Inside Amadeus

[Elizabeth]

They should make it a Waitrose!

[JaseyBoi]

I personally thought the bouncers let the place down big time....I remeber one time we went on a works night out and they stopped 3 guys in our party from getting in for aparently being to drunk....Hardly we had a meal just before hand and had maybe 4-5 pints each.....After getting the bloody bus down they stop 3 of our party ken...So none of us went in and we all had to get the bus back up the toon...Which after waiting an hour or so we decided to walk.....

Plus the ammount of knob jockeys who used to hang about outside the place was mental....

[Bigsby]

Remember the "VIP" area in Amadeus? It was basically just an area with a rope.

Not quite, it was a seperate bar up at the top which essentially served as an observation deck to study the massed hoi polloi below. Still, there seemed to be great prestige attached to being able to get in there. A pal of mine was some sort of manager so she used to get us in, thus enabling me to hob nob with assorted AFC glitterati such as John Inglis and Ilian Kiriakov.

[Chris]

Not quite, it was a seperate bar up at the top which essentially served as an observation deck to study the massed hoi polloi below. Still, there seemed to be great prestige attached to being able to get in there. A pal of mine was some sort of manager so she used to get us in, thus enabling me to hob nob with assorted AFC glitterati such as John Inglis and Ilian Kiriakov.

A friend of mine used to get in by claiming to be Russell Anderson, despite being about a foot shorter than the real Russell Anderson. Apart from that though he did look like him.

[Guest Tam o' Shantie]

it would make a good Glasgow ABC-sized venue

[britheguy]

Amazing pictures. Cheers.

[Lemonade]

o_O How could you lot let a place like this go to waste, so I could never enjoy this? You've let my generation down.

I must say the interior doesn't look like I ever imagined it from looking at the outside as a young nipper. Mind I didn't really know how to imagine what nightclubs looked like then, I thought they'd just look like big versions of Ramboland or Coco's but full of adults.

It's the truth. It had a full on full sized Sizzlers inside, so if you got a little too drunk you could wander over and get a Sizzler's burger and a portion of chips cheese and gravy. I'm surprised nowhere else has tried this idea out because it was really popular.

yeah from the sound of it, it was the bollocks in its day. That photo album is actually really cool cos also never seen inside and its sad to see anywhere go into that sort of condition.

also heard from a bloke at work that on the last night it all kicked off and there was a mass brawl involving bouncers and police. mainly due to the fact the bouncers were pricks if im correct!?

I've heard a lot of people had problems with the bouncers in there but I never had a single issue with them. In fact one time I went in having had an accident the week before and I was hobbling along on two walking sticks. A bouncer spotted me outside and took me right to the front of the queue. Then after I'd paid in he walked in to the club with me and moved everybody out of my way so I could get a completely free path to the bar I felt like royalty. This was in like 1998 when it just opened. Tho there were a lot of stories about heavy handed bouncers near the end when it was just full of chavs. Allegedly if the bouncers saw you misbehaving in the club they would grab you and take you down this corridor with a fire exit at the end which took you out the side of the building, however instead of just throwing you out they would beat the crap out of you in the corridor first then throw you out the side door. I have absolutely no evidence of this apart from a few guys telling me it happened to them.

Rumour has it that a guy was left partially disabled by the heavy-handed bouncers, and he was the son of someone high up in the police. This led to a massive police crackdown on the place, there was police in there badgering them all the time, and one night they went in checking IDs and found something like 200 people under 18 in it, and they got a huge fine, which is why it closed down. I don't believe that story personally, I'm sure it was just hemorraging cash so fast it had to close, but it's an interesting story and I've heard it from more than one person.

[Christy]

Had many a staff night out in Amadeus.

Pulled the hottest burd evar in there when I were a youngun. I kind of miss those days, but wouldn't want to do it now.

[-matthEw-]

I mind the Amadeus underage Foam Parties. Got a couple of quality traps at them. Used to alternate between them and the ice-skating disco at the Leisure Centre.

[Craig C]

quality traps

[Alkaline]

A girl vomited on my head in Amadeus. True Story.

[Nev]

Which head?

[Monster Zero]

I used to play for a pool team in Stonehaven and once pool was through for the night at about 11 we used to blag someone to drive us into Aberdeen, quick couple of nips somewhere then down to Amadeus and tank the 2 for 1 drinks offer. I was in a gin and tonic phase and it was those big nip glasses like the panelled pint ones, next day my skin would feel all crawly and weird. I dread to think what I was actually drinking.

We got into the VIP bit one time through a lass we know, it was rubbish and boring, full of the kind of people who think getting into a VIP bit is some kind of badge of honour.

[Alkaline]

Which head?

The one with two eyes.

[Lemonade]

I accidentally stubbed out a fag in someone's eye in Amadeus. He was quite forgiving. I would have beat the shit out of me, if it had been... er... me.

[original_andy]

These are brilliant pictures. What a state the place is. I worked there for a bit and these have brought memories flooding back. Working there involved dressing up as one end of a cow, being shouted at, picking up bottles of blue VK from the floor and helping police with their enquiries.

What a strange place the Deus was, and always a really strange mix of people. Apart from the nightclub staple of students and works nights out I can remember Les, the old bald man who came every night and danced by the stage in his tank top. People always took the piss but he was happy.

I second an ABC style venue in the space. Not going to happen though.

[Badger_Loose]

Interesting to see the pictures like, I really thought it would be even more fooked than it actually is!

Yes, some quality nights were had - primarily Mondays & Thursday's. I probably even looked like I thought I was in the 70's then with my long hair, electric blue Farah slacks and white shirt with purple flowers. Happy days indeed.

What we need is a massive lottery win and someone to turn the place into a proper venue - everyone knows Aberdeen needs one for that kind of size - and it's criminal the building should go to waste.

[Guest]

...enabling me to hob nob with assorted AFC glitterati such as John Inglis and Ilian Kiriakov.

Sorry to derail once more but this quote prompted me to wiki John Inglis, which in turn brought me this quote:

"Carlisle fan's are apparently upset that he is not a moderator on their own message board. They regularly stand on the terraces chanting "We want Inglis back!".

Raith Rovers fans can't remember him."

Anyway, what company is buying it over for a chinese buffet? I reckon that idea, or another nightclub, would fall on its arse spectacularily. I third, or fourth, or whatever an ABC sized venue.

[Lemonade]

Sorry to derail once more but this quote prompted me to wiki John Inglis, which in turn brought me this quote:

"Carlisle fan's are apparently upset that he is not a moderator on their own message board. They regularly stand on the terraces chanting "We want Inglis back!".

Raith Rovers fans can't remember him."

Anyway, what company is buying it over for a chinese buffet? I reckon that idea, or another nightclub, would fall on its arse spectacularily. I third, or fourth, or whatever an ABC sized venue.

My mate used to work in Ministry about 10 years ago, and one night there were a bunch of AFC players in drinking. John Inglis took execption to the fact that he wasn't get served straight away and had to queue up to get drinks like all the other plebs, and he ended up yelling at one of the barmen "Do you know who I am? I'm a world-class footballer!"

To which the barman replied "Are you? I thought you were John Inglis".

Apparently he was quite quiet after that.

[Bigsby]

He was Bulgaria's Beckham you know ( ©2001 Charlie Allan).

[DJ Jo-D]

never a fan of Amadues, place was a meat fest. Went to a dancey night in the VIP bit upstairs but glad it closed when it did.

I like the rollerdisco idea..ace!

[Swingin' Ryan]

I forgot how absolutely massive it was in there, those pictures are great.

Opening a restaurant in there will absolutely bomb, I've seen 3-4 restaurants open and close in that area since I've been working at the cinema. Skippers is now gone as well. Anybody travelling down there will stick to what they know and go to TGI's/Chiquitos/Frankie and Bennies/Jimmy Chungs. Totally pointless venture IMO.

Any nightclub going in there would have to be pretty fucking special to get the crowds down. Nobody wants to walk down to the beach to get stuck at one club for the rest of the night nowadays when towns absolutely filled with bars/clubs. An ABC style club/venue would be great but it's never going to happen

The only thing thats going to succeed in that place would be a decent department store or something. Nobody will leave town for a restaurant/club etc.

[Pierre Von Mondragon]

insert obvious joke about seagulls.

Nah, Aberdeen seagulls can afford to be choosy, they wouldn't eat at PF Changs, when they have Thains.

assorted AFC glitterati such as John Inglis and Ilian Kiriakov.

Double J, Jingles and Jaundice (and to think what they were paid)

Any non-Inversnecky based venture is doomed down there, its the coldest bit of the coldest city, and I met someone nearly reduced to lunacy due to taking mushrooms inside Amadeus, and having nowhere to hide. All of which may be true, but it doesn't stop it being utter guff

[Le Stu]

Nah, Aberdeen seagulls can afford to be choosy, they wouldn't eat at PF Changs, when they have Thains.

That's the less obvious seagull joke... still, what's good enough for gulls is good enough for me, if I've drunk anough. Why I had twa mince pies last weekend! The rotten farts eventually ceased mid Monday IIRC

But seriously, why the fuck are they doing this? I'm amazed anyone actually eats at all those shitty American chains down there already!

[Pierre Von Mondragon]

You lucky bastard, pies in Glasgow are fuckin bowwf, actually if they had any boeuf in them that would be a plus.

Whoever said a Waitrose, man, the new one in Glasgow is round the corner from me, and it is well ace, should be called Fatrose, due to high quality/patisserie interface