If you haven’t heard of the Mardi Gras on Bold Street then you probably aren’t into music and didn’t live in Liverpool in the late eighties or nineties. The Mardi Gras is synonymous with the dance and club scene and was a Bold Street, and Liverpool favorite. Club Promoters Jason and Mark Jones managed the Mardi in its heyday, and recently talked to Laura Yates about the club, its history and some of their favorite nights. Laura interviews Jason and Mark in a series of episodes covering everything from the history of the club to the night the Stone Roses played. You can watch all of the episodes on Google Video. A selection has also been added to the Bold Street Video Podcast. Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.
Blimey! The Mardi Gras. That brings back memories. Many a good night had there with chippy tea afterwards on none other than Bold Street. Great to hear about it again…
I remember one night when the electricity went off in the mardi and everyone kept dancing for what seemed like a few minutes, but apparently was half an hour. Good times.
I used to work at the mardi it was one of the best jobs i ever had! Watched some of the vids on Google-brought back happy memories!
Memories ! For a period in the late 80’s early 90’s I more or less lived in the Mardi every week.
Happy days - The Starsky and Hutch theme still makes me smile !!
For me The Mardi was all about the mid 60’s, Tamla nights, local soul bands such as The Chants, The Shuffler Sound with Bobby & Willy, Steve Aldo, The Fix, The Buzzels the list goes on & on. Who could forget the all nighters, the no stop dancing, Ah! memories.
Oh the mardi gras …. what a great venue. Memorable gigs: Primal Scream, Jonathan Richman, the redoubtable Benny Profane too but that was as a support - can’t remember who for … or was that NYE Cafe Berlin.
Anyway great memories bringing back the taste of lager and black and curry and chips and beer on someone else’s lips …
What a club! I saw Arthur Conley (Sweet Soul Music) live on the Mardi, I would love to know who the musicians were backing him, mainly because I think I read somewhere that these artistes used to use local musicians. I also saw Colonel Bagshots Incredible Bucket Band (to give them their full title) on the Mardi, and became a lifetime fan even to this day. Also The Real Thing, before they became Real Thing. (Cant remember what they were called back then. Great days indeed.
does anyone remember the mardi before jason and mark? i worked there from 1988- 1990 - hugh as DJ, toby richard and Lemo on the door - some of the best nights ever back in the day….
I went to the Mardi in the late sixties early seventies when they had all the great U.S. soul acts Edwin Starr, Jimmy Ruffin, Ben E King and countless others mainly on Friday and Saturdays the acts would then do a session at the Victoriana,The Real Thing then were called Vocal Perfection they were great nights, I am surprised there has never been a Mardi Gras revival night similar to the Wigan Casino, Twisted Wheel, The Torch,Blackpool Mecca, Im sure it would be a success. Great DJs with all the latest imports ie Billy Butler and great ads in the Liverpool Echo when there were many clubs being advertised each week, Beachcomber,Babaloo,Odd Spot,All Fours,Hotsy Totsy,and more i cant remember.Yes they were great nights.
Theres a few pics Inside The Mardis on my site in the Chris Shaw section at http://www.Liverpooldays.com
More to come..Taaaaaaaaaa
Merry Chrimbo
GF….
This was a cool club. I worked there 87-89 and the other bar staff used to take the mick out of my fiorucci sweat shirt and pods. Scally!
Yes I fondly rememebr the Mardi well, I was in several of the bands that played there including Washington Soul Band and The Perfumed Garden. So fond memories indeed, particularly when we were support band for Sharron tandy and Fluer De lys, Kippington Lodge and the foundations. The Mardi was a great place shame those day are gone.
Oh forgot to say the Real Thing original name was
“Vocal Perfection”, I actually backed them a few time in their very early days.
You might be interested Barry in Tony Bolland’s book..”Plug Inn… the forgotten years”..
This a link to it on my website…
http://liverpooldays.com/photo/index.php
The New Bill Harry book might also interest you…lots about the Black music scene in Liverpool.Steve Aldo etc.
Lindisfarne and Thin Lizzy - before they came famous.
Weren’t Thin Lizzy headlining on the very last night before it closed?
the mardi most people are remembering on this site is the one that was in mount pleasant. Never new there was one in Bold Street, unless im missing something. In the early days it was a great soul venue, and Billy Butler and Chris Wharton d jd together. What a place and what memories.
I remember the mardi gras very well, I worked for at the mardi gras for a few years as a doorman what a place had some great times there met so many famous people all the famous jazz bands of the day,including ella fitzgerald,loise armstrong count bassey, duke ellington, oscar peterson, kenny ball, aka bilk, most bands of the day like swinging blue jeans the escorts beatles etc etc.As a doorman there, I remember some young kid trying to get in and spoke with an irish accent but would not let him in because he was only 17 and had a flash car his name george best,of cause I let all the liverpool and everton players in.I go down mount pleasant and all those great times come flooding back.The mardi gras was owned by Jim Ireland and Stan Roberts who I think split up about 1966 Jim Ireland then went on to open the Beachcomber club and the Babaloo I also worked in the beachy till august 1969 then got married and left the clubs behind
Sir.
Who will ever forget Sunday night at the Mardi during the sixties.
Jazz night, all the top bands, and singers including George Melly with Mick Mulligan’s band.
Micks Drummer ( cannot remember his name )when he played a solo everything stopped…. pure magic.
Hi! to all those that went to the Mardi in the mid 60’s. It was a real soul club back then, with many American soul & ska artists appearing almost every week and as Pete Sexton says they shared their session with the Vic. They were usually supported by local soul bands such as The Chants, The Shuffler Sound and Steve Aldo, who all use to appear on their own at the Mardi as well. The Mardi was a one of the main mod clubs back then, it’s strange how the Liverpool mod scene really gets mentioned, only that from the city at the other end of the Lancs. I can remember Liverpool at the time being dominated by soul music and mod fashions. Yes it was a great time back then, here’s to memories.
Oh Pete, here’s a few more clubs to add to your list, Uglys, The Iron Door, The Pyramid, Chauffeurs, Pickwicks (more like The Grafton though), The Pink Parrot, The Cabin (The Bin) plus many more.
back in the sixties I remember going the Blue Angel with Jim Ireland to a Spanish night I wont go in for the reason why he had this Spanish night there where all sorts celebs of the day like the blue jeans, Peter Noone out of hermans hermits that girl who sang about her dead boy friend TERRY,on stage down stairs in the cellar Cilla`s mum Mrs White. The reason I am telling you this story is to find out if any one else went there that night ,THE NIGHT OF THE BULLFIGHT!!! when I tell the tale of that night I get some funny looks,but I remember ALAN WILLIAMS ushering us down stairs and he looked quite smart when he came down white shirt etc then he open the fire door and in walked or should I say waddled a full grown BULLOCK COVERED IN SH*T which had people scrambling to get out of the way and Alan Williams up the other end of the cellar waving a red towel the bull looked quite confused but waddled passed Alan W and in the process brushed against Alan W white shirt and cover him in sh*t and when he turned round it covered the other side as well and as he stood to take bow all the sh*t just sort curled of him and flopped on to the what I great night
Mrs Stax…
About half way down Bold Street was the new Mardi. It was a cool club owned by Lenny MacMillan. Loads of theme nights… acid house, cheesy holiday disco, hip hop and street soul, basically full of Liverpool’s night people of the late 80s. Ian McNabb from the Icicle Works, no-mark bands (hello Rain!) the cast of Brookie…great times…
Pete
what about the Chris Karma’s road show - what a fab band - they played the Mardi all the time and the Babaloo, the Victoriana etc.. the drummer played with others like the Fix and more……. Where’s the pics of the Mardi then? Can’t find them…what a place - I used to go from 1968 to about 1970 with me mates Dem and Kathleen