Reminiscences From Correspondents On the Email
Howard :-
Has anyone mentioned the showing of films and videos on the rear wall?
Dave :-
In the very beginning it was quite nicely decorated, no piss on the gents
floor and even table cloths on the tables in an area where thy used to
serve meals.
There was a sub manager called Steve who was constantly called over the
microphone "Steve to the wine bar". (YES! They had a small bar
that sold wine in the early days to the right of where you remember the
stage to be on your diagram.) This happened so often he became known to
everyone as Steve Tothewinebar
Rachael :-
I can remember going to see The Meteors at The Limit and it getting closed
down that night due to all the fighting, it was re-opened the next week.
Emma :-
the lager was still 50p a pint up to around 88/89 during the monday night
specials. however - it was so watered down you could detect the taste
of the infamous toilet tap water in it.
Paul :-
Like your floor plan, it's pretty much as I remember it. There was a big
screen telly behind the tables on the left of the entrance where you labelled
it West Street Wall - I can remember all the bouncers standing watching
Frank Bruno in one of his early fights. Also, the DJ was situated in a
little box somewhere near the Goth Box - I think on a slightly elevated
stage.
- Loads of nurses from the Hallamshire on a Wednesday. Pints were 50p,
it was also 50p on the door unless you were lucky enough to have been
given an annual pass which they used to hand out on one night a year.
Rachael :-
about 1980 -81. From what I remember there was a real mixed crowd at The
Limit, hard skinhead types who were heavily tattoed, soul boys, lots of
gay boys and of course loads of 'New Romantics' Lots of the girls who
used to go in there had that 'Hayzi Fantayzi' look with dreadlocks etc.
Colin :-
Did anyone see the following line up, between 1977 - 80, 'Throbbing Gristle,
Cabaret Voltaire, Clock DVA', they were all on the same bill
JP :-
(1986-88) We were a bunch of goth girls who 'danced' by moving slowly
on the stop - not just because we thought this was cool and goth-like
but because we couldn't dance properly. We knew the end of the Limit as
a goth venue was nigh when Cameo 'Word Up' entered the play list along
with the Beastie Boys 'No Sleep Till Brooklyn' - and we knew the end of
our goth days was night when we jumped up to dance to these songs and
sat back down again for the Mission.
Sex II opened up as a rival club and despite the music being much better,
was short lived as everyone obviously missed the dripping walls and swimming
toilets.
Captain Winscale :-
One night apparently, they started showing porn films on the TV screens
and some feminist types were that offended they started a riot. After
that there was a cage built around the DJ console
..That was the deal with the Limit. You went in and misbehaved because
it was a dive. It was a great dive. If you misbehaved too much you got
thrown out.
Mark :-
I was in the limit from '85 and was in turn a Kensington Leather Goth,
Cloggie and then back to Goth, 5 night a weeker in the gothbox where I
met my first long term lass. I later met my wife who was one of the 'few'
that danced on the stage. I remember one night trying to scale the DJ
box to commit violence upon the DJ because he was playing some real crap.
I spent my nights there with Nigel , Brent , Ian et al
God it was the stickiest dancefloor ever seen on this planet............
And I believe the only club where the bouncers got a bonus for scrapping
:(
Shaun :-
You brought back some memories. Bands i've seen include the macc lads
got soaked with bodily fluids ? quality . Also seen robert plant and pink
floyd who played underground gigs before major tours using different names.
also got very vivid memories of mirrors on the pillars on the dance floor
area. My mate dave talked to himself in them, regular top piss head. Great
times will they ever come back?
Ed :-
I remember the 1989 to 1991 era. Reading the reviews on your site made
me feel very nostalgic. I and a few friends used to go on weekends and
dance wildly banging the ventilation system that used to run along the
back of that very low stage, whilst sweat poured off us as fast as we
could pour the red stripe down our necks, and oh yes, the gentlemens wash
room; What an experience, never used them for the intended purpose, but
only to obtain purple homs sqijy black or doves, (Are
these condoms? -Steve)
The sound system was awesome, with amazing bass the like of such I have
never heard since. Saturday night used to be tekno night with dj asterix
and space among others now 15 yrs on they seem to have dissapeared with
out a trace (can any one help) top djs top sets.
I still listen to some of my pirate recordings of them from s.c.r and
fantasy fm. those really were the days and would shurely give my front
teeth to go back (just for some weekends and maybe visit cj,s a club we
used to goto after the limit )
Ian :-
This brings back memories! I used to go on Thursdays between c.1986-88
(cheap night). Lager was 50p a pint and they'd always pretend to run out
of Stella by about 9:30pm. We'd get the 11:15 bus home (sad or what?).
Used to go to The Leadmill on Fridays for more indie/dancey stuff.
P.S. Rob Cowen, are you out there?
Gamall :-
Funny stuff. I remember the party there well. Any photos of the nights
there exist ? I'd also love to see DJ play lists. Every now and then I
hear a tune that was big back then and think ah !!!...Bauhaus "Kick In
The Eye" did that for me the other week for example and of course all
the Sheffield stuff - mighty Cabs et al
Andy :-
It brought a tear to the eye. My favourite times in the Limit were 1988
unit the end, Friday night was the Limit and on to CJ's and Saturday night
was Occasions. Going out in Sheffield has never been the same since the
Limit closed. For me that was the start of the end for West Street and
since the demise of the Limit I have spent many years away from Sheffield.
Favourite moments would be from around 1.15am when the mental house and
acid posse took over the place and banged the bass bins to pieces ably
supported by the whistle posse!
Get mental. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Gib :-
The limit shut on 19 january 1991,I didn't go on the last night(sat)
Also all the barrels where emptyed on the last night!!
Remember javis cocker and the drummer out off pulp getting abused by the
casuals who used to stand in the corner(near the toilets)I seem to remember
them picking on Goths as well.
Chez :-
I can remember some great nights in the limit. There were some unusual
people, always different looks, goth, punk and whatever you pleased to
wear. I remember going in fishnets, legging tights over them, pointed
ankle boots and a skin tight skirt worn as a boob tube dress, along with
loads of bangles and jewellery. My Mum saw me go out in a big coat and
had no idea what was underneath, I may well have been too young to drink!!
Fun times.
Sam :-
I'll always remember it as the place we went when they wouldn't let us
in anywhere else. I remember the floor at the opposite end of the room
to the stage always seemed to be swimming in spilt beer.
panda79
saw some good bands there saw this really good scouse band called spider
he said tounge in cheek sheffield ur the worst audience in the world lol
saw the mamas boys there and the endid 2 it was weird all the crowd sat
on the floor cross legged very bizzare lol
Caron :-
oh those were the days, we used to sneak out at night to go to the Limit,
met loads of groovy people,, danced to all the alternative stuff, drank
pints of lager and black then sat on the floor at the end of the nigh
trying not to be sick!used to also go to the Hallamshire first, then on
to greasy veras for life saving butties....
Mark
Was that the place on West Street that had the horrible concrete steps
down to it? If so, I remember hitting those steps really hard one New
Year's eve after having serious quantities of that "drugged"
German Lager they used to serve.. Or am I thinking of somewhere else?
I seem to remember we used to call it the "Slime Pit"..
Andy :-
The best years of my youth were spent in The Limit.Brilliant brilliant
music,we used to go mad to Killing Joke, Spear Of Destiny,Joy Division
etc.
Cheap drink & a collection of wierd & wonderful people.
Happy days
Max :-
Used to go there in the early 80s but remember taking some friends from
work there in later years. When we entered we thought it was empty but
then realised that everybody, and I mean everybody, was dressed in black
and they just blended into the black decor.
The bouncer in the early days was scary. He used to wear one black leather
glove and gripped a short iron bar. Don't remember there ever being trouble
at the door.
Zeppelin :-
The Revillos, Victor Drago band, Secret Affair, Phil Rambo band, Devo
D-E-V-O. And a Francis Rossi lookalike who used to fly down the stairs
attack a few punks, get 7 bells knocked out of him, cause a near riot,
get slung out of the door by Egor then repeat the act the week after.
Yes, happy days. Take it to the limit one more time...
I started going to the Limit regular from about '87. The music was an
eclectic mix of punk/indie/goth/house. I used to drink lager snakebites
in plastic glasses - a totally unique taste - it got you where you wanted
to go though! I had a flat-top at the time.......anybody else remember
the "Psychobilly" craze? I remember coming home with bruises
all over my body from slam-dancing/wrecking.
Spacehopper :-
Going to the toilet was a journey and an aif! First, you had to walk past
the OCS (Wednesday boys), who used to congregate just outside the toilets.
(To be fair, they never bothered any of us. I only ever saw them battling
when United or the skinheads came down!) There was always a dodgy black
geezer selling drugs as you went in! The toilets were basically unisex
- there would be couples copulating in the cubicles and there was a mirror
in the lasses, so all the goths would go in there to do their hair! I
also remember sticking to the carpet, dry ice, the "Goth Box",
anti-gravity hair and psychopathic bouncers - I too remember being thrown
out the back door, a maze which led onto Trippet Lane! The Hallamshire
on West Street was my regular haunt and I also went to Take Two on Staniforth
Road, "The Club With Two Brains" at Occasions, "Club With
No Name" at The Palais, 50s night at The Dog and Partridge (on 'cliffe)
and The Leadmill. Great days! They broke my heart when they closed the
Limit. I went on the closing night. When was that.......89/90/91? I remember
a bloke called John filmed it - has anybody seen it?
Chris :-
I went on one of the last nights to the limit, think it was late December
1990. A couple of resident Sheffield DJ's Astrix & Space were playing.
Paul D:-
I've been looking at your site and it's f**#in brill..
saw the link for the limit, god so many memories ... started goin in when
i was 15. Naughty boy! But wot a great time I had. Just top friday nights,
best times I ever had. I remember Trinny an Louie on the door, Andy Dunraven
and Mick Mclean.and now im 40. I still know those lads ... just rember
gettin the 52 from Woodhouse Station. The bus would be full ... straight
to town without stoppin then the pubs ... Marples, Claymoore, Mulberry,
Bell, Dove n Rainbow, Three Cranes, Three Tuns, Golden Ball for last then
The Limit.
Pissy beer in placky glasses, then gettin lucky with a fat bird down the
alley at the side of club[steve - my word!]
Gettin chips from the chippy next door, gettin late bus home ... f**#ing
best days of my life ... Casbah is a pale immatation, but it's the best
place for people who wanna see wot the Limit was like...someone bring
it back please......
James I :-
Best nightclub there has ever been!! About 30 of us used to catch the
6:30 #57 bus from Stocksbridge every Saturday. The ritual was Yorkshireman,
Wop, Foresters, Mail coach, Hallamshire, Saddle and then the Limit (safe
house!). We always used to hang around in front of the stage. ….looks
like 15 was about the right age to start going (better than doing homework).
The last night was January 19th 1991, I have scanned a ticket
from my photo album and attached it. It was 10 quid (normally 3 quid)
to get in and all drinks were free…. there was a guy with a video camera……Still
have the ticket because that night I was saving mine and my mates, as
usual there was trouble outside the Hallamshire (can anyone remember?)
and he got locked up for the night, poor bastard! On the last night as
well..
Steve :-
At one time our Friday/Saturdays night runs would be a pub crawl starting
in Crookes in the "Top Shop" (Punch Bowl) taking in all the pubs on Crookes
main road. Then quick dash into Broomhill and take in a couple of pubs
finishing at the South Seas. Then 52 bus into town and queue to get in
The Limit. My memories of The Limit was the place seemed to be always
swimming in spilt beer. And the beer was piss weak as I found out once
when I went in straight from work without having a drink, I put gold label
in it in attempt to smarten it up. I was one of the lads in jeans and
t-shirts. I remember that there always seemed to be the same two female
Hayzi Fantayzi types that used to stagger around the place pretending
to be drunk. Drugs were freely available to anyone who was daft enough.
More often than not that fella from Clock DVA' would be in wearing his
suit and spats, though he had to hand his walking cane over before he
was allowed in. The limit was an handy club to use because of its none
existent dress code. By 1983/4 I'd stop using the place but in a strange
way I'd love to be transported back in time for just one night.
K Gandhi (Warhol) Furness :-
I was working in the limit to the very last minute, I mean the very last
as I was helping Gordon who put in the emergency lighting system to take
it back out again. it was extremely sad in there that day i did shed a
tear but while i was pulling out the benching i found two bags of home
grown which was quickly rolled up and everyone in there sat down to bid
the place goodbye. i managed to take the tops from the stella pumps in
the stella bar and still have one for posterity, i also managed to grab
one of the benches that were used for the tables in front of the stage
but i passed that onto a friend, my favourite moment wa the time I worked
for robert cray as his guitar roady it was the tops.
Mat W :-
I think it was Wednesdays me and Sarson had the best nights, Indie night,
10 bob a pint of Stella, free in before 10, and we had a load of free
Macdonalds vouchers , and the night bus home was a quid. So on a fiver
you could have your tea, get pissed, dance/fight with a load of swallownest
phsycobillys, walk on students when all the pricks sat down on the the
dance floor to some lame James track, cop off with one of them, and get
home. I really wish it was 1988 again some times.
RIP Sarse.
Jimmy Lowe :-
I went there 1983-86 student!! .I loved the wee place, preferred it to
Big Bro Leadmill. Some very mad nights. Drink v cheap - seem to remember
50s,60,70s hours were they played said type of music and drink was at
that price 50p,60p ...(even Nuckie Brown!) Toilets - oh yeah what the
f*ck was up with the plumming!! Best laugh I had was when I brought a
team of mates down from Dumfries. We went to The Limit and my mate ("Wilf")
thought the chick in the corner giving him the eye was georgeous - ( boy
fae the sticks) - he was never convinced "she"was a tranny!!! Hee hee,
I also remember leaving with them in early morning and giving the lines
and lines of police wagons streaming down West St on there way to the
pits the grief they deserved!!! I dont think I could walk up that street
again if its been flattened.
RIP My bestest buddie
Deano :-
I've been looking at your site and:- Remember one particular night early
80`s few of us Blades (me,mick smeds,black paul,webby) and about15-25
others hadbeen in a bout 30 mins having a drink with a few wednesday fans
who we talked too (black duggie,heathy,darren higgo) when all of a sudden
loads of lads started coming in lacoste and pringled up, after a bout
15 mins they had filled bottom end ,Que. the lot went up first time BBC,OCS
ever joined together also trinny, louie rest of bouncers, never forget
sight of tank launching benches like balsa wood ,a lot of the leeds mob
in a bad way, of all the clubs in sheffield to come and cause trouble
in , what nights.
John & Julie Turton :-
Regular clubbers in this wonderful establishment late 78’- 83’ lots of
new romantic stuff, ska, Synth and electro all the trendy stuff off the
usual ‘best of the eighties’ definitely no Abba and the 80’s crap they
always play at weddings. No we didn’t dance to 99 Red Balloons we would
have died 1st . People seemed to think it was a dive but loads of quite
normal people there. Everybody and we mean EVERYBODY got on the dance
floor. Still got bruises from ‘Into the Valley‘. Lots of male pushing
& jumping in a circle dances (The pre runner to the modern day Mosh pit).Well
apart from a few boys who leaned moodily against the toilet doors whilst
their girlfriends touched up their make up( You know who you are!) All
types of clothes some dressed up some jeans & T-shirts not many hairies
on a Friday, Saturday or Monday. Did anybody else used to go to oggie
wagon at side of Induz in Fitzalan square for a sausage & tom sandwich
before getting a taxi home? Saw UB40 when they were a 1 in 10! Was speaking
to some quite recently who had heard along the grapevine about a late
70’s,early 80’s reunion night - Any one else heard any thing? Oh how time
flies - many many fantastic nights and they think the music‘s good today.
Just a few reminders- I travel/Changeling Simple Minds, Rock Lobster B52’s,
Life in Tokyo Japan, Empire State Human Human League, Whip it Devo, The
Man who dies every day Ultravox , Underpass John Foxx and of course Bowie.
Michael AKA Sid, Sheffield 1985 - 1990 :-
I remeber the Limit club. I rember dancing with my mare Kay to New Order.
I used to go there with Linda, Colleen, Kay, Beven & Marcus, the two Janes
& Andrea and many more charaters. I remeber seeing pulp there & Doctor
& the Medics in the mid-eighties. I think we used to get there around
10-ish & drink cheapo drinks until 11 then go to the Leadmill because
it was only 50p before then. Many great nights I cannot remeber all of
them but it had a great mix of people. Sheffield was really cool then.
I will have to visit it sometime.
Mr T :-
Yes, I remember the limit all to well with very fond memories from the
years 78 to 84.
Saw bands like Cockney Rejects, Skids, Revillos, Uk Subs and the Friday
and Saturday Nights I had there was great, yes I remember the piss soaked
carpet and the BIG BLACK BLOKE who use to be the bouncer at the bottom
of the stairs , the music was just my taste having grown up in the punk
era and a sadley missed treat of being abale to go into town and wear
jeans and a t shirtstil hurts even now.
It was great to read the info on your site, brought a lot of good memories
flooding back.
Cheers mate.
Philip W.
Great to see people still talking about the best ( and most legendary)
club we ever had in Sheffield. It holds a very special place for me as
I met my wife there and we have been together ever since, (24 years!!)
On the opening night, the club was virtually empty, because someone big
was playing at the City Hall (like Deep Purple or someone similar) and
so the owners (George and Kevin) asked a mate of mine called Ian Williams
to go and stand outside the City Hall and hand out flyers as people came
out of the gig. So Ian and another lad did this and by the time they got
back to the Limit the place was packed. The owners were so pleased that
they gave Ian a special pass called "Limit for Life pass" and he got in
free anytime he wanted from that night on. Ian went on to start up the
first Human League fan club, but sadly died when he was still a young
man. I first went in the Limit when I was 15, a few months after it opened,
to see a band called "Bethnall" from Bethnall Green in London, I loved
the place and was hooked from that night on. I went every Saturday night
from 1978 to about 1983 and, as others have mentioned on this web site,
went in the pubs around West Street before ending up in the Limit at about
10.30 as the queue was building up. Bands I saw there included the B52's,
the Skids, The Specials, The Beat, Secret Affair, The Mekons, Gang of
Four, Madness, The Barracudas, The Revillos The Lurkers, and many more.
I went from wearing a leather bike jacket in my early days to wearing
a Mod suit, and then just normal stuff, and always used to hang around
the stage area with my mates (at 6ft2" I was one of the smallest! so if
you remember a group of very tall lads it will have been us) I remember
Mick McLean on the door, and Andy Dunraven and Louis, plus some lad called
Ivan and a really evil looking bloke called (I think) Mick Cricher who
ended up in prison for manslaughter. The main thing was, of course, the
music, and even today, if I hear a certain record I will think to myself
"Limit record"....these would include "I Got you" by Split Enz, "Tainted
Love" by Soft Cell, "About the Weather" by Magazine, "Transmission" by
Joy Division, "Furniture Music" by Red Noise, "Life In Tokyo" by Japan,
"Boys Cry" by Original Mirrors, "Into the Valley" by the Skids, anything
by the Jam, the DJ (Paul "Legs" Unwin) used to play "Sunday Papers" by
Joe Jackson and say into the microphone "if this isn't number one next
week I want to know why"...he said it every week but it never got to number
one! But the one record that above all others, to me, is THE Limit record
of all time is "Quiet Life" by Japan......I only have to hear the opening
keyboards and I am once again back in the sweaty, dark, but totally fantastic,
Limit Club!!!!
Jude
I worked at the Limit behind the bar for about two years around 1979/81
Some memories. The beer wasn't watered down much it was Webster's. It
was s#*te to start with. The sprits were a different matter. A bottle
of gin stayed at the same level for a week once. There was a Space invaders
machine which used to annoy hell out of the bar staff (it was by the corner
bar) and they used to block it off with super glued coins and broken matchsticks
down the money slot.
Chris Rea' manager stuck posters of him all over the club. I went and
signed them all so when his fans came in they immediately pulled them
off the wall. Other bands not mentioned - Dexy's Midnight Runners. All
the Ska/Two Tone bands like Selector. Siouxie and the Banshees. Madness.
Chas and Dave (Steve the Manager liked them so they got booked a lot).
Steel Pulse.
The D.J was called Paul. He even had elocution lessons. He needed them.
Wednesday was reggae night. Thursday was when the bands were on. UB40
played for a Xmas gig one year. One last thing. It was a good job there
was no fire. The club was licenced for 330 or thereabouts. Some nights
there were over 1,000 in!!
Best regards
Nige
thought i would just add that from 1986/87 the limit used to open its
doors on a saturday afternoon for breakdancers and local djs. they did
this to bring in the extra money to pay for the band they had. the resident
dj on saturday afternoon was called dj mongoose. as you walked down west
street you could hear the bass banging out of its amazing sound system
every saturday. saturday afternoon were also no strangers to fight and
trouble and yes the carpet still stuck you to the floor<
Sam H
went 2 or 3 times a week religiously between 85 and the night it shut
which was a Saturday. It was always Thursdays for definite, sometimes
Mondays, usually Tuesdays as well. Wednesdays was nurses’ night.
Didn’t like Saturdays, too many townies went in. I sat in the gothpit
and danced on the stage with Philippa and Angela.
Regulars of the gothpit also used to spend our days in the Crucible,
buying one cup of tea and staying there for hours. They would occasionally
turf us out. When the snooker was on we were banned altogether and had
to roam the streets looking lost. Sometimes there would be 20 of us in
there til we finally went home to get ready to go the Limit.
p.s.
incidentally, DJ Ant who was a regular there between perhaps 85 and 87
is now an internationally famous internet astrologer who lives in South
Africa! You can google him, Antony Kershaw Wilson. Yep, he used to be
a Limit DJ
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