Lava Ignite Building

[JoeAM89]

I’ve just walked past and seen a load of scaffolding up and builders inside doing work. Anybody know what they’re turning it in to? I remember there was talk of turning it into flats and a gym a few years back.

[Bosscat]

Flats it was proposed years ago

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/n ... partments/

[FactualFrank]

Flats or gym would certainly be better than another club.

[JoeAM89]

Flats or gym would certainly be better than another club.

Yeah there’s no way of a nightclub of that size could sustain itself in Burnley anymore

[jrgbfc]

Really sad what's happened to the nightlife in Burnley. Covid could be the final nail in the coffin.

[FactualFrank]

Really sad what's happened to the nightlife in Burnley. Covid could be the final nail in the coffin.

I remember when Thursdays and Sundays were still packed. I think it was around 2008-2009 that things started to go downhill.

[MRG]

Mick Cookson from Posh/Yorke House is turning it into flats

[Somethingfishy]

I remember when Thursdays and Sundays were still packed. I think it was around 2008-2009 that things started to go downhill.

The change in licensing laws has killed off the nightlife in Burnley and many other towns. The habits of the younger generation has changed and they prefer to get smashed with cheap supermarket alcohol before hitting town already under the influence hence spending a lot less. They will lose what little is left if these habits don't change. I remember in the 90's being able to go out Thursday to Sunday and every night was reasonably busy. Sundays being the night for the slightly older crowd. Thursdays up the Prairie before heading into town to Zanzibars. Those were the days.

[FactualFrank]

The change in licensing laws has killed off the nightlife in Burnley and many other towns. The habits of the younger generation has changed and they prefer to get smashed with cheap supermarket alcohol before hitting town already under the influence hence spending a lot less. They will lose what little is left if these habits don't change. I remember in the 90's being able to go out Thursday to Sunday and every night was reasonably busy. Sundays being the night for the slightly older crowd. Thursdays up the Prairie before heading into town to Zanzibars. Those were the days.

Finance in 2009 took a drop as well. Like you say, people stayed at home to save money.

Thursdays I think was student night - and was the same on Sundays, with Friday/Saturday the busiest. I remember in the summer us going out around noon and having enough by 9pm!

[jrgbfc]

The council haven't helped the situation. Giving places license to stay open till 7 or 8am has completely destroyed the pub and bar scene.
Problem now is the younger crowd have got so used to drinking at home till midnight I'm not sure what you do to fix it.

[Somethingfishy]

The council haven't helped the situation. Giving places license to stay open till 7 or 8am has completely destroyed the pub and bar scene.
Problem now is the younger crowd have got so used to drinking at home till midnight I'm not sure what you do to fix it.

Change the licensing hours back to something more sensible is the answer. I'm sure the police would be more grateful. However i think it is too far gone now and habits have changed too much. It might risk killing it off stone dead changing back.

[Somethingfishy]

Finance in 2009 took a drop as well. Like you say, people stayed at home to save money.

Thursdays I think was student night - and was the same on Sundays, with Friday/Saturday the busiest. I remember in the summer us going out around noon and having enough by 9pm!

Thursday and Friday were the younger ones nights..Saturday more general but Sunday was certainly for the slightly older crowd. By older im saying maybe late 20s and early 30s..the odd older person. Sundays had their own regular crawl and you got used to knowing which pub at which time...followed the crowd. Red Lion/Swan to start...Mean Cats to finish

[jrgbfc]

Used to love Thursdays when I was at college, was basically a student night with Nelson and Colne, Ted's, Burnley etc all out. Sad to see what it's become. Last time I was out on a Saturday the place was still like a ghost town at 11pm.
Only place I'd bother with now is the Talbot, and I'm a bit worried covid might finish that off.

[Quickenthetempo]

Thursday and Friday were the younger ones nights..Saturday more general but Sunday was certainly for the slightly older crowd. By older im saying maybe late 20s and early 30s..the odd older person. Sundays had their own regular crawl and you got used to knowing which pub at which time...followed the crowd. Red Lion/Swan to start...Mean Cats to finish

94 onwards. Sidewalk was the start then on to Yates etc

[GodIsADeeJay81]

Not really sure why people miss going out, buying overpriced booze, putting up with coke sniffers and the people always looking for aggro tbh.

I'm sure the police and hospitals don't miss having to deal with the idiots who can't seem to understand drinking within your limit...

Most clubs back in the day were dives anyway, with moronic doormen who willingly let in underage girls etc.

The doormen at one place in Burnley were well known for dealing drugs too.

[Swizzlestick]

I think a lot of people just got bored being ripped off week in week out. Ignite was, what, fiver in? Then overpriced drinks, awful music policy week in week out. Pre Covid, late night bars that didn’t charge cover and had better DJs/music did alright - Illuminati springs to mind. All about adapting, which is very much being tested to the hilt these days. Hopefully brighter times round the corner.

[FactualFrank]

Thursday and Friday were the younger ones nights..Saturday more general but Sunday was certainly for the slightly older crowd. By older im saying maybe late 20s and early 30s..the odd older person. Sundays had their own regular crawl and you got used to knowing which pub at which time...followed the crowd. Red Lion/Swan to start...Mean Cats to finish

You're showing your age with Mean Cats haha. I think that was more my sister's era who's a few years older than me. Wasn't that the 80s?

[Somethingfishy]

You're showing your age with Mean Cats haha. I think that was more my sister's era who's a few years older than me. Wasn't that the 80s?

Nooo..mid to late 90's. Was Panama Joes early 90s. Geminis downstairs was more the younger set...UV lights and glow in the dark drinks glasses Over 25's only in Mean Cats but i was getting in at 22/23.

[Jakubclaret]

The council haven't helped the situation. Giving places license to stay open till 7 or 8am has completely destroyed the pub and bar scene.
Problem now is the younger crowd have got so used to drinking at home till midnight I'm not sure what you do to fix it.

It’s down to money I think generally speaking, £4 or in excess for little bottles of beer & then queueing up & then admission prices, people just cannot afford it regular nowadays even as a 1 off it’s a stretch, you fix it by dropping the prices substantially, there’s no logical reason taking into consideration what it costs to produce why people need to be paying more than £1 a pint in any pub or restaurant.

[FactualFrank]

Nooo..mid to late 90's. Was Panama Joes early 90s. Geminis downstairs was more the younger set...UV lights and glow in the dark drinks glasses Over 25's only in Mean Cats but i was getting in at 22/23.

Ah, didn't they change the name? I remember Panama Joes when they had the Peck's tenners late 90s early 00s. To be fair though, the place was jam-packed full of dickheads.

[Somethingfishy]

I think a lot of people just got bored being ripped off week in week out. Ignite was, what, fiver in? Then overpriced drinks, awful music policy week in week out. Pre Covid, late night bars that didn’t charge cover and had better DJs/music did alright - Illuminati springs to mind. All about adapting, which is very much being tested to the hilt these days. Hopefully brighter times round the corner.

It was Chicago Rock before Lava/Ignite and Chicago Rock was incredibly popular. The main night club in town for a while. I worked there for a short while in the bottlewash/kitchen. It was rammers. I remember being sat in the staff get together one night with the manager when Walkabout was about to come into town. I said to the manager it may affect us them turning up..he just laughed and said no chance. Sadly i was right. The crowd moved on. Once that declined it turned into Lave/Ignite and had ridiculous prices and it never fully regained its popularity.

[Somethingfishy]

Ah, didn't they change the name? I remember Panama Joes when they had the Peck's tenners late 90s early 00s. To be fair though, the place was jam-packed full of dickheads.

I think they renamed downstairs Panama Joes but the original was upstairs. After Mean Cats shut it turned into the Orange House pub around 2000ish?

[FactualFrank]

It was Chicago Rock before Lava/Ignite and Chicago Rock was incredibly popular. The main night club in town for a while. I worked there for a short while in the bottlewash/kitchen. It was rammers. I remember being sat in the staff get together one night with the manager when Walkabout was about to come into town. I said to the manager it may affect us them turning up..he just laughed and said no chance. Sadly i was right. The crowd moved on. Once that declined it turned into Lave/Ignite and had ridiculous prices and it never fully regained its popularity.

Ah, Walkabout. I left my phone in there once. Rang up Three Mobile the next day with a banging hangover and they told me somebody had phoned Australia. No prizes for guessing with that one! Whoever ran Burnley Walkabout were a set of twunts.

I remember the Orange House across the road. I went in with my dad and sister and it turned out the guy running it was my sister's boss when she worked in Leeds. We got free drinks for the rest of the day and night.

[Somethingfishy]

Ah, Walkabout. I left my phone in there once. Rang up Three Mobile the next day with a banging hangover and they told me somebody had phoned Australia. No prizes for guessing with that one! Whoever ran Burnley Walkabout were a set of twunts.

I remember the Orange House across the road. I went in with my dad and sister and it turned out the guy running it was my sister's boss when she worked in Leeds. We got free drinks for the rest of the day and night.

Walkabout got complacent as well. Was the popular place to go to at the end of the night for a while and the food was quite good too. Then they got greedy and started charging on the door and kept creeping the prices up. Eventually people had had enough and it dwindled. Ended up selling cheap beer for the Monday club crowd before it finally shut.

[Swizzlestick]

Walkabout got complacent as well. Was the popular place to go to at the end of the night for a while and the food was quite good too. Then they got greedy and started charging on the door and kept creeping the prices up. Eventually people had had enough and it dwindled. Ended up selling cheap beer for the Monday club crowd before it finally shut.

Walkabout’s demise was dramatic - purely down to greed. It was rammed week in week out, good place to go, then brought in cover charges, the place wasn’t as clean, just got complacent. While I don’t doubt societal factors have changed, and it’s a difficult environment, some places really don’t help themselves.

[FactualFrank]

Walkabout got complacent as well. Was the popular place to go to at the end of the night for a while and the food was quite good too. Then they got greedy and started charging on the door and kept creeping the prices up. Eventually people had had enough and it dwindled. Ended up selling cheap beer for the Monday club crowd before it finally shut.

What was your normal route into town? We would often start opposite Turf Moor at the Lounge - walk to the Culvert with the Brickies and the pubs across the road, then I remember us sometimes going to the place near the bus station. I think it was short-lived as was always quiet so think it closed pretty quickly. There was also a club called Afterlife across from the station.

Then it was mainly the Yates, White horse for a few games of pool, the Swan, then the pub on the corner at the very bottom of Manchester road, before Big Window. I used to like the Mix as you got a better group of clientele in there. It would then go downhill from that point with too many dickheads swamping the place.

[jrgbfc]

We always used to start at Bootleggers, then generally round to the Red Lion, Paradise Island, smacks, posh then round to isobar before ending up in Lava/ignite or Walkabout. Great days. If I did venture out these days I wouldn't even know where to go tbh.

[Somethingfishy]

What was your normal route into town? We would often start opposite Turf Moor at the Lounge - walk to the Culvert with the Brickies and the pubs across the road, then I remember us sometimes going to the place near the bus station. I think it was short-lived as was always quiet so think it closed pretty quickly. There was also a club called Afterlife across from the station.

Then it was mainly the Yates, White horse for a few games of pool, the Swan, then the pub on the corner at the very bottom of Manchester road, before Big Window. I used to like the Mix as you got a better group of clientele in there. It would then go downhill from that point with too many dickheads swamping the place.

We used to start in town Yates on a Friday or Saturday then White Lion, Swan, Red Lion, Big Window, Smacks, Posh, Little White Horse then Mean Cats. Sundays were similar except we started in the Red Lion as it was a shorter crawl and night out. Thursdays were the Prairie (was just a place to be with a disco) then Zanzibars. Occasionally frequented Sidewalk (more on a footy day) and very occasionally Savannahs/Club53 but it really did attract the dickheads that place. The Mix was the place in more recent years if i was out until it sadly shut.
Nowadays on the rare forays i go out it is the Talbot, The Bridge and that little bar attached to Mojitos. Places where you get normal people and can chat

[Swizzlestick]

Swan, Red Lion, Big Window, Paradise Island, Smacks. Long walk to freedom.

[ElectroClaret]

Angels, Circ and Rose Room were my haunts way back when. Some really good pubs too.

Sadly those days have gone...

[Somethingfishy]

I do still enjoy going in Smacks when i go into town to be fair. The vibe is much the same as it has always been and it still plays a lot of the same music. I think the youngsters see it as a retro pub though now..but they seem to enjoy it.

[Jakubclaret]

Carlton on standish street weren’t bad bit of a dive but enjoyable in a daft way if anybody remembers it or used to go in.

[Swizzlestick]

Carlton on standish street weren’t bad bit of a dive but enjoyable in a daft way if anybody remembers it or used to go in.

Yep. Bit of an ‘alternative’ gaff. Permanently smelled of weed.

Live away from town now, but was astonished to learn that The Town Mouse was still in operation! Now there’s a unique venue....

[FactualFrank]

Smacks was never a favourite of mine. Sweat dripping from the ceiling. And I'm sure Posh was an acronym for Piece Of SHite

[jrgbfc]

Last time I went in Smacks on our works Xmas do last year they were just playing the same generic cheesy music you get in virtually every other bar.

[JoeAM89]

I remember when Thursdays and Sundays were still packed. I think it was around 2008-2009 that things started to go downhill.

I loved Burnley in 08/09. My favourite pub/club route was Bridge, Walkabout, Pharaohs (for a shot at the shot bar), Smacks, Sanctuary. Was always busy on Thursdays and Sundays too.

[JoeAM89]

Last time I went in Smacks on our works Xmas do last year they were just playing the same generic cheesy music you get in virtually every other bar.

They were only playing indie stuff in the downstairs bar pre-COVID. It’s a bit of a joke of a bar/club now.

[jrgbfc]

They were only playing indie stuff in the downstairs bar pre-COVID. It’s a bit of a joke of a bar/club now.

Tbf even back in the day they seemed to play the same selection of indie songs over and over again!

[Swizzlestick]

Not been to Smacks in a few years. ‘Indie tunes’ were the same every week - you could pinpoint when Mr Brightside would start up - but I didn’t have many bad nights in there. Always seemed a good varied crowd and generally good atmosphere. A Burnley institution.

[FactualFrank]

Not been to Smacks in a few years. ‘Indie tunes’ were the same every week - you could pinpoint when Mr Brightside would start up - but I didn’t have many bad nights in there. Always seemed a good varied crowd and generally good atmosphere. A Burnley institution.

Varied crowd? We'd see the same bloody people in there on point every weekend.

[Swizzlestick]

Varied crowd? We'd see the same bloody people in there on point every weekend.

A varied crowd in terms of age range and different types of attendees yes.

[Ec-non-TC]

Town was great 20 years since

[Jakubclaret]

Yep. Bit of an ‘alternative’ gaff. Permanently smelled of weed.

Live away from town now, but was astonished to learn that The Town Mouse was still in operation! Now there’s a unique venue....

Definitely the same joint pardon the pun, you got a free hit just walking past

[claretonthecoast1882]

Burnley was a good night in the late 90s, now it is more of a good afternoon / early evening drinking place.

[Quickenthetempo]

Smacks was mental around Euro 96 when 'footballs coming home' came on.

Until the bouncers couldn't cope with everyone standing on tables etc.. and they banned it.

[SammyBoy]

Burnley was a good night in the late 90s, now it is more of a good afternoon / early evening drinking place.

Tend to agree with this, I've not been "out out" down Burnley for a long time, but always have a decent day sesh.

[Dyched]

I work with a few young uns and they say it isn’t value for money. Save taxis fees going home, getting into town and it almost pays for the bus and a hotel over in Manchester.

[Billy Balfour]

Burnley nightlife developed a reputation for violence, rather than a good night out. 12 years or so ago people were coming in from far and wide for a weekend night out, now it's the other way round. My fatha reckons the same thing happened to Halifax back in the 70s and early 80s. Night-time boomtime economy one minute, decline the next. Mind you, Halifax was on its way back up before C-19 hit.

[Eyres_11]

Used to love Thursdays when I was at college, was basically a student night with Nelson and Colne, Ted's, Burnley etc all out. Sad to see what it's become. Last time I was out on a Saturday the place was still like a ghost town at 11pm.
Only place I'd bother with now is the Talbot, and I'm a bit worried covid might finish that off.

Already closed.

[TsarBomba]

I went out in the early 2000’s up until I moved away in 2007 and the nightlife was really good.

I last went out in town in probably 2011, and I couldn’t believe how bad it was. I went to Walkabout on Sunday and it was dead.

I could see by the end of the 2000’s that drinking habits were killing the nightlife. Burnley became a really odd night out. There was a set route that most seemed to do and places would be busy for 30-1hr before people moved on again. If you missed the peak times then everywhere would be dead.

A real shame.