Birmingham’s influence on UK music and culture shoudln’t be understated.
Bands like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin cut their teeth in the city and region before emabarking on hugley successful careers, and many clubs and bars around the city became known for nurturing musical talent.
Many iconic Birmingham nightclubs that are still talked about today opened their doors in the 70s and hosted some of the country’s biggest acts.
For the city as a whole during the decade, Birmingham remained by far Britain’s most prosperous provincial city as late as the 1970s, with household incomes exceeding even those of London and the South East.
Although the city became increasingly dependent on the motor industry before the recession of the early 1980s saw Birmingham’s economy collapse.
But it was also a time when the city’s nightlife developed hugely and grew into an exciting place to be.
We’ve taken a look at 21 of the best nightclubs of the 1970s:
1. Locarno, Hurst Street
Locarno Dance Hall opened in 1961 and remained one of the popular clubs in the 60s and 70s. The club was closed permanently in 2015 and is adorned with graffiti. One person wrote: “Lacarno loved it there.”
2. Bogarts, New Street
This is the approximate site of Bogarts. Where there is now offices and banks, there was a three floor club that was popular in the 1970s. The top floor hosted the acts. Most bands that played there were Heavy metal or Hard Rock
3. Mothers, Erdington High Street
Mothers is one of the city's most historic former clubs. The club, run by John 'Spud' Taylor and promoter Phil Myatt, was very popular in the 60s and 70s but closed its doors in 1971. More than 400 acts performed there, including Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. A Blue Plaque was unveiled at the former Mothers building on 13 July 2013. It was even voted the world's best rock venue in 1970. Today, the building is a deli and charity shop
4. The Night Out Theatre, Horsefair, Bristol Street
The Night Out, Horsefair: It was a cabaret venue from the 1970s to 1980s. It had a 1400-seat auditorium and hosted some famous acts in its time. When it opened in 1975 the venue had a house band under Eddie Gray with lead singer Patti Sommers. In the 80s, a cost-cutting exercise finally led to the venue becoming a disco - The Dome