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Weaving Tales of The Jacquard Martin Devenny recalls the heady days of Norwich's legendary post punk haunt

Weaving Tales of The Jacquard

Martin Devenny recalls the heady days of Norwich's legendary post punk haunt

by Martin Devenney, Contributor
first published: November, 2024

approximate reading time: minutes

"I learnt a few simple bass lines for songs such as Tainted Love and Gordon is a Moron and thought nobody would really notice if I turned the bass down low."

I know fellow Outsideleft writer Alan Rider is none too fond of the rock obituary and I completely understand his point that reviewing people whilst they are alive is much better, but recently Norwich lost a legendary jazz musician, Albert Cooper, who died aged 91. This piece is NOT about Albert Cooper, but if it wasn’t for him, I probably would not be writing it.

Albert Cooper
Albert Cooper

If you were one of those people like me who was fond of the more alternative genres of music and came from outside the great metropolis of London Town, then it is likely you had very few choices of venue in which you could hang out. This piece is a tribute to those clubs. The Jacquard club began life as an underground jazz club at the back of a pub and was started by Albert Cooper and his brother. In the mid-1960s the club moved to what would become its permanent home until it closed its doors for the last time in 1991. Magdalen Street is one of those outer arterial streets of city centres that normally houses the more interesting retail outlets and the type of street that most cities have. It’s a bit run down, but due to this the rents are cheaper, and the shops, pubs and clubs that inhabit it are a little bit more leftfield or Outsideleft if you prefer.  In its incarnation as a jazz club, many great and famous acts played there and in 1965 even Paul Simon graced the small Jacquard stage that was little more than 2ft high. 

The Jaquard club, Norwich
The Jaquard club, Norwich

My experience of the club was not until the early 1980s and by this time it had been sold (name as well) to David Cogman. It had become a gay club for a few years and in 1979 local punks Jon Fry and Jon Vince, who wanted somewhere to hang out, decided that they would probably be more accepted there than they would in most of the other Norwich establishments. Jon Fry (already a punk DJ) asked the manager if they could have a go at filling the place up by putting on some punk nights and the rest, as they say, is history. Jazz had always been a minority, rebellious music and now every punk, waif, stray, misfit and outsider found that they had somewhere to go, where you would be applauded for looking different and not just accepted.  I began to become a regular of the club almost by accident. I went there one night and saw a girl that I really liked, but never plucked up the courage to even talk to her before she left. 

Alternative disco poster

I hatched a plan. I had been in a few bands previously but never played live anywhere. I had met Norwich’s punk poet and answer to John Cooper Clark (I think most cities had at least one) called Eugene the Demon Poet and persuaded him he should have a backing band and I should be in it and we should play at the Jacquard (they really did pretty much let anyone play back in those days). I learnt a few simple bass lines for songs such as "Tainted Love" and "Gordon is a Moron" and thought nobody would really notice if I turned the bass down low (I think this is what Sid vicious did). This, I thought, would get me on stage at The Jacquard and this girl would see me being really cool and fall for me. I think I managed to play there about four times with Eugene and of course, she didn’t show up once.

Eventually I saw her there again and we got together, but I can thank the Jacquard for starting me out playing in bands, which I continued to do for years afterward. I played in three different bands on the Jacquard stage and even one band where the guitarist left the band halfway through the first song (if you are reading this, you know who you are). It was a privilege to grace the same Jacquard stage as the UK Subs, The Meteors, Aztec Camera, Transvision Vamp, The Exploited, King Kurt, Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine, The Higsons and, Paul Simon.  One of my lasting memories of the club was seeing Jayne County and the Electric Chairs and it was the sort of place where you just got to chat to the performers at the bar before and after gigs. I met Jayne County again a few months later on new year’s eve in Trafalgar Square, she remembered me and we hung out for a while….great days.  In 1986 Jon Fry poached Goth DJ, John Faircloth from another club in the city that catered for the children of the night, a few hard rockers and those that still liked a bit of glam.  

Jayne County on stage at the Jaquard club Norwich
Jayne County onstage at The Jaquard club, Norwich

Punks, goths, rockabillies and all manner of alternative folk came to The Jacquard from miles around, all over the county and even as far as Cambridge for club nights and live music. Over the years groups of friends left and new groups of friends discovered it.  By the time it closed down in 1991 I was back living in North London, but raised a drink for its demise, as it had been such an important part of the alternative culture of Norwich and my musical education. Some years ago Jon Fry and John Faircloth began a new club night called ‘Jacquard Anthems’ and once it found a spiritual new home in a bit of a run- down 1970s style club called The Talk. I went along one night with Outsideleft writers Kleo and Alan and it was wonderful, like stepping back into The Jacquard as it was all those years ago, the perfect venue for a perfect atmosphere. The crowd were great and there were not only old misfits, but new ones as well, even a few of my students, who were surprised and probably a little embarrassed to see me dancing to Iggy Pop and Bauhaus and The Smiths. 

The Jacquard Anthems nights ran every quarter for a few years at The Talk but have now ceased, somewhat due to the sad death of DJ Jon Fry.  Alternative culture is alternative culture, whether it is jazz or punk or reggae and in years to come, alternative cultures will be different, it doesn’t make them better or worse, it just makes them something different to the corporate face of the chain nightclubs that are littered through other parts of cities and towns and lack the character of the independents. To me the Jacquard was the club equivalent of the John Peel show and there was always music on that that I didn’t like, but that was sort of the point, because you knew there would be something you absolutely loved going to come on any minute. The Jacquard Anthems night was much more than just a nostalgia night, it was a great alternative club night. Today in Norwich there is the Waterfront venue with their alternative night called ‘Propaganda’ which advertises itself as ‘Expect an unrivalled audio-visual mix, with Propaganda’s resident DJs playing everything from Arctic Monkeys to The 1975, Paramore to The Killers, Wet Leg to Sam Fender, and much more! Imagine festival vibes without the mud!’. 

Just goes to show what is thought of as ‘Alternative’ is now something quite different. I think I’ll give it a miss. Anyway, Albert, Jon and John, thank you for the Jacquard. You’re all legends!


Header image: The interior of the Jacquard in the 80s, with unknown sleeping punter.

Martin Devenney
Contributor

Martin Devenney is a Photographer, an artist and a lecturer in Design and Cultural History.


about Martin Devenney »»

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