The Torch
Track: Tony Micheals - I love the life I live
Last ever track played at the Torch
Played by Keith Minshull on Gold World Label
Location: Hose Street, Tunstall,
Stoke-On-Trent
Date: 1965 - 1973
Originally an old cinema, the Golden Torch was redeveloped as a luxury nightclub by Chris Burton, a Midlands businessman, in 1963. Featuring a Roman chariot on the outside wall, the club was classy, with marble pillars and the now compulsory balcony overlooking the dance floor. Originally designed to hold about five hundred people, in it's heyday it hosted in excess of one and a half thousand; which, as the club was situated in a quiet residential street, was only the start of the club's problems.
As with every success story, there are the inevitable problems. With overcrowding, after-hours drinking and drugs leading to an almost permanent police presence at the allnighters, Chris Burton did his best to co-operate with and pacify the local authorities. When attempting to re-new the club's licence in 1973, he encountered massive opposition. With the local paper carrying headlines such as "TUNSTALL CLUB A DRUG CENTRE" and "70 PERCENT OF CLUB USERS 'INVOLVED WITH DRUGS'", plus complaints from the local residents about noise (including one complainant who testified that the allnighters kept his horse awake!) it was inevitable that on March 16th 1973, the licence was refused. Chris Burton did not appeal, and the club just faded away. There was no celebratory last allnighter. In the words of Dave Evison "It just fizzled out".
The club first opened to the public in 1965, focusing on the Mod culture of the day. As was the norm at the time, many live acts appeared here, including Billy J Kramer, Amen Corner, the Kinks and Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders. The first soul act didn't appear until 1967, when Inez and Charlie Foxx appeared. The DJs were typical of their time, more entertainers than anything, with the music being incidental to their on-stage antics. The resident DJ was "Barmy" Barry, who had a huge following in the Stoke area. A certain London nightclub owner, Peter Stringfellow, also DJ'd there in between spots at the Mojo in Sheffield. Although a certain amount of soul and Motown was played, it wasn't until 1969 that an actual soul night began.
It was in 1972 that the allnighters began, running from 8pm to 8am, Saturday night through Sunday morning. As there was really no other competition, it soon became the top venue in the country, attracting other DJs such as Tony Jebb and even Ian Levine. Live acts appeared on a regular basis, featuring The Drifters, The Stylistics, Oscar Toney Jr, The Chi-Lites, Edwin Starr, and many more.
Of course, the one live act synonymous with the Torch is Major Lance. Appearing there on December 9th, 1972, the performance was recorded live, and released as "Major Lance Live At The Torch" on Contempo, the label owned by Blues & Soul magazine.
Above and beyond the live appearances, the Torch had become a veritable goldmine for soul discoveries, as the following have all been credited as having first plays there:
As with every success story, there are the inevitable problems. With overcrowding, after-hours drinking and drugs leading to an almost permanent police presence at the allnighters, Chris Burton did his best to co-operate with and pacify the local authorities. When attempting to re-new the club's licence in 1973, he encountered massive opposition. With the local paper carrying headlines such as "TUNSTALL CLUB A DRUG CENTRE" and "70 PERCENT OF CLUB USERS 'INVOLVED WITH DRUGS'", plus complaints from the local residents about noise (including one complainant who testified that the allnighters kept his horse awake!) it was inevitable that on March 16th 1973, the licence was refused. Chris Burton did not appeal, and the club just faded away. There was no celebratory last allnighter. In the words of Dave Evison "It just fizzled out".
Prior to becoming a 'Mod' Club, the Golden Torch had been a cinema and a roller skating rink, though the building had actually begun its life as a Church. In 1965 Chris Burton bought the premises and converted it to a night club. At first it offered a diet of live British Bands but in 1967 it switched its emphasis to start playing American Soul Music. The artists who performed there read like a 'who's who' of Soul Music including The Drifters, Fontella Bass, Oscar Toney Jnr, James and Bobby Purify, Ben E. King, Junior Walker, Edwin Starr, J.J. Barnes, Jimmy Thomas, Roy 'C' and the Stylistics.
The club became so influential that on December 9th. 1972 Contempo records cut a live Album there 'Major Lance Live At The Torch'. This album, which is now also available on CD is regarded as the best live NS record ever. You only have to listen to the fervour of the crowds to imagine what it must have been like to be there.
Apart from the fabulous discoveries which were made by the DJ's the main reason which guaranteed the Torch its legendary status is its pioneering work in making so many live American Acts accessible to the British Public
Respect to The Torch
Is a sweaty underground soul club called The Torch worthy to be known as one of the great venues of soul history? Mary Fox, presenter of the BBC Radio Stoke's soul-music show, says... YES!
Hardly a week goes by without someone getting watery eyed about The Torch. It wasn't so much a club, as a place of worship – it was at the very heart of the Northern Soul scene in the early 70s.
Memories of lousy toilets, sweaty bodies, fights, broken hearts and mediocre sounds are dismissed by other, better, memories... the mists of youth, the heady smell of Brut, the hair styles (some strange ones indeed), Spencer’s, Ben Sherman’s and the sheer joy of being young.
As one who never set so much as a frosty pink lacquered toe nail over the doorstep, The Torch to me is legendary. It's the Sistine Chapel of this particular faith, with soul legend Major Lance as the Michaelangelo figure, and with dj's Dave Evison and Keith Minshull as the bishops!
The most famous of the “worshippers” on the dancefloor had their nicknames – Tombo, Sparky, Nogger, Millie, Matchy, Booper, Snowy and Kimbo – and, wherever they are now and whatever they have done since, they are forever young in the Shangri-La land that was the Torch.
Plaque
Today, The Golden Torch (as it was first known) is long gone, after burning down in a fire – but, recently (Feb 2008), efforts to get a plaque erected on the site in Hose Street in Tunstall (the northern-most of Stoke on Trent’s Six Towns) were rewarded. A bright shiny memorial is there now (see 'More Torch Photos') thanks to Steve Hoskins and John O'Brien.
