WATCH: When Sunderland's thrilling 1990s nightlife meant pubs at 6 and nightclubs until 2am
I’m dancing back to the thrilling Sunderland nightlife scene of the 1990s when every pub and nightclub had its own identity.
That was down to the licensing hours which were much different back then, according to a series of people who took time to tell the Sunderland Echo all about it.
Pubs first and then you moved to a nightclub
The latest instalment of the Sunderland’s 90s Nightlife series is called ‘Licensed to Thrill’.
It is episode 11 in our series and it focuses on the days when pubs were open until a certain time, and when they closed, you moved on to a nightclub.
Bob Senior was a nightclub boss in the 90s and recalled: “It was much better when we had atmosphere by getting everybody in, in parametered hours.”
‘All the pubs which are struggling would be full again’
Phil Monk, who DJ-ed in Sunderland back then, said: “If I could go back to those licensing hours again, I just think it would benefit so many people. All the pubs which are struggling would be full again.”
Watch out for mentions of iconic venues such as Idols and Annabels as well as the character which existed in venues at the time.
And if you haven’t seen them already, grab a look at these previous episodes.
Catch the first 10 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.