nightclubs in the early days were split into a few different types; there were those where you had a good time and a dance to the DJ's music as well as being able to watch a decent group [the timepiece]. Then there were the types of clubs that had little entertainment but lots of chit chat whilst the dj tried vainly to get people to dance [the blue angel]. Then there were the dives that hosted the ladies of the night and they picked up guys with whom they could earn money[The Norseman]
However all the clubs had the dream doers visiting; the dream doers, were the guys who robbed banks, highjacked wagons and broke into warehouses. They were the underworld charactors who liked to spread their cash around in such a way that you would think that they had just wone the pools. Some of those unsavouries were unnoticeable and acted like the other, ordinary, punters who danced, listened and generally enjoyed themselves, but... others were rats who would put a bottle in your face for nothing other than bumping into them by accident. Generally the rats came from big families and were used to getting their own way because of the fact that they terrorised the community where they lived. The here were the hyenas of the clubs scene; the robbers who preyed on handbags or broke into the cars outside. they were the ones who -if you did not know them- could kid the pants off you then rob you soft.
Most people had to pay to go into the clubs but the dream doers and the regular thieves of the night so often got into the clubs for free and the more violent ones expected free passage or caused trouble if they didn't get it.
Doormen:= There were not a lot of decent doormen in those days. If one were to go around counting the good ones they would not need any more than twenty places on a sheet of paper, the rest were merely dickybow uprights who would act hard with the weedy but bow to the rough gang types and dicky lick the dream doers.
The police:= Again mixed, but in general they would lock the ordinary guy up for being a bit rowdy but leave the trouble causing yobs to carry on doing their horrid thing whilst they went looking for the less fierce people to lock up.
In general the nightclub goers of those years far outnumbered the underworld types and most would hardly see them but when the ordinary person did get to see the bullies at work the experience stayed with them for a long long time.
The biggest clubs of those days were Wooky Hollow, She, Shakespeare, Bobbins theatre club, Alisons, Mr Pickwicks, Timepiece, Mardi-Gras, Hoffenbrau, Russells, Tuxedo Junction, Top rank and of course The Cavern.... but to mention a few
Then there were the after hours drinking places which often went on till daylight or later but they were often raided by the vice squad who were alert to each and every one. Sometimes though the police would send straggling visitors to our fair city to those late night places just to get them off the streets. One time I can recall a whole trainload of scottish fans being taken to a late night bar to wait for the first train then, stayed in that club with them just to ensure that there was no trouble.
I still would like to know if anyone has information about Harry Waterman and Harry Ike.