Uproar was another night @ the basement (bodies gym).
It was around 1993 when I started to attend. We went every week for a couple of years until it closed sometime in 1995.
We turned up one night to be told it was closed due to a fire regulation breach. Now whether that was the actual reason?..I’ll never know? The lass at the counter was handing out membership cards to people who turned up that evening. Bit pointless really because the weekend before was the last ever night there. it never had any more nights on since. A shame really because it was a good venue, we had plenty laughs and good nights in there. Happy memories of our youth. It was our escapism, to let off steam and dance the night away for 6 hours to good tunes!.
We went to the u4ria nights on a Friday as-well , £5 on the door. Everyone got frisked outside before going in. Even shoes and socks were checked at times. I remember the long cues outside on Macauley Street, peeps popping the party pills before going in
chomping on chewing gum. You could feel the vibration of the bass in your feet in the street when you got to the gates and faintly make out what tune was playing the nearer you got to the entrance.
The stairs leading down into the basement were on the right as you walked in the building.
It was a blacked out basement gym below with wooden floor and a Round support pillar with gaffer taped padding around it in the middle of the dance floor and a dancing stage in front as you walked in on the right. On the right wall where the dancing stage was, there were several large mirrors on the wall which made the place look bigger. It stated on the flyers 500 capacity which I think would have been like a tin of sardines if that amount of people was in there. I think around 300 to 400 was the usual turnout. It was very busy every week in 93/94 then attendance dropped in 95.
I remember the police raid because I was laid on a bench on the back wall in the dark room at the time tripping my nut off when they came in
The place had a huge sound rig in there, a three way sound system with two full sized 18” scoop bass bins in each corner and a double 18” in the centre on the back wall.
A small stage in front of the breeze block DJ booth which was set back and tucked away behind to the left of the entrance. A small chill-out room between the DJ booth and the toilets. The small chill out room was illuminated red with a lightbulb that had been red marker penned, with a few wooden benches. The taps in the toilets were turned off, so you had to buy bottled water ( Evian) £1 a bottle. Large Ice pops were sold aswell.
The basement had 3 arches to the left of the entrance on the other side of the dancing area leading into an another large darker room with benches along the back wall and it had one of them 4 way disco lights flashing away in the bottom corner which I thought was a bit tacky seen as they made an effort with the lighting everywhere else.
the painted yellow acid smileys dotted around the blacked out walls.
Remember dancing under the coloured twisting rays from the Abstract moon beam in the small square cubby hole in the wall next to the first arch. The mini strobe light in the ceiling above the small stage in front of the DJ booth made shitty dancers look cool.
Does anybody remember the music there? Specific tunes you remember hearing.
Fridays was mainly House/Techno/Trance/ Euro House. Saturdays had either a drum & bass night or a Happy head strong night playing happy hardcore.
I think they may have been called U4RIA yeah
