The 3 words that sum up Sunderland's 1990s nightlife scene as chosen by the people of Wearside
Here’s a challenge for you. Think of the three words which best sum up Sunderland’s 1990s nightlife scene.
That was the poser which we put to a selection of Wearsiders for the final episode of our video series, Sunderland’s 90s Nightlife.


And the word which was used the most was ‘fun’.
‘Cheap, cheerful and fun’
Bryn Hanson’s choices were ‘great times, fun’.
Jason Bushby, who DJ-ed at the Blue Monkey in the 90s, chose ‘new, fresh, exciting’ while John Shaw who DJed in Chambers, picked ‘epic, fantastic, fun’.
Alison Vaulkhard, a nightclub operator in the 90s, said ‘cheap, cheerful, fun’.
Bob Senior, who was a nightclub operator and ran Annabels and Idols, chose ‘exciting, fun and safe’.
There’s much more to enjoy in the latest episode called Three Little Words and you can enjoy it in the video attached.


Watch out for Julie Garland’s wonderful memory of how she met her husband - in Blueberries’ basement which she reflects is now the toilets of Barge & Barrel (previously Yates’).
Catch the first 14 episodes
Episode 1: Called Old Skool. Our interviewees discuss their memories of music back in the 1990s including Nirvana, rave, dance and trance.
Episode 2: The very people who ran Idols and Annabels shared their memories - and there were lots of them!


Episode 3: We asked people for the first thing that came to mind when they thought of the 90s night scene in the city.
Episode 4: A look back at Chambers, particularly through the eyes of John Shaw who was a DJ there in the 1990s.
Episode 5: Called The Safety of the Pack. We looked at the places where people met before going to their favourite nightclub.
The days before camera phones


Episode 8: Looking Out for Each Other. Our interviewees discuss how people used to get involved more when there was trouble in a pub or nightclub 30 years ago.


Episode 11: Called ‘Licensed to Thrill’ focuses on the days when pubs were open until a certain time, and when they closed, you moved on to a nightclub.
Episode 12: A look back at the light-hearted side of the Wearside scene 30 years ago. Called Owt For A Laugh, it looked at the fancy dress competitions in nightclubs and the times when people had to bring a tin of beans or mushy peas as their entry fee.
Episode 13: The reason why Geordies flocked to Sunderland instead of Newcastle in the 1990s, discussed in an episode called ‘Even Geordies Loved It’.
Episode 14: Called Foxes and Chickens, it looked at door staff as well as the clientele they monitored.
In case you missed it;
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