Hopwood & Heywood April 2018

From The Archives
The CubiKlub
The statement in 1957 by the Prime Minister of
the day, Harold Macmillan, that the country had
‘never had it so good’ reflected the beginnings
of an economic upturn, full employment and a
rise in living standards. It also coincided with
a baby boom, the 1960’s seeing a huge rise in
the teenage population. With conscription at an
end and money in their pockets, young people
sought ways to rebel against their parent’s
generation and to make their own mark with
new fashions, new music and a whole new
culture of youth. By the early 1960’s things
certainly weren’t ‘what they used to be’ and in
Rochdale, places for young people to spend their
money were sprouting up all over.
It must, therefore, be galling for the young people
of today to look back at how much there was to do
in the 1960’s. Whilst the Carlton Ballroom catered
for an older generation, there were plenty of places
for teenagers to see live bands. The Three Cellars
in Milnrow, The Lower Cambers with DJ Rony
King (Ron the One) and The Pyramid Beat Club
(bands 4 nights a week) featured major ‘groups’
for a 2/6d entry. Out of town there was the Tender
Trap at Bacup and Rochdale Fire Station
supported regular dances with music from local
bands such as The Travellers.
The CubiKlub, which could be found in the
cellar of an old six storey factory near to what
was the Yelloway bus station (now the new
library),purported to be the biggest club in the
North when it opened in April of 1964. Owned
and managed by Paddy Jones and Clifford Kelly
its publicity suggested that it could hold 1500
customers with an aim to cater for ‘those
interested in rhythm and blues music’ and
placing itself as a ‘mods only’ club with
all-nighters as a regular feature. This may have
been to attract a niche market but it also set
up animosity with local ‘Rockers,’ the avowed
cultural enemies of the mods.
Blue fluorescent lighting lit up the dingy interior
like that of the famous Liverpool Cavern. As a
fire escape from the subterranean rooms, a 12
foot tunnel corridor had been dug providing
access to the street. All seemed set for the
grand opening.
The first night of the CubiKlub was on 16th
April 1964 although there was a noticeable lack
of local publicity for it. It was an event, however,
which even now remains shrouded in mystery
and controversy. Given the limits on safe
numbers, queueing began as early as 4.00pm
to see The Rolling Stones, perhaps the second
most popular band in the country at that
time,and this must have alarmed the authorities,
the suggestion being that too many tickets at
5/- and 7/6(non-members) had been sold. By
8.00pm, an hour before the Stones were to go
on stage, 800 were inside the packed premises
whilst outside over 1000 young people 8-10
deep were pushing to get in, scuffles
breaking out at the edges of the crowd. 50 police
personnel formed a chain across the front of the
building, police dogs at the ready. Inside the
club it is said that two members of the Rolling
Stones had found sanctuary in the manager’s
office (there remains some debate as to which
ones) whilst somewhere outside Manchester the
remaining members of the band, due to a
‘vehicle puncture,’ were unable to reach
Rochdale. So tensions, inevitably, were rising.
Whilst Clifford Kelly inside the club was
shouting ‘Move back from the stage! The Stones
won’t appear unless you do!’ the surge
continued and 20 young girls had to be removed
from the club having fainted, one of them, a
13 year old, taken to the Infirmary.
Outside on Slack Street, trouble was breaking
out. Teenagers were running wild and shouting
at police in the street. Rockers from out of town
were picking fights with those mods unable to
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