Idols and Annabels: The glorious days when the iconic Idols joined Annabels nightclub on the Wearside scene
Get ready for a glitzy tribute to two of Sunderland’s most iconic nightclubs.
Idols and Annabels are two of the most famous venues of Wearside’s 1990s nightlife scene.
Memories from Wee Phillie
We are counting down to a brilliant tribute to them both in episode 2 of the Sunderland 90s Nightlife series which will be live tomorrow.
We’ve got interviews with three people who lived through those great days including nightclub boss Bob Senior, nightclub operator Alison Vaulkhard and DJ ‘Wee Phillie’ whose real name is Phil Monk.
Idols was the ground floor favourite with Annabels, relocated from a previous location, on the top.
The Sunderland nightclub connection to Blackpool
Watch out for memories of Idols and its connections to a Blackpool venue, and how a famous North East radio show was used to drum up publicity for the new Sunderland venues.
Episode 2 will be live tomorrow.
Our brand new film series started last week with an episode called Old Skool. It looked at memories of music back in the 1990s including what was popular, including Nirvana, rave, dance and trance, and what went down well in Sunderland’s nightclubs.
Timewarp and train noises
There were memories galore including the Timewarp blasting out at the end of the night in Idols, and the freight-train horn noise in a track played at Chambers just after midnight, to kick things up a gear.
To enjoy the full 1990s experience, put a date in your diary to follow the Sunderland Echo online for new episodes each Friday.