WHO REMEMBERS? The UK Nostalgia Podcast
Join "amateur" historians Andrew and Liam (thrice bronze medalists in 'The South Yorkshire Rememberers Chalice') as they travel back in time like Nicholas Lyndhurst in Goodnight Sweetheart and try to remember things from the past.
Do you remember Woolworths? Do you remember when Marathons changed their name to Snickers? Do you remember Del Boy falling through the bar? If so then come and remember with us. If not then stick around and we will probably remember it for you. You literally can't lose so why not hit the play button as hard as Paul Sykes hit that shark?
WHO REMEMBERS? The UK Nostalgia Podcast
Who Remembers........Working Men's Clubs?
The once-ubiquitous Working Men's Clubs stand as fading monuments to a different Britain – one where community bonds were stronger, drinks were cheaper, and everyone knew your business. In this nostalgic journey, we explore these unique social institutions that have seen three-quarters of their numbers disappear over the past fifty years.
Founded in 1857 in Reddish, Stockport, Working Men's Clubs emerged as non-profit membership organizations providing recreation (and theoretically education) for working-class men. Unlike pubs, not just anyone could wander in – you needed membership or to be signed in by an existing member. What made them special? For starters, the drinks were significantly cheaper, thanks to freedom from brewery ties and minimal overhead costs. But the real magic lay in their function as community hubs.
We reminisce about the unique entertainment ecosystem within these clubs – the "turns" (comedians and bands) who would perform on weekends, the serious games of dominoes and darts that fostered friendly rivalry between neighboring clubs, and peculiar traditions like the "cockle man" who would visit selling seafood and sweets. For children dragged along by parents or grandparents, a glass bottle of Coca-Cola and a packet of crisps represented the height of luxury, while committee men ruled their domains with sometimes comical authority.
The decline of these institutions tells a broader story about changing Britain. As traditional industries disappeared, smoking bans took effect, and younger generations found different forms of entertainment, Working Men's Clubs struggled to maintain relevance. Chains like Wetherspoons captured their affordability without the membership requirements, but lost the community spirit that made the originals special.
Want to experience this vanishing world for yourself? We suggest heading to seaside towns like Chapel St Leonards or Skegness, where some of these traditions live on. Better hurry though – this quintessential piece of British working-class culture won't be around forever. Share your own Working Men's Club memories with us at whorememberspod@outlook.com or find us on social media @WhoRemembersPod.
Hello and welcome to the. It's the lowest form of conversation.
Speaker 1:Hello and welcome to the podcast. Who Remembers this is a listener feedback episode.
Speaker 2:Ah, now then is that all right? Fine Paul, I'll see you later.
Speaker 1:I don't know why.
Speaker 2:Actually one of the questions I'm going to ask you. It's on my now I've got a few notes, uh, once again extensive research at the who remembers pod and. But I was going to ask you, is it mainly a northern thing, would you class working men's clubs are, or is that just because we're northern and we we've obviously been in them? I just thought I can't imagine like a london it must be obviously like a southerner, like someone from brighton, going to work in men's club.
Speaker 1:But it's me, it's really sort of northern, I think so I think we, we can only view it for through our own northern eyes, can't we? It's like you're more insular at that only sorry for my own northern eyes, the working men's club.
Speaker 2:They've been shut down. They have actually three, so these are obviously still going. So it's another era of FOS, yeah.
Speaker 1:We break our own rules on a daily basis. But when you mentioned this I thought oh yeah, I mean prominently. I was thinking of a place called the Irish Centre in Corby that I've been to a lot but I'm not actually sure Again through extensive research. That is a working men's club. I'm not sure if it's a private social club or a sports club, social clubs and working men's club very similar but slightly different.
Speaker 2:So three quarters.
Speaker 1:But then if we're only talking working men's clubs, I think we're very much leaning on you in this episode.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but you've been in a few working men's clubs mate, I've been in some pal, I've been in them. You've been in them. You've been in them all. Like I said, this is still going, but they are definitely dying to breathe. Three quarters of working men's clubs have closed over the past 50 years. Three quarters Very, very slight bit of history. The first ever working men's club were opened in 1857 in Reddish in Stockport, and that was for the workers of the Albert Mill Worked very close to that.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, Spent a few years working in Reddish, yeah. Scc Limited.
Speaker 2:So if I said to you what is a work because there might be people listening in who don't know what a working men's club is younger listeners, americans and other people might not know what a working men's club is what would you say? A working men's club is fundamentally so it's not a pub.
Speaker 1:There's a distinction. It's not anybody can wander in and have a drink. I'd say it's generally a members club, although you you can sign people in or you can get guest memberships, but, yeah, you generally have to be a member to be able to drink in there. To me they look like a more like a school than a pub. They're like a flat a flat building yeah I don't see them as like having a sort of you would never mistake one for a house. You would know it's a club.
Speaker 2:Well, they were initially built to provide education and recreation for working-class men. But the education thing.
Speaker 1:Education. Yeah, how does you order? I know I ordered me some in a pint.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but honestly, it's interesting to say it was like a school because they were initially yeah, I can kind of see similar sort of style of building.
Speaker 1:I see it as not necessarily all of them, but in the same way that a pub can have a tap room and a and a sort of general public games room or whatever. I see it as potentially the old school guy side, quite a smoky old room and then sometimes like a sort of family side to it with loads of kids running about sliding around. Do you remember? Do you remember when you used to slide?
Speaker 2:on your knees on the floor. I remember sliding on your knees, but it is essentially a pub. But at the same time, it's not because it's a non-profit organisation. It's run for members' benefits.
Speaker 1:So that's interesting. One thing I had to say is I wondered if they got any kind of grant or funding or because to me we're always a bit cheaper. In a working men's club you could get a cheaper pint.
Speaker 2:There's a couple of reasons behind that. Do you want them now? I'll give them you now, if you want them, you've got the stats time, basically because they're not usually tied to breweries.
Speaker 2:So they'll be able to buy booze at lower prices than pours, because it's a non-profit thing, so they don't need to hike the price up because they're not just trying to get. You know what I mean. They're not trying to make money, it's all. It's very well. It probably did start as a socialist club, most of them, and it is very socialist sort of thing, and there's no rent on the buildings on most of them anyway, because the community owned as well and the council put them up. So it is yeah, it really is like I mean in the early days I mean, like you said, you need to be a member, you can't just walk in, you can get a member to sign you in, but in the early days there were literally no women it was. The reason it's called a working men's club is because obviously they're in kitchen washing, washing with it and you know getting yeah, getting fat caps ready for milk day after um, but yeah, they weren't, they weren't allowed, and obviously that's changed now.
Speaker 2:But but I think, like you say, the the cheap drinks thing was huge, because these are a lot of working men, um, who I think probably didn't earn loads of money or anything like that. They were classes, as I was saying, like a working class or whatever, but really, really cheap, and it wasn't just the pub, though, so they had. I mean, I've been in the main two that I went into were the Woodseats one and the Smithywood one, so I've been in Smithywood.
Speaker 1:I don't think I've been in Woodseats.
Speaker 2:They're pretty much similar. So they're pretty much similar. So you basically get a snooker or a pool table. You'll get an entertainment room that you use as bands or comedians are. They're known as turns, aren't they? Yeah?
Speaker 1:they're watching the turns now, yeah who's turned to eat on.
Speaker 2:yeah, most have nowadays TV, probably sports on and stuff like that. There's bingo, dart ball.
Speaker 1:It's very much, yeah, but but traditionally and I suppose. But I'm saying even when Sky Sports came in and again, I'm only talking about a club which isn't even maybe a working men's club, so it's probably a terrible point to make, but I don't remember it as the place to necessarily go and watch your early Sky Sports. I was a place on a sunday. My granddad had got put on a full suit with the, the waistcoat yeah, yeah, yeah suits are a big thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, um, he'd go down there for two or three hours before his sunday dinner. He'd meet, we'd have to pick up jackie hughes on the way. Um, it would slag off relentlessly until he got in the car he said, uh, fucking jackie hughes over here and he'd be telling us all about this fucking thing. He's up to this week and again. Hello, jackie, how are you tell us about what you've been up to, jackie?
Speaker 1:yeah, but, to me, sorry, so my point there is. So it was quite I saw it as a kid, particularly where he drank in the club quite a dingy sort of environment. You could still smoke in the club. They were all smoking players.
Speaker 2:Really dark and smoky, absolutely reeked of cigarettes. You wouldn't get away with that these days. Well, no, certainly not, rightly so. But yeah, I mean the one I went in it did. It was one of the first places to have Sky Sports. I remember going in to watch Sheffield United games with my dad, but I don't know, obviously they're all completely different. But the games at the yard, I mean I'm sure your granddad will have, uh, got involved with um a few racer games of dominoes in his in his time oh yeah, it is like a game of dominoes, yeah, it was very much like indoor league.
Speaker 2:If anyone knows what indoor league is, um, I'll see there.
Speaker 1:Um, honestly, they had loads of stuff like that they used to play pontoon and brag and lose far too much money playing those games. I mean again, I don't know if this is exclusive to the Irish, I don't know, but there was skittles. There was a game of like rings or hoops, where you had to throw things at hooks on a wall to get points.
Speaker 2:But I want to say open the box. You remember that. Open the box. I think you that.
Speaker 1:Open the box.
Speaker 2:You just had to guess a number. He's gone for number four.
Speaker 1:I mean Phoenix Ice, no, no, what's that? So again, I can only speak from my own experience. But open the box was where I think it might have even been tied to another game. I don't know if the crane driver where I worked on the site told me this, but they played something like the Price is Right, where if you got to the end you got to choose a key and then it was does that key? Open the box?
Speaker 2:Everyone would go, you're right. You're right. You have to go up and see. Does it open the?
Speaker 1:box, and if it did, you won the jackpot.
Speaker 2:And if it didn't, no prize this time. I mean honestly, if anyone really wants a visual. I honestly think Phoenix Knights gets this so spot on. From my experience at working men's clubs, it's so well done because everything in there the characters and everything are so much. Although I've always thought on Phoenix Knights why none of them really work. Young Kenny.
Speaker 1:But again, it's that social club. It's not like I think of working men's clubs as like ex-minors communities and things like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, possibly yeah. But why has no one got a job on Phoenix Knights? Because obviously he owns it. Well, dave Sparky owns it in the second, jerry Sinclair owns it in the second series, but I don't think young Kenny works there. Does Kenny Douglas senior work there?
Speaker 1:yeah, he does glass collecting, I think.
Speaker 2:Does he?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think they're all sort of part. Yeah, just do bits and pieces.
Speaker 2:Oh, toby Foster's in band, isn't he? Yeah, he's the drummer man you ever meet, raffles.
Speaker 1:Yeah, again, I do remember that from clubs. I also remember that that blew us into like sort of old-school pubs, northern pubs and what I've kind of blast from the past. We went down to cornwall. I mean we go down fairly regular but we went down a couple of years ago to port 11 and the pub near our place we were staying in. It was such a kind of blast from the past. They were doing a now. Then we got coming up the uh, the old meat raffle. Let's see who's got a pack of bacon this week. It was absolutely very good, very good yeah, yeah, that's what it was like.
Speaker 2:Genuinely, I want to make a joke about. It's like and you've won a packet of sausage. I don't know why they'll be doing that in sheffield, but you've won a packet. Oh, yeah, you've won a packet of sausages. But so we've talked about this privately and I've talked to oh, by the way, this is a listener's request, should I should mention that from marky mark? Um, sorry about that, but yeah, I was talking to um eggy and he didn't hear about this either. But yeah, and I don't think you've heard of the cockle man, have you?
Speaker 1:no, I can't. I kind of know what you meant, but I wouldn't know it by that name.
Speaker 2:No, yeah, he used to come in and he used to. His main thing was selling mussels and and stuff like that, um, and sort of just seafood, like crab sticks and all that sort of stuff. But it was a highlight when I used to go with my dad. It was a highlight of my night because he always he used to sell like sweets as well, like licorice, all sorts and stuff like that he's mad.
Speaker 2:Now I mean I'd like to say I really don't know you'll. You've got more idea this with your kids and stuff. Would they settle for that now? Would they settle for a night in a club where they're having a I used to have like a lime soda because it was cheapest one cheapest drink and just sit there watching a comedian that you didn't really understand the jokes of or a band that you didn't know any of the songs by because it's an old, you know singing old cover songs, and then just going oh yes, cockle man's here, I'm gonna get some sweets.
Speaker 1:No, it's all changed because they've got no patience to just sit in a pub now. But but the difference is they can take tablets with them, so that we didn't have anything to watch at home. So we would either be sat watching brookside, which weren't that bad, but pretty good, yeah, jimmy corkle, like him, or you, or you can get yourself out somewhere, whereas they.
Speaker 1:It's a completely different thing, because they do have other things they can do, but they can bring them with them. So it's changed so much. Like they, they don't want to. I mean to me and this is this is so, peter cayless that if, if he hasn't said it, I'm absolutely stunned. But do you remember? Do you remember how nice, uh, coca-cola tasted out of a glass bottle? Oh, yes, yeah, if you've got a packet of crisps and a glass bottle of Coca-Cola.
Speaker 2:Does anyone remember?
Speaker 1:Who remembers? Does anyone remember?
Speaker 2:Does anyone remember?
Speaker 1:Let me take off that, by the way. Let me do it in Peter Kay. But yeah, that was such a treat a Coke and a glass bottle and a packet of crisps. I remember thinking, oh, this is absolutely brilliant. This, yeah, I mean. The one thing I'd say as well is I don't quite remember the I'm not sure I was there for this friday and saturday nights when they were doing the comedians and the turns and stuff.
Speaker 1:I saw cannon and ball. I mean that's yeah, that's a huge claim to fame. Yeah, well, obviously it's not, is it, but it?
Speaker 2:kind of is. It's not really that huge now but it's the most famous comedian, probably associate working men's club. It's got a bernard manning and the embassy club. Obviously manchester never went or he had like a residency there.
Speaker 1:Didn't he thing again, but I don't know if this is right or if I'm taking it off phoenix nights, but jim bowen as well.
Speaker 2:I don't know if jim bowen yeah, I mean you did get decent acts. I think les dawson he was another one who you know appeared all these. So I said decent acts. You know, these are what people in classes like proper old school. I remember seeing Karen on Ball and finding it quite funny at the time, I think something like that. But the bands and stuff were all cover bands. You didn't really in my experience you never got like enough. You wouldn't have got the Arctic Monkeys, would you like at a working man's club.
Speaker 2:No, I picture it'd be a cover band doing like you're making your mind up, but again, yeah, yeah, I've seen on something maybe. Yeah, yeah, I mean, I remember, I remember I used because I used to love scarlet, so it's about the two-time episode and every two couple of months they'd have this. I think they were called complete madness, but they did all scar songs and I'm like, oh yes, they're on this week, brilliant, and they just played all those songs. And I remember one I don't know if you've heard of a band called guns and outcakes no, I did like it sort of.
Speaker 1:I imagine I'm doing guns and roses song, but in sort of lancashire accents or something like that.
Speaker 2:Well, as far as I know, they were just an heavy metal band and they were. My dad hated heavy metal. They're still going. I'm just looking well, 2008, so maybe not, but they were like quite uh, they're still current as of 17 years ago.
Speaker 2:They're still current for this podcast, yeah, but yeah, they were massive and they used to play wood seats like once every I don't know four or five months and you could not get a ticket and my dad was like I don't want it, it's heavy metal shit and all that sort of stuff, but they were massive and like I said, I just typed cover, then is outcakes, is it somewhere else?
Speaker 2:like to me, that's like a northern guns and roses. But they cover. It says here. They cover all the big big league bands such as bonjo, very white snake, acdc, death leopard, brian adams. That's quite pop rock, isn't it? Yeah, you, you two finlay's in gary moore, um, but they were.
Speaker 1:They were huge.
Speaker 2:They were absolutely every time. They played. Like we can't get a ticket this week for that because guns are out. I think people used to follow them around, can't they? But you never really saw people doing their own songs as much. I think comedians were sort of bigger. Like you get bigger comedians there than you would. You know other, you know bands and things, isn't it that?
Speaker 1:whether they're I'm probably going to have to let it go, but I'm going to say it again whether they're working men's clubs or sort of sports and social, I thought you were going to slag Edmonds off again. Actually, dan, I'm not letting that go now but I remember the sort of the story is Gary Barlow learnt his trade doing the sort of oh, he did, yeah, I'd love to have seen that.
Speaker 2:Can you imagine him like only takes a minute, girl only in a working man's club? Like absolutely hammered, wouldn't he?
Speaker 1:everyone arguing about who's this, nancy goes and that and him. Yeah, million love songs later players, won't?
Speaker 2:we know? Gary, right, imagine that. Yeah, but I mean another thing they had as well, when obviously I didn't attend this, because even if I was that way inclined I weren't old enough is Chippendales I don't know if you remember the Chippendales nights and stuff like that. They used to advertise it and obviously I never went Again.
Speaker 1:I could keep, yeah but again, this would be like ladies' night, wouldn't it?
Speaker 2:This went through, have like Chippendales and obviously male strippers. I don't think they had female strippers, but male strippers and stuff like that. My actual memories of it, though, I mean my granddad lived there. Basically he lived at Manor, but I can't remember what that one was called, but it used to go up every now and then, but he genuinely I mean at weekends anyway, at least when I'd see him it sinks six pints, go home, have a sleep, have his dinner and then go back out and have another eight, and I mean, and they were about like, well, he must have been older than I am and we are now. I can't do that now and then.
Speaker 2:And then, well, yeah, yeah, yeah, we should restart anti-woken men's club well, I'll come on to that later, like where you think they're going wrong, but from my experience, like I say with my granddaddy, he'd just be sat there drinking, drinking and driving as well, if I'm going to be honest before Walt kicked in again. But I think it was a fairly new law, wasn't it by that point? Like maybe not in the 80s, but I think it only didn't come in that long did it drink and driving, but but it's 70s.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't know. I think it sounds absolutely crazy, but I think, yeah, if you thought you were you're. No, he's all right honestly.
Speaker 2:He's all right, yeah just carry on talking about. I'm quite interested in this when, because I remember being shocked at how so my I have to like I'll keep talking. My sort of granddad experience is I thought you were going to say then I am about 20 and I drive, but yeah, I'm not woke.
Speaker 1:No, my Irish granddad was quite happy to break any rules going, not really bothered. My English granddad was a policeman so he was very into the rules. So probably explains my sort of madcap view on the world. I'm sort of very I don't like rules to be broken, but if I don't understand the reason behind them I'm quite happy to go my own way.
Speaker 2:So from 1930 to 1960, they were basically saying, yeah, you shouldn't do that, but it weren't illegal to do it. It seems to have come in around 1967, which is, you know, that is quite mad, really. Like how short a time.
Speaker 1:So when England won World Cup in 66, smashing around.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so in 68, breathalysers were introduced. So yeah, but yeah, 1968, so before that, you know you could do anything. But yeah, my grandad, because obviously I you know you could do anything. But yeah, my granddad, because obviously I don't know how old it had been. It must have been in his 20s, 30s, in the 60s. To him it's normal, isn't it? It's just thinking out. None of this woke crap. I'm drinking, driving, but I remember, right, I remember from my point of view. So he just used to sink pints and stuff. And then I they didn't do this in all of them, by the way but some guy coming with all the greenings, you, the football scores and stuff like that, the old newspaper, we'll do an episode on that later and I usually just buy that, have some sweets from the Cockle man, drink my lime soda, and we were happy, weren't we?
Speaker 1:We were happy with that, weren't we? Yeah, it was simpler times, weren't they? Simpler times?
Speaker 2:Simpler times Ran by committee men as well, who took the role very seriously. In my experience they're all like sort of retired men and I don't know. I always got I'm probably wrong here but I always saw them as like really sort of grumpy bastards who were just like hey, what's he doing down there? Hey, what's he doing? Who's he brought in with him this time? Do you know what I?
Speaker 1:mean You've got to sign here. Go tell him. Tell him he's not having that again this week. We're not having him like that again.
Speaker 2:No, we're not doing that again. So why were they popular? I think you've touched on the main thing why they were popular, which is cheap drinks Cheap, yeah, yeah. But also like a sense of community and I remember like rival clubs. I remember Smithywood, so I used to my mate's dad was a committee man there and they used to have like I wouldn't say we're at war with the Woodseats Club. By the way, people don't know these clubs are about how many metres, would you say, away. Yeah, they're not far apart, are they?
Speaker 1:They're not far apart, I mean, they're a very short walk away.
Speaker 2:And maybe this happens with pubs now. Hey, have you seen what he's doing up road? He like Phoenix Knights with Dan Perry.
Speaker 1:Well, I think, as well, though they had, like a rival darts team, a rival pools team. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, they'd be arguing on who's got best turn on a weekend. Hey, they've got guns and hotcakes again. We can't compete with him.
Speaker 2:It's unbelievable. But I think another thing as well is like like-minded people on the whole, or at least people from the same background, sort of very working-class men doing manual labours, coal mines and steelworks and stuff like that usually Labour voters, because there's a lot of these clubs now that you see in Chapel and stuff where you'll see Labour clubs won't there. I think Reform started doing them actually, haven't they? Oh really. Yeah, I think they've started. Obviously Farage and the Boys.
Speaker 2:What have opened a working men's club, yeah, a working men's Club in I don't know where it is and everyone's going. Oh my God, it looks absolutely shit. It just looks like a Working Men's Club, to be completely honest. But I don't know.
Speaker 1:I think the reason it's amazing that that sort of people think they have a lot in common with Farage isn't it yeah, but you know he's what is he?
Speaker 2:Armin Co.
Speaker 1:Oh God.
Speaker 2:Anyway, Privately educated, but yeah anyway, why do you think they lost popularity? Working men's clubs what would you say is the biggest thing? So I've got a few things here that I've written down, I think, the biggest thing.
Speaker 1:Obviously they're like the world's changed, in a sense that it's not just up north men working in mines and in factories and women not working. The world's moved on. But also I do think a sad thing is the community's not really close anymore.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I've written that down.
Speaker 1:People don't know each other. I mean, you used to know your mate's parents and you'd be wary of sort of out and about Like it weren't just your own parents who'd tell you off, like someone else could tell you off.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, or they'd tell your own mum and dad, who'd like you know?
Speaker 1:I've heard that you've been doing this or whatever. I don't know. I just think people are very distant.
Speaker 2:I mean, this is getting very sort of those Facebook posts where people are poor In the 70s, you could leave your door wide open.
Speaker 1:A little bit, yeah, no one would come in. I used to leave the house with a shilling and come back three days later and I was fine. I was absolutely fine.
Speaker 2:I've got four. What does he say? Paul Sykes, I'm down to my last four pence. How far has that got to get him, even in the 80s, I do think things have moved on.
Speaker 1:Some things are far better than they were. The sense of community has definitely faded away.
Speaker 2:We talked about it last week with Covid and stuff and it sort of came back a bit and everyone realised they hated each other and just stopped at the end of that. I also think, as you touched on, there's more to do for young people, not necessarily your kids' age. I went into Working Man's's club. I remember watching england, argentina um, I might have still been at school then. Actually some probably underage drinking I never england I'd seen in 2002.
Speaker 2:So, um, I watched that at a working man's club. I wouldn't even dream. I can't imagine someone that age dreaming of doing that. Now I think there's so much more that pubs and bars offers. I get the feeling working men's clubs have stayed. Quite obviously they know their audience.
Speaker 1:I think they tie to a northern match day experience. I think it's still a. There's still a bit of a get your kids, get your grandkids. We're off down to the club before we go to the match. It still feels like that happens on a match day, but I'm not sure on a Friday night or a. Saturday night a young kid would now end up in any kind of sports or social community or whatever any kind of club. I just don't think they just not go now. No, I'm not doing that.
Speaker 2:I think 20, like 21 year olds. There's aesthetically nicer places to drink and there's better things you know.
Speaker 1:Well you to steal your thunder because they don't know where you're going to end on it, but I'm giving you credit for it. You said earlier has it not kind of become a Wetherspoons in a way?
Speaker 2:Spoons is a massive thing. Yeah, shout out to Major Charles. Obviously he loves his spoons, don't I? But yeah, spoons have basically taken over. I think a lot of the people who would have, you know, gone to Working Men's Club. Spoons is probably cheaper now now.
Speaker 1:By the way, I don't know if you're just doing this right now for this podcast. I've never heard Wetherspoons called spoons before.
Speaker 2:What Really?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I would never call it spoons.
Speaker 2:You've never heard it spoons.
Speaker 1:I don't think so. I just don't think I would say that Are you going to spoons? It sounds wrong. I'd always say Wetherspoons.
Speaker 2:You must have heard people call it. I don't think so. I don't think I've ever heard you call it.
Speaker 1:I'm always calling it spoons. I don't like how many went off to army like I've weird, like exaggerated, like guinness you call ginrog and I can imagine him say just go to spoons, like I can imagine.
Speaker 2:On the wikipedia page it says jd weather spoons, branded variously as weather spoon or weather spoons, and also known as spoons see I think I go weathers. You're gonna have to weathers rather than weathers that, yeah, weathers they're going to well, that's just.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's just something like you're saying, where there's originals and all that really well, so yeah, no, it might be me that this, this might have passed me by but I think anyway, spoons uh offer cheap drinks and food and it's the same.
Speaker 2:But without the membership You're probably not going to get that same sense of community. You're probably going to get a lot of people. You're not going to have that same sense. You know we're all meeting on a Saturday night to watch the turn in Spoons and stuff like that, but it's sort of taken away, which was probably the main factor.
Speaker 1:Well, they don't even play music, do they? Isn they don't even play music, do they? Isn't that one thing that they're not even?
Speaker 2:They've got BBC News.
Speaker 1:It ends up with everyone shouting all the time because there's no music.
Speaker 2:I fucking hate. You know we're not going to get sponsored by them. I really don't like Spoons. I don't like.
Speaker 1:Weatherspoons, you say that, but I remember not too long ago we were on a night out and we were paying like £7.50 for these quite average pints.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh, I do remember this. Yeah, we snuck off to Wetherspoons.
Speaker 1:Like we said, we'll just go for one in there because it'll be cheap and it's all right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'll take it back. I'll take it back. I don't know. I think it's because they're all set out the same. I'm just like. Well, obviously You're talking about the stairs.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the trek to the toilet. There's jokes where it's like three miles away, isn't there I'm going to say that. I don't think it's quite as far as that. Imagine if it were three miles.
Speaker 2:I think that I have been. I think I'd definitely get drunker in Wetherspoons and I don't know why that is. I don't know if it's because it's cheaper so I have more, or if it's because they're not watered down drinks and stuff like that. Every time I go to Wetherspoons because we're obviously like a lot of work nights out it's all meat and spoons and all that. I'm always bladdered.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I can't explain that, I don't know.
Speaker 2:I also think as well. People don't drink alcohol. Youngsters, like they used to just gathering what I taught to younger people and stuff. Not in the way that, certainly not in the way my grandad used to do. He used to have like 40 pints and then drive home, but obviously since wokeness came in, they used to have a lot of mild, though, didn't they?
Speaker 1:People would drink tonnes of p that weren't actually that strong, yeah, yeah yeah.
Speaker 2:And, I think, obviously the fact it was solely aimed at men putting women off and it's not Like you say. It is a family place now, but you know that's still got that thing around it. But I did read as well. There were a poll by the British Institute of Inkeeping and the Federation of Licensed Victualers Association what a long name. That is Found that the overall revenue was 7.3% down after the smoking ban and, as you touched on, it used to reek of smoke, didn't it?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean I've obviously got quite. We're getting towards the end of this. Now Do we want to open up a whole new Joe Rogan conspiracy?
Speaker 2:Oh, here we fucking go. Why? What are you doing this time? Get that fucking 24 crocodile on man this gorilla man.
Speaker 1:It used to fucking hunt lions, uh, but my asper's never been better since I stopped taking my inhalers.
Speaker 2:That's, that's all you're gonna say my parry, my asper's not been better since I started, like an advert, since I started on the marlboro's now what I?
Speaker 1:what I'm going to say is I used to love like my mum and dad didn't smoke, but them coming back from a pub or a club and that smoky smell on them. I used to like that.
Speaker 2:Did you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't know. You seem quite authentic, like oh, they've been like to pubs somewhere, proper pubs somewhere.
Speaker 2:Yeah, proper pub somewhere.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I get what you mean, but yeah, we had a coal fire as well, and I developed really severe asthma when I was young. So that's good. It's not all good is it.
Speaker 2:No, like I said, matt Parry says I have one cigarette a day opens the lungs up. Get out of, try see how you get on. I went on the Smithywood Crescent Facebook page. Just I say that's where I went to. I thought I wonder if it's still going. There's a Woodseats one, but it's not been updated since 2017. It's really what I shut down, but it's proper like thriving. I put it out on. The first thing that I saw is this is the first message fuck the cousin shagging tramp. That was the first thing that's on. So, yeah, yeah, and it's just people arguing like I don't know why they've used that facebook group to kick all this off.
Speaker 1:But my, I might bleep out that name by the time you come to eric's I I'm not sure we should put it on, so I'll try and find some bleeps to cover that name if she's done the crap, what? Did he say we've confirmed that she is?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's true. Yeah yeah, if the glove fits, you must acquit. I think I did that. It's really odd. Well, I'm going to end by just saying that you can still get him. You can still get him If the glove doesn't fit, you must acquit, isn't it?
Speaker 1:Because that's what they said the glove's too small for his hand.
Speaker 2:If the glove fits.
Speaker 1:I quit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, if the glove fits, you must have quit. You can still get them. Obviously we're going to do our Chapel Settlement Roadshow soon and seaside resorts are usually frequented by pensioners who can remember the glory days of the working men's clubs, and I think almost every pub in Chapel Settlement is where you go. It's a throwback to the working men's club days. It's the same sort of clientele that you've got there.
Speaker 1:Well, certainly, JT's is definitely and probably on Trunch Lane. Well, there's Trevor.
Speaker 2:Brockenbar yeah, but I don't associate Trevor Brockenbar quite as much.
Speaker 1:But across the road, is it Archers? That's got a very much larger class feel, archers, yeah. And then there's the Happy Days Club as well.
Speaker 2:Happy, Days definitely, yeah. I mean, that is a club. I don't know if it's a working man's club, but that is massively sort of and it's got all the throwbacks to it. There's a dartboard, there's bingo, free time, I think we.
Speaker 2:Big stage on at the back isn't there as well? Big stage if you want to ever experience I mean, I've said before that obviously we know Chad and Noah listen to this. We're hoping to get Noah on actually in a couple of episodes time if they ever want. I don't know why they would an authentic working man's club experience. We'll just have to take them to Chapel because I think you can pretty much get it all still there.
Speaker 1:Well, yeah, or Farm Road is the only one you've said I've only ever been in there once to well. Yeah, or Farm Road is the only one you've said like yeah, yeah, yeah, I've only ever been in there, once to be fair, to watch United vs Wednesday.
Speaker 2:So I don't know the ins and outs of that, but I've only ever been in once.
Speaker 1:But yeah, what I would say is grab it while you can because these things aren't. They're not going to be here much longer, are they?
Speaker 2:and I lost my wallet, not my glasses, yeah, uh. But yeah, I enjoyed it though. But yeah, like I say it's, it's I. I've always got like quite a misty eyed sort of ah yeah, and they are gonna all go soon. I'm pretty sure of that. I think the next generation are not going to be interested at all in it. Um, and it is. It's sad because it's a proper institution of british life, isn't it?
Speaker 1:yeah, and in all that I'd be interested. I don't know if we have any Southern listeners, but if we do, then let us know. Do you remember a working men's club? Do you Southern?
Speaker 2:softies. Yeah, remember a working men's club. But yeah, that's an enjoyable journey that way. I mean, I'm quite nostalgic for it. I'm quite sort of let us know your own working class, working class working clubs, let us know your own working class, working class working clubs working men's clubs still open.
Speaker 1:Nah, I'm gonna say, should we get out now, should we get a?
Speaker 2:taxi down now there's. There's a few in sheffield still open, but I I think the glory days are over. I imagine, if I think the one's still going well, I've had to change to some degree. Like I said when um I went to farmhouse for the massive tv and things like that, like I need like a proper full screen tv and I don't know, I imagine things are massively different now to what they work.
Speaker 1:So my first experience of pub life really, uh, they probably have to go woke or not go broke that's it exactly.
Speaker 2:There go, yeah, but we'll be there next. What is it? What are we on august couple of months? We'll be there, um, probably in a working man's club, and we'll we'll there are no working men's clubs there, by the way.
Speaker 1:They're just, they just appear like that, yeah, they're not. They're not, are they they're?
Speaker 2:not um, give me, just let me get that fucking, fucking. Yeah, get that 24 fucking crocodile on land.
Speaker 1:No, because exactly where we started from is that they're like membership clubs traditionally. These, these are just pubs anyone can go in? It's for tourists, so we wouldn't have a locals club there. It wouldn't work.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you're right, but there are working men's clubs in Skegness though. Definitely, yeah, maybe in.
Speaker 1:Skegness? Yeah, I don't know, but even then I would guess that that sort of locals feel membership bars is probably more for tourists now Do you know what it's called. What the one in Skegness, skeggy Working Men's Club.
Speaker 2:Correct, correct, skegness Working Men's Club yeah, and you do have to actually be a member for that one. So that is an old fashioned one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but a lot of them do this thing. So there's one. It's probably quite a posh. It's not even a working men's club, it's just some sort of club. Sorry, go on.
Speaker 2:Go on. This weekend there's a live set of a punk and ska band called the Skunts.
Speaker 1:The fucking Skunts. Yeah, I can't top that. We'll finish there.
Speaker 2:Finish there. Thank you very much, liam. Go and check out the Skunts this weekend. Liam, go and check out the skunts this weekend. Go and check out the skunts this weekend. It's Greg Ness and we'll see you next time. Thank you for listening to who Remembers. If you want to get in touch with us, you can find us at whorememberspod, at outlookcom. If you are a right wing fascist, you can find us on twitter at whorememberspod, or if you're a woken Orr, you can find us on Blue Sky at WhoRemembersPod. Once again, thank you for listening and we'll see you next time for more remembering.