Discover Newcastle Mod Nights At Club a'Gogo
It’s time to get your glad rags on and dance like it’s 1960 at Club a’Gogo, Newcastle’s brand-new Mod club!
Inspired by the original Club a’Gogo, one of Newcastle’s most happening night spots in the swinging 60’s, husband and wife duo Paul & Julia Donnelly are bringing Mod culture back to life with regular pop-up events at The Town Wall and World Headquarters. NE1 spoke to the pair to find out more about their passion for this uniquely British subculture…
What is it that inspired you to revive Club a’Gogo in 2021?
Paul: Me and Julia met about 5 years ago and quickly discovered we were both into Mod culture. So, we started going to events around the country and discovering the scene. We found there were a lot of cliques at these sorts of events and we were having to travel to them too. That’s when we thought, why not just do our own thing here in Newcastle? We started doing them at the start of 2020, just before lockdown. In terms of the name, I knew quite a lot about the original club and I thought it’d be great to revive the Club a’Gogo name to keep the history alive in the city.
What events have you got coming up in the near future?
Julia: We’ve got our Friday night events at The Basement in The Town Wall, they’re called The Downbeat Club. We’re trying to capture an authentic 1960’s Mod club experience so you’ve got to dress smart, but we’re super inclusive and we’ve always got a really diverse range of people coming down to enjoy the tunes. You can come to those on the 8th and 22nd of October. Then we’re holding a couple of bigger events at World Headquarters called Gimme Shelter. Those ones will be more of an indie disco, with live music, DJ sets and cool art on show from local artists! They’re coming up on the 30th October and 27th November.
For someone that’s not been to a Mod club before, what’s it all about?
Julia: First and foremost it’s about the music. And the music that we play has a very fast tempo. You walk in and you just wanna dance! Like Paul said, sometimes it can feel a bit clique-like at other events like this, but we don’t want that, we’re very welcoming of anyone. Sometimes we’ve got people coming on their own and if that’s the case I introduce them to everyone and it feels like a family, because everyone gets to know each other. It’s a lovely atmosphere that I feel is rare at clubs nowadays.
Finally, if people are thinking about coming to an event but they’ve never dipped their toes into Mod culture before, what would you say to them?
Julia: We’d say come along! Me and Paul will make you feel completely welcome, we’re actively wanting new people to come along and experience the music for the first time. I’m sure they’ll love it.
Paul: I play the music, so Jools will greet you, make you feel totally welcome. Just come and I guarantee you’ll have a good time, you’ll be safe, you’ll have a laugh. Just come and have a bit of craic!
Find out more about Club a’Gogo at clubagogo.co.uk
Will you be heading down to Club a'Gogo? Get in touch via our social channels. Twitter: @NewcastleNE1, Instagram: @NewcastleNE1, Facebook: @GetIntoNewcastle.
