Sign in or create an account to save content. With names like The Egress, The Retinal Circus, and Oil Can Harrys, these establishments were plentifullive music was everywhere, and the weekends happenings were vividly detailed by saloon columnists like Jack Wasserman and Denny Boyd. Though Chong may be best known as half of the pioneering stoner comedy duo Cheech & Chong, he moved to Vancouver in 1958 to cut his teeth as an R&B guitarist and later tipped Chapman off to a bust-up at Granville Streets long-forgotten Berolina Cabaret in 1964, where members of the Quebecois criminal underworld tore up the joint as part of their protection racket. The largest gay nightclub in Vancouver has been a go-to club for over-the-top dance parties since the 1980s. There was real optimism then., Sidney Morozoff, Graceland, 1988 Legenday impresario Sidney Morozoff does his best Elvis impersonation backstage. All the good clubs, they say, are gone. Chapman guesses the location of the Richards on Richards stage, where countless musical acts performed, is now the living room of a second-floor condo. Braless girls in tight tees. Art Bergmann on stage at the Town Pump. Aside from the odd marker like the one on Thurlow Street marking the site of Oil Can Harrys, most of Vancouvers nightlife past is buried under new buildings, but not all of the old clubs are gone. Aaron Chapman and Arsenal Pulp Press are hosting a book launch for Vancouver After Dark on November 28 at 7pm at Central Studios (formerly the Hollywood North, formerly the Playpen Central, formerly the Thunderbird Club) at 856 Seymour Street in Vancouver. You just have to scratch the surface, Chapman insists. The bar was known for its particularly noisy crowds, where the police were frequently called to end fights in the parking lot. Many popular DJs first got their start from Graceland. by sunluvr Aug 20th, 2009, 4:06 pm, Post This is the 1970s of the popular imagination. It was the right place for great music, delicious food and a drink with friends. Vancouver Nightlife A Complete Guide [2023 March Update] The 5 Best 1970s Entertainers for Hire in Vancouver, BC - GigSalad Some are just better than others. Nightclubs generally restrict access to people in terms . by sunluvr Aug 20th, 2009, 4:02 pm, Post The exotic dancing establishment has been Vancouvers premier show lounge for over 15 years. A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices. listeners: [], Starting with a simple sandwich shop, he quickly built it into the citys first classy steakhouse, featuring king lobster, New Zealand crab, and grain-fed steak that was hung and aged for 30 days. The self-proclaimed city in the country is known for sports, religion and its agricultural bounty. on: function(evt, cb) { First Pride Parade, 1981, Nelson ParkWed started to hear that people were dying in San Francisco from something called GRID, and you got it by inhaling the fog machine on the dance floor. This article from our archives was originally published on January 20, 2019, and updated on May 17, 2021. It later became known as Outlaws and The Metro. Chapmans not convinced. For all the development that has hit The Strip over the years, this nucleus of all the '80s bedlam remains . He put his children to work in the clubs, and later brought his son Ritchie in as a partner. It closed down because the city decided to focus more on nightlife on Granville Street. Oscars Steakhouse, 1955. by omisimaw Aug 20th, 2009, 1:43 pm, Post They really had something; they caught a vibe that people in Vancouver havent forgotten. Detailed below are three such venues from Vancouvers past (some recent, some distant, all of them departed). Since Vancouver TheatreSports League premiered in 1980 . This place was legendary, and well-missed among Vancouverites. by Bubalouie Aug 20th, 2009, 2:00 pm, Post High suspension bridges straddle popular Capilano Canyon and tranquil Lynn Canyon. This strip club located at 1006 Granville Street first opened in 1983. A popular night club where local talent could sing in front of an audience. The Cave nightclub at 626 Hornby Street was legendary back then until it was bulldozed in the early 1980s to make way for a new office tower in downtown Vancouver. } Located in the heart of the Fraser Valley, Abbotsford is the largest municipality that the region has to offer. By the early 1970s, Isys had fallen on hard times. ), Lloyd Simmonds, 1981 I shot this on the street outside the Gandy Dancer. With the release of an eponymous documentary, the history . by Jo Oct 1st, 2009, 9:42 am, Post Its cartoon-villain branding and playboy ethos made it the place to be, until it collapsed under the Isys Supper Club. Post Celebrities is a nightlife icon in Vancouver, a premier dance club on the West Coast, and has been around since the 1980s. Popular with locals, the nightclub was demolished in 2009. It was considered one of the best jazz clubs in the world, but they closed their doors in 2014. 7. This popular place was formerly called Club Soda and was the place to be on a Friday night. Ithad aprime location righton Water Street near the Old Spaghetti Factory. Adjacent to Vancouver, Abbotsford is the air and road gateway to experiences such as skydiving to hot springs and waterslides. { This nightclub opened in 1979 and was a popular place to party in the 1980s. and how many owners names can we come up with? While many of the citys prominent nightspots are now condos or office towers, he bristles whenever anyone refers to Vancouver as No Fun City., READ MORE: Top 10 Nightlife in Granville Street (Vancouver) - Tripadvisor Demian Tuesday, September 29th, 2015 11:18pm PDT. They played a lot of dance beats and it was always a busy place to go. Chapman notes, for instance, that a country-western bar from the 1970s called the Purple Steer would later transform into dance music hub Luv-a-Fair in the 1980s (it was leveled for condos in 2003). That was always an artificial thing that people just adopted because they felt bored. It was typical, even on weeknights, to see groups catching a set at one club, and scooting around. } They were located in Kits at 3611 Broadway. The facelift gave it new life including state-of-the-art sound and lighting, solidifying its reputation as a premier . . Musso & Frank Grill. by Bsuds Oct 1st, 2009, 1:03 pm, Post . Very popular among thecollege kid crowd with cheap drink specials and a big dance floor. The Cobalt 46 Bars & Clubs Yaletown & False Creek North By ccriderYVR 1970s cover bands provide an exciting mix of classics spanning many . Free Online Library: Liverpool bars and nightclubs we miss from the 80s, 90s and 00s; If you could bring one bar or club back to the city, which would it be? WATCH: The Cave nightclub bulldozed to make way for downtown Vancouver office tower. Not simply the fastest growing city in Metro Vancouver but also in the country, Surrey is a city that ironically gets a bad rap often from Vancouver proper, a city known for its homeless problem. Let us know in the comments below! Oscar was a bit of an autograph hound, Carter says, chuckling. Sabine and his colleagues own a handful of nightclubs around Vancouver, including Celebrities, Venue and Fortune Sound Club. Im sure [Pryor] had that reaction elsewhere to a certain extent, but it captures a bit of what Vancouver was like at a certain timebefore we were quite so culturally hip., Throughout the decades, Walters was a constant presence at the club that bore his name. Fortune Sound Club The State nightclub in the 1980s Peter Hook of New Order and Monaco at the . He spent much of his life in show business, starting when he was eight years old selling popcorn at The Empress Theatre on Hastings and Gore. Richards Street was also a nightlife hub. Martha's. After opening in 1985 it was one of the few gay bars that called Portsmouth home, and was widely reputed for being the place to go for vibrant and outrageous nights out. by electricguy Aug 29th, 2009, 10:29 pm, Post Celebrities were often spotted here when in town, including Mark Wahlberg, Johnny Depp, U2, Pearl Jam, Tom Cruise and Marilyn Manson. In fact, the stretch between Oscars and The Palomar was once known, according to Sun columnist Denny Boyd in 1985, as the most exciting piece of sidewalk in Vancouver, and the steakhouses storied entrance hall contained dozens of pictures of proprietor Oscar Blank, posing with every famous person who had walked into his business. street, Markham caregiver plans to travel, possibly buy new home after $60M lottery win, Second B.C. Nightclubs are smaller than live music venues like theaters and stadiums. Vancouver's Most Exotic Venue . She was Vancouvers 10th Empress.. Our all-nude and exotic entertainment varies from main stage performers, private dancers, and go-go girls dancing in our elevated cages or one of our 5 poles. Yeah, Fraser Arms, The Buchanear at the Steveston Hotel, Richmond Inn. It was best known for disco and it was located at the International Plaza Hotel in North Vancouver. Lulu Belle (The) West Broadway, Vancouver, BC. The unassuming concrete building near Seymour and Drake went through a number of incarnations during its 40-plus-year lifespan: first as a jazz club, then as a gay bar, and then, throughout the 80s and 90s, as one of the citys most legendary venues. A great place to spend a Friday night in the 90s. Today, a condo development stands on the site of Richards on Richards, a popular club that closed in 2009. WATCH: (Original airdate December 1998)B.C. Address: 350 Davie St, Vancouver, BC V6B 5Z6, Canada Timings: 7:00 am to 2:00 am (Monday to Friday); 8:00 am to 3:00 am (Saturday); 8:00 am to 12:00 am (Sunday) Google Rating: 4.0/5 Website | Reviews It closed because the city decided to focus more on the nightlife on Granville Street. Gandy Dancer The island city built on top of the Fraser River delta. Best EDM clubs in Vancouver, Canada. From Luv-A-Fair to Richards on Richards, a look back at Vancouvers lost nightclubs. avalanche lost father, brother-in-law, family friend in slide, Great Pyramid of Gizas hidden chamber revealed, Trudeau says probes into foreign election interference ongoing, Heated debate in B.C. The Bottleneck 5 Bars & Clubs Central Open now By akasra The cocktails were really good, and the food was tasty. The Fox Cabaret - a former movie theatre and present-day live music and night club venue in Vancouver's Mount Pleasant neighbourhood at 2321 Main Street. Champagne Charlie This strip club at 1006 Granville Street opened in 1983. Luv-A-Fair closed in 2003 and is now home to a four-storey condo tower. } Cabana Lounge 9 Bars & Clubs Granville Street Open now By rolandm231 killer place to party for bottle service. Chapman has spent the entirety of his adult life immersed in Vancouver nightlife, gigging around town in the early 1990s with Celtic punk band the Real McKenzies,and more recently with the Town Pants. The '80s were a turbulent time for Vancouver's West End. Its legacy I can't remeber the owner's names at this moment. (Also seen in the picture, the duo the Big Wigs. This was when Yaletown was a warehouse district, and you were literally taking your life in your hands to go down there. '80s Nightclubs in Illinois | USA Today Unfortunately, it was demolished to make way for new property developments. There was a few clubs that I don't think were mentioned. Based in the west coast, Vancouver is a metropolitan city thats geographically blessed with a temperate climate. WATCH: (Original airdate Feb. 2, 2003) Vancouver says goodbye to legendary nightclub Luv-a-Fair. The city has the highest population . It was the place to go for great music, delicious food and have a drink with friends. Check Out These Incredible Photos of Vancouver Nightlife Circa 1980 . It waslocatedat 818Richards Street. In Vancouver After Dark, he also recalls the musty charm of the beneath street-level Pig and Whistle, and the terrible sound at the Plaza of Nations, an outdoor venue erected for Expo 86 whose rotted-out stage was levelled by the city in 2018 after a decade of inactivity. No city is a museum, Chapman says. A glance again at Vancouver's favourite nightclubs from the 80s and 90s Today she expands on that: "I was afraid to ask for work there at first. North Vancouver is known for hiking and skiing trails in the forested North Shore Mountains, including Grouse Mountain, whose Skyride cable car offers sweeping city views. It opened in the 1980s and underwent a huge renovation in 2013. Please read our Commenting Policy first. The Cave Supper Club was a Western Canadian chain of clubs in Winnipeg, Vancouver, and Edmonton. This Delta nightclub was a popular spot in the 90s and was demolished not so long ago in 2016. I hate it when I hear the same music " more 2. However, by the late 70s, the Kerasiotis family had decided to move away from strictly disco music, which caused a bit of a stir. Chapman notes that many interviewees fondly remember the Cave, which was ultimately bulldozed in 1981. Photo courtesy of Neptoon Records Archives. })(). 1022 Davie St, Vancouver, BC V6E 1M3, Canada Phone +1 604-681-6180 Web Visit website When it comes to gay Vancouver nightlife, Davie Street in downtown Vancouver is the place to be. For a good many Vancouverites from disco age and younger, the heyday of the Luv-a-Fair at Seymour and Drake was the heyday of Vancouvers club scene.. 455 Abbott Street, Vancouver, BC. The Cave nightclub at 626 Hornby Street was legendary back then until it was bulldozed in the early 1980s to make way for a new office tower in downtown Vancouver. Over the years numerous iconic nightclubs, bars and pubs have disappeared from Manchester. Vancouver in the 70s: chronicle of city's formative years Lola's Bar. A lot of well-known DJs first got their start here. The true Surrey is a story of economic revitalization and a green future. She quietly went to bat to get them a liquor licence. Colin Barr, 57, a well-known club entrepreneur from Glasgow who set up Bennetts, Glasgow's first gay club in 1980, came back from a summer working in Benidorm in the early 1980s to find . Revisiting the Dallas Club That Gave Rise to Raves The Level 5 nightclub was on the 5th floor at 595 Hornby Street, which is now occupied by the Brandis Show Lounge. A shameless self-promoter, he would give away his neckties at the end of each night, and was well-known for his practice of trotting over to the Hotel Georgia, getting into the elevator, and declaring, as if to himself, I think Ill head over to Oscars for a steak! Tragically, Blanks life was cut short in 1954 when he and 36 other passengers were killed in a horrific mid-air collision above Moose Jaw while Blank was visiting his dying sister. The true Surrey is a story of economic revitalization and a green future. Did anyone go to any of the booze cans around, the one at 25th and Granville, Lakewood in the east end? The Cave nightclub at 626 Hornby Street was legendary back in the day, until it was bulldozed to make way for a new downtown Vancouver office tower in the early 1980s. They were best known for their legendary theme nights of the 80s. It was open from 1983 to 1997. He liked to get photos of himself with celebrities. A triple threat as it was a nightclub, live music venue, and art gallery. Vancouvermagazine is the indispensable playbook to Canadas most exciting city. Graceland later became the Palladium, where gangster Bindy Johal was gunned down on a packed dance floor in 1998. I was interviewing a guy who was at one, and he was saying that the only person laughing in the entire bar was the bartender. For a solid portion of the 1950s and 60s, Isy Walters was one of Vancouvers entertainment giants. Whether it was Cave dwellers in the 60s or Gen X grunge fans seeing Pearl Jam at the Town Pump in 1991, many After Dark interviewees hinted that the party is over for Vancouver. Another party spot in Gastown, they specialized in rock music.