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The Dug-Out |
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Interview with Diana Bath who worked behind the bar at this infamous
Bristol venue. |
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BBC Bristol Dugout page |
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Kevin: You worked behind the bar at the
dugout, when was that? |
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Diana:
I started working at the Dugout when I first moved to Bristol in
1981. I had moved into a bed-sit with a friend and most of the
occupants of the house either worked or frequented the Dugout so I
was introduced to it straight away. |
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Kevin: Tell me about the club during
this time. |
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Diana: In those days, the Dugout was
“the place” to be! Not for the faint-hearted or those who like
ultra-smart clubs, the Dugout attracted an alternative crowd. It
was on Park Row and hardly noticeable from the outside, just a
scruffy door. Once through the door and past the extremely
intimidating black bouncers, you descended into a cavern with a
series of rooms, bars and dance floor. It was dark, claustrophobic
and very exciting! The music was a mixture of underground, reggae,
ska – nothing commercial. The club had an air of danger due to the
type of people who drank there, the police kept away, and any
violence was quickly subdued by the bouncers.
The club was run by Brian, who employed a motley selection of dropouts, drug
addicts and extremely intimidating bouncers (can anyone remember
Max?!!!).
There was one crazy time, when Brian decided on an incentive to
attract more punters. For the first hour from the Dugout opening
at 10pm, all drinks were free. Yes, free completely! I can
remember bracing myself behind the bar for the utter, mad
onslaught as Brian opened the doors and everyone rushed in to
get their free drinks. You were only allowed to order one at a
time, so people were just knocking them back as fast as possible
and then ordering another. It was total chaos! Needless to
say, the offer only lasted a short time. |
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Did
the Dugout feature live music? |
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Diana:
Yes, the Dugout
did have live music, but if I remember correctly, not on a regular
basis. I know that some of the influential artists and DJs in
Bristol today started at the Dugout. |
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Kevin:
Do you know when and why the Dugout was eventually closed? |
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Diana:
The Dugout finally
closed down in the late 80s. In fact, it was closed down after a
particularly violent incident. As I mentioned earlier, any
potential problems were always dealt with quickly and efficiently by
the bouncers and there was surprisingly little trouble. However,
there was a very bad fight one night resulting in some terrible
injuries and the Dugout was forced to shut its doors. |
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Most of the bar staff (me included) were as drunk as the
punters, and we would have lock-ins until 6-7am in the morning –
great days!
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