The legendary Jenks Bar……the dance years.
In the autumn of 1990 north-west warehouse parties were few and far between. The police, without any criminal legislation in place to stop the parties, turned to using any tactics they could to stop the convoys and the parties including damaging cars and violence.
Used to partying every weekend hundreds of ravers now found themselves with nothing to do on a Saturday night.
A former bier keller on the 4th floor of a mutli-entertainment complex based on the sea front on Blackpool`s North Shore held the answer. The venue was locally known as Jenks Bar due to an indy night that had been running there for several years.
The legendary Shaboo night was born and on the first Saturday over 1500 hundred people crammed into a venue that was licensed to hold 380. Seizing an opportunity Shaboo also opened on Thursdays. For a brief spell of six Saturday nights and five Thursday nights the likes of Sasha, Nipper, Steve Williams, Mike Pickering, Nick Grayson, Dave Pullen, Jay Weardon and Pig-C helped make Shaboo part of dance music history. Due to the overcrowding the police threatened to charge the leaseholder and licensee with endangering people`s lives and Shaboo was no more.
After a failed attempt to get a new night, Euereka, off the ground failed in the winter of 1990, due to two out of touch club owners, Martin Lever and Barrie Jay were left with a lot of ideas for a club night but no venue.
After approaching the leaseholder of Jenks Bar a deal was struck and Eureka re-opened in the February of 1991. For the next few months the likes of John DaSilva, Roger Sanchez, Juan Atkins, Justin Robertson, Mike E-Bloc, John E –Bloc, Miss Moneypenny and, of course, Martin and Barrie helped the club reach number 2 in DJ Magazine`s club chart. Eureka was a pioneering success but did not quite suit what many local ravers expected from a club. It had its highs and lows. Unable to agree a way forward with the music policy Barrie left.
Barrie was keen to start another night and approached Debby D, who he had met during his many vinyl buying missions to Melody House Records in Blackpool, to form a partnership to promote a new night. Debby took a lot of persuading but eventually agreed to do so. Having previously worked with Debby the leaseholders of Jenks Bar were keen to get her on board. They asked Martin Lever to leave the club and offered the venue to Barrie and Debby.
On Friday the 5th July 1991 the name ZONE was officially launched. The night featured DJ`s Barrie Jay, John J and live performances from Bizarre Inc. and Love Decade. The following 3 Fridays featured live PA`s from The Prodigy, Sub Sub, Analysis, Love Decade and Dream Frequency before the owners decided to pull the night to concentrate solely on Saturdays.
On Saturday the 6th July 1991 the now legendary Saturday Zone nights were borne. The Saturday night events went from strength to strength and gave birth to one of the longest running nights in dance music history subsequently co-promoted by Phil Ellis, owner of Melody House Records. People often queued for hours to gain entry and every week many disappointed people were turned away.
The likes of Barrie Jay, John J, Matt Bell, Chris Baker, Andrew Dean, Phil Harmonic, Dick Johnson, Ant, Rob Tissera, Alex Gold, Mark McKinnon, Paul Kearns and Andy Duckmanton kept the night running up until 31 December 1993 when the venue closed its doors for good.
There were a couple of other nights held at Jenks Bar, most notably Frontier, which played to a more trendy audience and Sheboozy – a desperate failed attempt to milk as much money out of the venue before it shut.
Zone has moved venue many times and still has reunions to this date surely making it one of the longest running club nights ever.
We now move to November 2010 when three of the former DJs were booked to play at the same event. Barrie, John and Matt had not played together since Barrie left Zone some 18 years earlier. At the time Zone had no plans for a 20th birthday celebration so Barrie approached John and Matt to see if they would be interested in promoting a night together themselves to celebrate the occasion along with Chris Baker and Andrew Dean.
On Saturday the 23rd July 2011, Barrie, John, Matt, Chris and Andrew held a Jenks bar 20th Anniversary Reunion. As the original venue could no longer be used the next best alternative, Jenx Liquid Lounge, (who carried on the tradition of the Jenks bar name to the indy crowd) held the event. Hoping to get some of the old ravers out of retirement and to attract a newer audience the DJs were banking on getting around 150 people to turn up and hoping to get 200. They had no idea that the event would sell out with many turned away.
The night far exceeded everybody`s expectations. Many of the old Jenks Bar crew were in attendance and, although designed as a one off, many were asking when the next one would be. When the DJs got together soon after for a private celebration, and after having just as good a time at the reunion as everyone else, all agreed that the Jenks Bar dance legacy should carry on.
On Saturday 22nd October 2011 we held the `Jenks Bar Reunion Part II – a second trip back in time`. On Saturday 10th March 2012 we held the `Jenks Bar Reunion Part III – back once again` and, although originally booked to take place at Jenx Liquid Lounge the closure of the venue meant a change to our current home, Buzz. All previous events completely sold out.
Barrie, John, Matt, Chris and Andrew are very pleased to announce the next chapter:
Jenks, the past: present – 21st Anniversary Reunion
with DJs
Barrie Jay
John J
Matt Bell
Chris Baker
Andrew Dean
Saturday 7th July 2012 from 10.00 pm until 4.00 am (ish)
BUZZ, 5 Dickson Road, Blackpool, FY1 2AX
Back again to relive the music and atmosphere of Jenks Bar and to play all those Jenks Bar anthems that filled the dance floor of the legendary venue and to play tunes that you will not hear anywhere else – guaranteed !
Tickets are £8 and are available on line through Skiddle (plus booking fee and subject to their Terms and Conditions) - please note you do not get a ticket through the post - you bring the card used to purchase the tickets to the venue as proof of ID.
http://www.skiddle.com/events/11633226?skcampaign=fbe
Tickets are also available direct from all the DJ`s @ £8 so if you live in the Blackpool/ Fleetwood/ Preston areas give one of the DJs a shout and they will be pleased to drop them off for you.
IMPORTANT: Under no circumstances will the DJs hold tickets for payment on the night. Should you wish to pay upfront we will be happy to hold the tickets and arrange collection on the night.
There may be pay on the door at £10 but we strongly advise those wanting to attend to get their tickets early to ensure entry.
If you went to any of the previous reunions you know what to expect.
If you did not go check out some of the comments and clips from the last events here:
http://www.facebook.com/events/324295980932439/
http://www.facebook.com/events/147373115354824/
We will be having a pre-meet up at Gillespie`s bar on Topping Street again (no live band on this time so easier to get served!!) – well within walking distance of the venue - from 8.00 pm onwards - all the DJs will be in attendance.
Hope to see you there folks !!!!
In the autumn of 1990 north-west warehouse parties were few and far between. The police, without any criminal legislation in place to stop the parties, turned to using any tactics they could to stop the convoys and the parties including damaging cars and violence.
Used to partying every weekend hundreds of ravers now found themselves with nothing to do on a Saturday night.
A former bier keller on the 4th floor of a mutli-entertainment complex based on the sea front on Blackpool`s North Shore held the answer. The venue was locally known as Jenks Bar due to an indy night that had been running there for several years.
The legendary Shaboo night was born and on the first Saturday over 1500 hundred people crammed into a venue that was licensed to hold 380. Seizing an opportunity Shaboo also opened on Thursdays. For a brief spell of six Saturday nights and five Thursday nights the likes of Sasha, Nipper, Steve Williams, Mike Pickering, Nick Grayson, Dave Pullen, Jay Weardon and Pig-C helped make Shaboo part of dance music history. Due to the overcrowding the police threatened to charge the leaseholder and licensee with endangering people`s lives and Shaboo was no more.
After a failed attempt to get a new night, Euereka, off the ground failed in the winter of 1990, due to two out of touch club owners, Martin Lever and Barrie Jay were left with a lot of ideas for a club night but no venue.
After approaching the leaseholder of Jenks Bar a deal was struck and Eureka re-opened in the February of 1991. For the next few months the likes of John DaSilva, Roger Sanchez, Juan Atkins, Justin Robertson, Mike E-Bloc, John E –Bloc, Miss Moneypenny and, of course, Martin and Barrie helped the club reach number 2 in DJ Magazine`s club chart. Eureka was a pioneering success but did not quite suit what many local ravers expected from a club. It had its highs and lows. Unable to agree a way forward with the music policy Barrie left.
Barrie was keen to start another night and approached Debby D, who he had met during his many vinyl buying missions to Melody House Records in Blackpool, to form a partnership to promote a new night. Debby took a lot of persuading but eventually agreed to do so. Having previously worked with Debby the leaseholders of Jenks Bar were keen to get her on board. They asked Martin Lever to leave the club and offered the venue to Barrie and Debby.
On Friday the 5th July 1991 the name ZONE was officially launched. The night featured DJ`s Barrie Jay, John J and live performances from Bizarre Inc. and Love Decade. The following 3 Fridays featured live PA`s from The Prodigy, Sub Sub, Analysis, Love Decade and Dream Frequency before the owners decided to pull the night to concentrate solely on Saturdays.
On Saturday the 6th July 1991 the now legendary Saturday Zone nights were borne. The Saturday night events went from strength to strength and gave birth to one of the longest running nights in dance music history subsequently co-promoted by Phil Ellis, owner of Melody House Records. People often queued for hours to gain entry and every week many disappointed people were turned away.
The likes of Barrie Jay, John J, Matt Bell, Chris Baker, Andrew Dean, Phil Harmonic, Dick Johnson, Ant, Rob Tissera, Alex Gold, Mark McKinnon, Paul Kearns and Andy Duckmanton kept the night running up until 31 December 1993 when the venue closed its doors for good.
There were a couple of other nights held at Jenks Bar, most notably Frontier, which played to a more trendy audience and Sheboozy – a desperate failed attempt to milk as much money out of the venue before it shut.
Zone has moved venue many times and still has reunions to this date surely making it one of the longest running club nights ever.
We now move to November 2010 when three of the former DJs were booked to play at the same event. Barrie, John and Matt had not played together since Barrie left Zone some 18 years earlier. At the time Zone had no plans for a 20th birthday celebration so Barrie approached John and Matt to see if they would be interested in promoting a night together themselves to celebrate the occasion along with Chris Baker and Andrew Dean.
On Saturday the 23rd July 2011, Barrie, John, Matt, Chris and Andrew held a Jenks bar 20th Anniversary Reunion. As the original venue could no longer be used the next best alternative, Jenx Liquid Lounge, (who carried on the tradition of the Jenks bar name to the indy crowd) held the event. Hoping to get some of the old ravers out of retirement and to attract a newer audience the DJs were banking on getting around 150 people to turn up and hoping to get 200. They had no idea that the event would sell out with many turned away.
The night far exceeded everybody`s expectations. Many of the old Jenks Bar crew were in attendance and, although designed as a one off, many were asking when the next one would be. When the DJs got together soon after for a private celebration, and after having just as good a time at the reunion as everyone else, all agreed that the Jenks Bar dance legacy should carry on.
On Saturday 22nd October 2011 we held the `Jenks Bar Reunion Part II – a second trip back in time`. On Saturday 10th March 2012 we held the `Jenks Bar Reunion Part III – back once again` and, although originally booked to take place at Jenx Liquid Lounge the closure of the venue meant a change to our current home, Buzz. All previous events completely sold out.
Barrie, John, Matt, Chris and Andrew are very pleased to announce the next chapter:
Jenks, the past: present – 21st Anniversary Reunion
with DJs
Barrie Jay
John J
Matt Bell
Chris Baker
Andrew Dean
Saturday 7th July 2012 from 10.00 pm until 4.00 am (ish)
BUZZ, 5 Dickson Road, Blackpool, FY1 2AX
Back again to relive the music and atmosphere of Jenks Bar and to play all those Jenks Bar anthems that filled the dance floor of the legendary venue and to play tunes that you will not hear anywhere else – guaranteed !
Tickets are £8 and are available on line through Skiddle (plus booking fee and subject to their Terms and Conditions) - please note you do not get a ticket through the post - you bring the card used to purchase the tickets to the venue as proof of ID.
http://www.skiddle.com/events/11633226?skcampaign=fbe
Tickets are also available direct from all the DJ`s @ £8 so if you live in the Blackpool/ Fleetwood/ Preston areas give one of the DJs a shout and they will be pleased to drop them off for you.
IMPORTANT: Under no circumstances will the DJs hold tickets for payment on the night. Should you wish to pay upfront we will be happy to hold the tickets and arrange collection on the night.
There may be pay on the door at £10 but we strongly advise those wanting to attend to get their tickets early to ensure entry.
If you went to any of the previous reunions you know what to expect.
If you did not go check out some of the comments and clips from the last events here:
http://www.facebook.com/events/324295980932439/
http://www.facebook.com/events/147373115354824/
We will be having a pre-meet up at Gillespie`s bar on Topping Street again (no live band on this time so easier to get served!!) – well within walking distance of the venue - from 8.00 pm onwards - all the DJs will be in attendance.
Hope to see you there folks !!!!
resent 21st Anniversary Reunion - YouTube
