In the late 1970s and early ‘80s, Newcastle's Tuxedo Junction nightclub was unrivalled as the city's most fashionable after-dark venue.
In its day, the club on Market Street, was the place to go for young and upwardly-mobile Geordies, and somewhere you might see the occasional famous face. As well as a steady procession of Newcastle United footballers and local celebrities, it attracted everyone from Princess Margaret, to actor Lewis Collins of TV’s The Professionals, to showbiz personality Hughie Green.
Tuxedo Junction was opened by Newcastle businessman Michael Quadrini in 1978. He was also later responsible for the famous floating River Tyne nightclub, the Tuxedo Princess, which was berthed at Gateshead Quays underneath the Tyne Bridge for many years.
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Tuxedo Junction advertised itself as 'the place to be seen.... the most lavish nightspot in the country', boasting 'superb new restaurants, three new dance floors, and the most fantastic lights and sounds in the UK'.
One female regular at the club in the early 1980s later recalled: “There were red telephones on the tables and we all thought it was so sophisticated. The problem was the noise in the club was so loud you couldn’t tell when your phone was ringing and if you did hear it you had to scour the room to see who it was. It was in the days of Dynasty on TV so if you were under-age, you could always slap on an extra inch of make-up, and with high heels and shoulder pads, hopefully you could get in.”
Now, 40 years on from the club's hey day, a gentleman called Allan, who hails from Tyneside but now lives in the South of England, has kindly sent us an early-1980s Tuxedo Junction drinks menu that he has had in his possession since those heady days.
It's interesting to see what was on sale and what the prices were. How about 60p for a pint of lager? 50p for a bottle of Pils? And 50p for a vodka, a whisky, or a gin? If you were sticking to soft drinks, a large Coke or orange juice cost just 30p. Meanwhile, in the early '80s, folk in the UK didn't consume wine in the volume or with the sophistication we do today. The Tuxedo wine list was on the short side, but you could get a bottle of good red or white for £4 or under. And if you really wanted to splash out, a bottle of Champagne "served in ice in a bucket at your table" would knock you back £10 or £11.
If the drinks seem hugely inexpensive by today's standards, it's worth remembering, of course, that in 1982 the average UK annual salary was just over £5,000 a year and the average UK house price was £31,000. Everything was proportionally much cheaper then.
During the 1980s, and into the early ‘90s, Newcastle’s clubbers gradually moved on from Tuxedo Junction to other city centre venues. In 1992, Joe Robertson, who already owned a host of popular bars, acquired the former club.
He launched the successful Bliss Nightclub and Buz Discotheque. Over time the venue would acquire different names and incarnations, becoming Cuba Cuba Nightclub, then Krash and Venue, before playing host to VAMOS Social, a bar with tapas, and a home to dance and arts events.
Late last year, ChronicleLive reported how Bamburgh House, the Market Street building in which Tuxedo Junction had once traded so successfully, was under demolition as part of the ongoing major redevelopment of the area. It really was the final last orders for Newcastle's one-time ultimate 'in place'.
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