Monday 5th November 2012
Keith Brisland pic courtesy Rotherham Advertiser
If we asked you what Dave Allen, Owner and Chairman of Chesterfield Football Club and William Hague had in common, you might be stumped for an answer, however, one book, to be published on Friday, is about to reveal all!
 The Charade Nightclub - The untold story, is written by Rotherham Historian Keith Brisland, (left) and shares memories of those who worked at - and danced at - The Charades nightclub in Rotherham, which was the first club to be owned by Dave Allen and where his entertainment empire began. He has provided the foreward for the book and, Keith says, enjoyed sharing some forgotten memories of his time in charge.
The Chesterfield Post interviewed Keith earlier today and he told us that the book has been a labour of love and one he can't wait to see published.
Before it became a nightclub, the building, on the stag roundabout and now a dance school, was a jazz club. It was, says Keith, a small club holding 200 - but not unusual to have 300 in at weekends.
The music was cutting edge and innovative and it was unusually open 5 nights a week and Sunday afternoons. It is fondly remembered in Rotherham and is viewed as ahead of its time.
It certainly seemed to capture the imagination of the locals and Keith added that all interviews have been recorded and will go into Rotherham's archives for posterity.
Keith has interviewed Dave's 3 managers and some of his staff - along with 10 DJ's, bar staff and doormen and those from bands who played there.
Dave Allen purchased the club in the latter part of 1968, before Josephine's in Sheffield - as he was running portable nightclubs with his partner John Stead, just one-offs at venues.
They went to see Nobby Clark who owned it as the Jazz club and asked if they could run a disco on there on Friday nights and Dave, rather then splitting the money with Nobby, asked if they could have the money on the door with Nobby keeping the bar takings - knowing full well that they'd make more that way! It quickly took off and people were queuing to get in - mainly because, says Keith, it had a bar.
After a few weeks Dave asked Nobby what he thought about the venture and Nobby said he hated the music and was thinking of selling the lease! Dave asked how much it was worth and was told he couldn't afford it, but on finding out that £3,000 was the asking price, promptly borrowed money from friends and family to buy it - with his house up for collateral. The rest, as they say, is history.
"It was so popular", recounts Keith, "that in '69, they only advertised 4 times, it simply spread through word of mouth. There were offices at the back but the dance floor couldn't be extended due to the drop ceiling, so that was where A&S Leisure began, basing itself there for 3 years before moving to Sheffield.
"There were some notable attendees there through the years - William Hague's older sisters used to go there, as his family supplied all the drinks to the Dave Allen empire of nightclubs (see, we told you!) and Sir Norman Bettison, disgraced Chief Constable of West Yorkshire used to go before becoming a policeman. Bob Marley's driver and several Miss World's were also known to drink there."
All those that Keith interviewed have fond memories of Dave (above) and "thought the world of him" says Keith. "He was a tough boss but very much respected, with a 'unique' style of management."
"Having sacked one of his DJ's for being late, Dave wasn't happy when he promptly caused the exodus of punters to a rival venue for a short time before they came to an agreement, which meant that the 'Co-op club' would play different styles of music on different nights to 'The Charades' which was good for the area."
Everyone that Keith spoke with could remember when Dave set them on and could remember exactly how they were set on, "They'd just be having a conversation and he'd set them on - or fire them!"
Keith added, "They all liked him and the impression I got was that he gave them a lot of leeway - if they did things properly and got people in the club, they were fine, but if he wasn't happy then he let them know! There were certain boundaries that they couldn't go over but he tended to leave them to it if the club was full."
The book is out this Friday, but is available to order at bookshops now.
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