Cellar Club, Oxford

[MoonBassAlpha]

Hi all

The Cellar venue (also known as the Corn Dolly years ago) is under threat of closure unless they can install improved emergency exit(s) to comply with current regulation.

They are trying to raise a lot of money (80k) by the end of November, a big ask!

People who have played there or seen bands there will know it as a decent venue with  good atmosphere and sound system (though the acoustics can be difficult if it isn't rammed with people).

Anyhow, there is a crowdfunder going, please chip in if you value one of your local venues:

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/cellar-forever

PS I am not affiliated in any way with the Cellar, I just played there last night!

 

[fleabag]

Ah the Corn Dolly. Been there umpteen times, love the place. I saw  Jakko Jakszyk  there before he was famous with level 42 and King Crimson,  in the band 64 Spoons.  This was somewhere between '76 and '80 when i was living in Oxford.

Hope they make it. Be a shame to see it go

 

[ped]

Been there many times. When I was a teenager I got smashed on apple sours and threw up on the night bus home. Haven’t touched ‘em since. 

[MoonBassAlpha]

5 hours ago, fleabag said:

Ah the Corn Dolly. Been there umpteen times, love the place. I saw  Jakko Jakszyk  there before he was famous with level 42 and King Crimson,  in the band 64 Spoons.  This was somewhere between '76 and '80 when i was living in Oxford.

Hope they make it. Be a shame to see it go

 

You saw the Spoons ? I  grew up following them around the Watford and North London scene,  a thoroughly amazing and talented band at such a young age. There was nothing else like that on the pub circuit at the time. 

Did you hear their album?  Doesnt  quite catch their live experience but still some great tracks.

[fleabag]

Yeah i did catch them, but just the once at the Dolly. They were awesome and very unique, as you say. Think they came from Wales originally ?

Never heard the album , stangely

Edited October 27, 2018 by fleabag

[fleabag]

4 hours ago, ped said:

Been there many times. When I was a teenager I got smashed on apple sours and threw up on the night bus home. Haven’t touched ‘em since. 

Funny you mention getting mashed. The night i went to the Dolly, i'd been in the Swan in Marston Street off the Cowley Rd, sank 2 pints of Guinness, then did 10-ish Barley Wines down at the Dolly and ended bumping into a haemophiliac and we had to take him to hospital there and then. I knocked him over in my drunken mash up and he had to have immediate medical attention. Apparently i fell out of the car when they opened the car doors at the hospital. I had it all relayed to me in fine detail the next day.

They guy was alright, by the way

[Bridgehouse]

4 hours ago, ped said:

Been there many times. When I was a teenager I got smashed on apple sours and threw up on the night bus home. Haven’t touched ‘em since. 

I try to say away from the night buses too...

[TheGreek]

7 hours ago, MoonBassAlpha said:

The Cellar venue (also known as the Corn Dolly years ago) is under threat of closure

I was just going to post "all too common" but that may have suggested to anybody reading subsequent posts that I was also referring to @fleabag's drunken antics.

Though I am not openly dispelling this I would draw attention to our friend's well intended efforts to support HMRC through these contributions. 😉😘

[fleabag]

Not these days  🤩

[deepbass5]

You Ole Tarts fancy getting whizzed and trowing up on the bus on the way home. Tut tut

Ahhhh

Sunfly

Steamroller

Kicking Chicken

Mayfly

Prism

10 pints and 4 shorts then stagger to Gloucester green and hope you haven't missed the 10:30 bus home

[FinnDave]

I think Sunfly is still gigging (they were on the same bill as one of my bands a couple of years ago), Steamroller definitely are - I was recording with their drummer earlier this year.

[fleabag]

I saw Sunfly at the Dolly way back when. Didnt know they were still going. The were the hippiest local band i'd ever seen.

[Chezz55]

Oh yes, The Corn Dolly on a Saturday lunchtime - a few cans of 'Breaker' and great music from bands like Steamroller, Spring Offensive, Remus Down Boulevard and The Never Never Band.

Aah happy days

[mrtcat]

Played the Dolly many a time as a teenager growing up in Oxford. Also been kicked out a few times. 

[deepbass5]

Crisp

was the other band i couldn't think of last night, were they from Banbury ? or was that Prism.

My night started in the Blenheim at 7pm,  then off to the Crown, may be Roebuck before the Dolly, whites Bar and or Chequer's last.

Edited October 28, 2018 by deepbass5

[BigRedX]

IIRC the Corn Dolly was the venue for the second ever gig I went to - Bedford Prog Rockers "Spring Offensive" some time in early 1977. 

[fleabag]

Update -  Corn dolly / cellar has finally closed.      They posted a message

https://www.cellaroxford.co.uk/

 

[TheGreek]

Just playing Devil's Advocate....

Now that closure has been confirmed, what happens to the donations?

[fleabag]

They stated on local Oxford news that they're refunding everyone

[Islander]

Shame, it was a fantastic venue with a great atmosphere.  A band I worked with (Dogwatch) played it a fair few times in the 70s -  I hated the load in/out though, probably my least favourite after the Dope and Canker (Hope and Anchor).  

 

[borntohang]

That's a real shame, we played there last year and it was a great turnout and atmosphere apart from briefly having to bounce a Sir Richard Head III down the front. In a slightly weirder turn of events there were also a few people sketching in the audience who left their work onstage for us to take home, which I thought was kind of sweet. Absolute pig of a load in though!

[MoonBassAlpha]

@fleabagand anyone else who saw 64 Spoons back in the day, just turned this up on YouTube:

Hope it brings back some memories!

[fleabag]

By the way, wild bass player Andy Crawford now works in wood, and very nice too

 

https://www.fine-boxes.com/

[mike257]

2 hours ago, MoonBassAlpha said:

@fleabagand anyone else who saw 64 Spoons back in the day, just turned this up on YouTube:

Hope it brings back some memories!

I've worked with Lyndon a lot over the last year. Absolutely wonderful guy and insanely talented. Currently playing keys for Go West. 

[MoonBassAlpha]

Yeah,  but whatever happened to the  guitarist? 😀