Edinburgh hadn’t seen anything like it before or since. Princes
Street’s legendary Fire Island was the brainchild of club owner and
entrepreneur Bill Grainger. At the time Edinburgh’s gay scene offered very
little. The LGBT community often found themselves restricted to the corner of
the few city centre bars forward-thinking enough to entertain them. Grainger
changed all that in 1978 when Fire Island was launched on Monday nights at the
West End Club. When the West End Club lost its drinking licence due to patrons
fighting, the increasingly popular (and non-violent) Fire Island became the
permanent fixture on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Fire
Island was widely renowned for its HI NRG dance music and disco nights. The
club’s spectacular lighting effects and stunning audio quality attracted
clubbers, both gay and straight, from up and down the country. Mondays became
the Blue Monday Club, playing a more alternative music set. It was perhaps the
closest thing Edinburgh had to Studio 54. Heterosexual guests were made welcome
on the understanding that they tolerated the fact it was a place for gay
people. Any trouble and they were swiftly shown the exit.
Not surprising really that Fire Island was where I was
first introduced to Edinburgh synth band Secession’s single, uh, Fire Island.
Coincidence? I doubt it.
Ripped by DjPaulT @ Burningtheground to blistering MP3 @ 320kbps
Secession; Fire Island 12”
A. Fire
Island (Extended Mix)
B. Fire
Island (Extended Instrumental)
many thanks
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Anon
DeleteFrom my partner - Bill Grainger was a bit of a goofy character who also was once Hazel Dean's manager. My partner was one of the 'door men' in 1979, with a friend called Bella (!)
ReplyDeleteHe says the music was great - it was the only place playing HI-NRG etc. in Edinburgh at the time, but he can't remember this being played.
I doubt it was ever played there either. My memory of that time in my early 20's is an amphetamine haze, further fucked over by alcohol and insane amounts of hairspray. I rely heavily on friends memories, which are equally as foggy. We may have got the venue wrong and you're partner is most probably right, I just remember being introduced to so much great music from venues like Fire Island, The Mission, Potter Row and the Hooch.
Delete