Today I travelled back in time and visited the Xlusiv nightclub in Batley. The Xlusiv nightclub is best known internationally from the video uploaded to youtube which was shot in early 1984 and shows a Gothic club playing a mixture of new wave/alternative that Gothics used to listen to and dance too as one Gothic says “You can’t do one type of music it’s just no good”
From what I have been able to find out the venue is still fitted out of club but seems to have closed in 2011 following Wakefield council declining planning permision to buil a wooden smoking porch at the rear of the building due to it being located in a conversation area. The venue was then put on the market for sale for £200,000.00 but withdrawn from sale and remains closed. A real shame with it being 30 years next year since the video was shot there.
Definately an interesting mix of music which captures exactly how it was as there wasn’t enough goth music then to just have a goth night and it wasn’t clearly pidgeoned holed or musically censored in attempt to rewrite history like now. Deathrock was nothing in the UK in the 80’s/90’s. Christian Death might have been described as such when they supported Red Lorry Yellow Lorry @ The Riley Smith hall in the 80’s but no-one really took much notice.
The music featured in the video is as follows:
NEW ORDER – Blue Monday
THE SMITHS – What Difference Does It Make
ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN – The Cutter
THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS – Pretty In Pink
THE CRAMPS – You Got Good Taste
LEITMOTIV – Living In A Tin
THE THE – This Is The Day
KILLING JOKE – Eighties
HANOI ROCKS -Jump Around THe Bend
R.E.M – Don’t go Back To Rockville
FREEDOM SPELL – Dry Suite
SPEAR OF DESTINY – Liberator
SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES – Hong Kong Garden
DAVID BOWIE – Jean Genie
ZIGGY STARDUST & THE SPIDERS FROM MARS – Ziggy Stardust
THE STRANGLERS – No More Heroes
GLEN MILLER – In The Mood
THE MONKEES – Daydream Believer
ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN – The Back Of Love
BLANCMANGE – Living On The Ceiling
SOFT CELL – Torch
THE DOORS – Touch Me
SWINGING BLUE JEANS – THE HIPPY SHAKE
BOBBY PICKET & THE CRYPTKICKERS – Monster Mash
TREX – I Love To Boogie
THE CULT – Spiritwalker
THE CRAMPS – Human Fly
THE CRAMPS – Save It
SPEAR OF DESTINY – Prisoner Of Love
THE BIRTHDAY PARTY – Release The Bats
PATTI SMITH – Because Of The Night
SEX GANG CHILDREN – Sebastian
THE STRANGLERS – Skin Deep (12)
THE SISTERS OF MERCY – Temple Of Love
ZIGGY STARDUST & THE SPIDERS FROM MARS – Life On Mars
THE STRANGLERS – Walz In Black
THE THE – Uncertain Smile
THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS – Love My Way
SPEAR OF DESTINY – The Wheel
THE MARCH VIOLETS – Walk Into The Sun
THE UNDERTONES – Teenage Kicks
THE BUZZCOCKS – Ever Fallen In Love
BLACK SABBATH – Paranoid
SEX GANG CHILDREN – Mauritia Meyer
I for one would prefer to go night that plays an authentic mix of music for the 80’s Gothics to dance to, rather than one that rewrites history in attempt to be cool or boost the ego’s of the people involved.
Le Phonographique opened in Leeds in the late 70’s following a name change from Wigwam. The new venue was focused on playing new wave music and punk. The mix of music featured some similiar tracks to Xclusiv but included BAUHAUS – Bela Lugosi, Dark Entries, Kick In The Eye, SISTERS OF MERCY – Damage Done, Alice, Body Electric, SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES – Happy House, Christine, Hong Kong Garden, Israel, Spellbound, Arabian Nights, THE SOUTHERN DEATHCULT -Moya/Fatman , JOY DIVISION – Transmission, Love Will Tear Us Apart, THE CURE, SOFT CELL, CABARET VOLTAIRE, THE MARCH VIOLETS, THE THREE JOHNS, THE SKELETAL FAMILY, THE DANSE SOCIETY and lots more great bands were played in the club and the city which is birthplace of Gothic Rock!. Black clothing was also more widely worn around Leeds than other cities and due to a pillar being located in the middle of the dancefloor it is what caused the unique goth two steps forward two steps back dance to evolve. This was long before the batcave opened in london in July 1982 as a glamrock/new wave club. It didn’t mean anything significant up north as Leeds and Le Phono had already started to get a Gothic reputation. The term batcave only refers to a handful of bands who played live at the venue and perhaps they were called batcavers in london but up north we were Gothics.
Ah the good old ‘X’… Used to DJ in the mid 80’s there and the Phono… Anne the owner was as mad as a hare and Pete was a proper gangster… Loved every minute of my time there,,,
Would be nice to recreate it with an updated modern dark twist 😉 as I think it reopened as soul & motown ;/ DJD