Did you go to the Rink in Sunderland: Looking back to the days the city hosted The Beatles, Bowie, Status Quo and Thin Lizzie

Quo, Bowie and the Beatles all played there and it was a venue that Wearsiders loved.
What are your memories of the Rink?What are your memories of the Rink?
What are your memories of the Rink?

Let’s re-live the memories of the Rink which hosted Beat The Clock nights and had its own resident band.

To do it, we’ve teamed up with historian Philip Curtis from the Sunderland Antiquarian Society who helped us with some wonderful details of the town favourite.

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So get your dancing shoes on for a journey down Memory Lane.

Rock and roll at the Rink.Rock and roll at the Rink.
Rock and roll at the Rink.

Arguably, The Rink ballroom’s heyday was in the 1950s when the resident band was Al Flush and his Orchestra. Al joined The Rink in 1946 and played well into the 1950s. He also led Al flush and The Firecrackers who played the hits of the day.

Right through the 1950s and 60s, Saturday nights were always the most popular with long queues forming early and ‘full’ notices usually being put up by 8pm.

The venue once held 4,000 people.

Unlike today, coats were worn on Saturday nights and the Rink had a cloakroom where they could be deposited and a ticket issued.

Al Flush and his orchestra at the Rink.Al Flush and his orchestra at the Rink.
Al Flush and his orchestra at the Rink.
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During the early sixties many famous pop groups appeared at The Rink, the most famous being The Beatles who appeared there on Tuesday, May 14, 1963.

At that time they were No. 1 in the charts with ‘From Me To You’ and queues to see them were 10-deep and ran well into the town centre. Entry was 5/- (25p) and the ballroom was absolutely packed.

Benches had to be placed around the boundary of the stage as a barrier to keep back the fans - it was the beginning of Beatlemania.

By this time Bill Sowerby and his Orchestra were the resident dance band with entry during the week usually being 3/- (15p).

Showing some great moves on the Rink dance floor.Showing some great moves on the Rink dance floor.
Showing some great moves on the Rink dance floor.
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Saturdays featured Beat the Clock Palais Nights and were more expensive at 6/-, or 5/- before 8.30.

The late 1960s and early ‘70s saw the demise of big dance bands and brought about the introduction of DJs to The Rink as well as appearances by popular stars including a young David Bowie.

Other stars to appear were the groups Status Quo and Thin Lizzie who appeared there together on the same bill on September 29, 1972.

By that time, disco was popular and small nightclubs were the order of the day. To combat this, in 1974, The Rink had a partition wall built to lower the capacity to below 2000 and its name was changed to Fusion.

A link inside the Rink Dance Hall in 1957. Photo: Bill Hawkins.A link inside the Rink Dance Hall in 1957. Photo: Bill Hawkins.
A link inside the Rink Dance Hall in 1957. Photo: Bill Hawkins.

This lasted until 1984 when it closed for the final time.

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The days of the Rink, which was originally owned by George and Alfred Black and was at first a roller skating rink, were over.

We asked members of the Wearside Echoes Facebook page for the former Sunderland attraction they would most like to see return.

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To find out more about the history of Sunderland, visit the Antiquarian Society’s Facebook page or its website at http://www.sunderland-antiquarians.org

Who remembers nights like these at the Rink?Who remembers nights like these at the Rink?
Who remembers nights like these at the Rink?

If you’ve got memories of Sunderland’s dance halls, contact Chris Cordner on [email protected]

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