10th December Eurythmics

1980 12th December Killing Joke
1980 13th December Bow Wow Wow

1980 17th December Frankie Miller
1980 18th December Cadiz

***Cadiz. Thank you to Keith More & Nick Grieve for the pictures above.***

1980 19th & 20th December Simple Minds

***The two pictures above are Derek Forbes of Simple Minds at the Nite Club December 1980. Thank you to Derek for these photos.***

1980 26th December The Visitors, & Avo8

1980 27th December The Delmontes
1981 2nd January The Valves & Call Me Irresponsible With A Chemistry Set

***Debbie Woods at the Nite Club January 1981. Debbie has sent various items to the site. ©Mikie Jacobs 1981.***

1981 3rd January Boots For Dancing, The Fire Engines & John Peel

*Boots For Dancing, Nite Club. Thank you to Simon Clegg for this picture.*

*The late John Peel and Denise Bissett, Nite Club. Thank you to Simon Clegg for this picture.*

1981 21st January Angelic Upstarts, Twisted Nerve & State Opression

*Thank you to Paul Devlin for this poster.*1981

1981 6th February The Passions
1981 17th February The Thompson Twins

1981 20th February The Cuban Heels
1981 21st February The Fire Engines
1981 23rd February Bobbi Rembrandt’s Big Noise, & Avo 8

***Thank you to Ian Dunipace for the ticket above.***

***Bobbi Rembrandt’s Big Noise at the Nite Club. Thank you to Ralph for the photo.***

1981 26th February Danceteria (tropical evening)
1981 27th February The Au Pairs

***Debbie Woods 1981. ©Michael Woods.***

1981 28th February The Scars

1981 1st March John Otway
1981 5th March Heavy Metal Club
1981 6th March Richard Strange
1981 7th March The Freshies (The Freshies singer was the late Chris Sievey, later to become Frank Sidebottom)
1981 14th March Winston Gregory
1981 20th & 21st March Pauline Murray
1981 27th March Basement 5
1981 28th March The Polecats
1981 17th April Josef K (possibly filmed for the “Jock ‘N’ Roll” documentary)
1981 18th April TV21

1981 25th April TV Smith’s Explorers, & Pre War

***An advert for the TV Smith gig found in the depths of the Playhouse. Thank you to Mark for this picture.***

1981 1st May Holly & The Italians
1981 2nd May Supercharge
1981 6th May Ruts DC & Bombers Over Vienna
1981 8th May Altered Images, & The Dreamboys
1981 9th May The Plastics
1981 15th May The Cramps, & The Meteors (2 shows,8pm+12am)
1981 16th May Pauline Murray

***The Questions at the Nite Club. Thank you to*** ***Simon Clegg*** ***for the picture.***

1981 22nd May B Movie, & The Very Thing
1981 23rd May Positive Noise
1981 29th May Theatre Of Hate

***LeeScott and Kay Hope at the Nite Club 29th May 1981. Lee is holding a copy of Theatre Of Hates 1981 record He Who Dares Wins. ©Debbie Woods 1981.***

1981 30th May Bill Nelson
1981 19th June Modern Eon
1981 10th July Orange Juice, & Positive Noise (filmed for the 1981 documentary “Jock ‘N’ Roll” presented by BA Robertson)

***Thank youto Gordon for this screen grab of Orange Juice at the Nite Club on 10th July 1980.***

1981 16th July Magnum
1981 23rd July Basement 5
1981 25th July The Monochrome Set
1981 27th July The Revillos

***Thank you to Debbie Woods for scanning her Nite Club membership card.***

1981 7th August Depeche Mode (two shows played, an early under 18’s show, and a later show).

***Thank you toTrevor Thomson for the signed ticket above.***

***Depeche Mode at the Nite Club 7th August 1981. Thank you to Trevor Thomson for the two photos above. ©Trevor Thomson 1981.***

1981 14th August Classix Nouveau
1981 15th August TV21, & The Very Thing
1981 17th August Linton Kwesi Johnson, & Fungus
1981 18th August Nico With The Cuban Heels
1981 19th August The Scars

***Thank you to Oddfellow for this VIP Nite Club pass.***

1981 20th August AnyTrouble
1981 21st August Altered Images
1981 22nd August Those Frence Girls, & Sophisticated Boom Boom
1981 24th August Richard Strange (Cabaret Futura)
1981 25th August The Birthday Party
1981 26th August Funkapolitan
1981 27th August Huang Chung (Later Wang Chung)
1981 28th August Doll By Doll

1981 29th August Everest The Hard Way, & James King & The Lone Wolves
1981 30th August Kool Notes
1981 31st August Carlene Carter
1981 1st September The Electric Circus
1981 2nd September OK Jive
1981 3rd & 4th September Bauhaus

Pete Murphy and David Jay at The Nite Club, September 81. Thank you to ***www.bauhaus.8m.com/***

***Pete Murphy at the Nite Club, September 1981. Thank you to Debbie Woods for the photo. ©Debbie Woods 1981***

1981 5th September The Twinsets, The Dreamboys & John Peel

***Peter Capaldi, yes that Peter Capaldi! of The Dreamboys at the Nite Club 5th September 1981. Thank you to*** ***Simon Clegg*** ***for the picture.***

The Twinsets, footage from the actual Nite Club gig. Thank you to youtube user Lemon Cement for this video.

The Twinsets soundcheck at the Nite Club. Thank you to youtube user Lemon Cement for this video.

1981 10th September Holocaust (recording of live video & E.P).

1981 18th September The Comsat Angels & The Sound (Rotating bill)

1981 1st October Positive Noise
1981 14th October Here & Now & The Dolphin Club

**Thank you to Stuart Clyne for this scan.**

1981 28th November The Durutti Column
1981 26th, 27th & 28th December Simple Minds
1982 7th March The Thompson Twins
1982 13th March The Virgin Prunes
1982 2nd April TheFall
1982 15th April Marillion
1982 23rd April The Birthday Party, & The Cocteau Twins
1982 24th April Epsilon, & The Persian Rugs
1982 30th April First Priority, & Photographic Memories
1982 1st May King Trigger, & Zanti Misfits
1982 7th May The Bluebells, & Hey Elastica
1982 8th May 23 Skidoo, & Horrible Sexy Vampires
1982 28th May BlueOrchids
1982 12th September Marillion

1982 1st November Orange Juice,Aztec Camera,The Jazzeteers,The Bluebells

***A review of the gig from Dundee fanzine “Cranked Up”. Thank you to Gordon for this item.***

1982 12th November Marillion

1983 25th February Twisted Nerve

1983 22nd March The Farmers Boys
1983 24th March Pallas

1983 31st March Significant Zeros, Little Red Dufflecoates, & Horrible Sexy Vampires

***Thank you to Andy Merry for this poster.***

1983 11th April Big Country
1983 14th April Twisted Sister & Infidel

1983 21st April Pendragon

1983 1st May The Enid

1983 7th June Dagaband

1983 11th October The Alarm

**Thank you to Jim Barr for this signed ticket**

1983 28th October King Kurt

1983 19th November Bourgie Bourgie
1983 22nd November Pallas, Solstice & Trilogy

1983 1st December The Revillos
1984 21st March The Fall, & Del Amitri

1984 21st April Swansway
1984 30th June X-Mal Deutschland
1984 12th July The Waterboy’s
1984 16th July Spider, & Chasar

1984 12th October Comedy Of Errors & Abel Ganz

Thank you to Ken for his memories of The Nite Club

“Your fantastic site ignited so many memories of gigs I went to during my time at Edin Uni 1978-1983…had almost forgotten The Nite Club above the Playhouse! Saw Tom Robinson & Band there early 1980- he had a hellish flu bug and wore a duffel coat throughout,but still managed a very spirited performance.What a pro!”