Holding the line
Against Racism, every day
So in the early days of our epic (stick with it & you'll see) journey through Newcastle’s crazy 80s nightlife, racially motivated threats, violence & intimidation were a constant & we faced them daily & as a team.
Early 80s Trent T-shirt rocking the vibe.
Call SupaDeb
One evening way back then, after a ruck in the Trent earlier in the day, we were awaiting the geezers involved, to return at any moment, to stove our ‘Black Coon’ heads in with baseball bats (as promised).
You can probably imagine the kind of tension going down, as we sat waiting at the Bar for yet another dust up…
Here we go again.
A young barmaid who had just started working with us at the time, called Deborah, was joking about, trying to diffuse that tension. She said...
‘I don’t know what you are so uptight for, they’ll have to get through me before they get to you…’
We laughed & it did actually pop the atmosphere for a brief moment…
Having to stand up against racism from day one has had a big effect, on the way both the Trent & WHQ developed.
2018 WHQ poster - from way back then, right up to the Club of today.
Having an overtly anti-racist, pro harmony, unifying stance & clearly communicating that to people, has always set us apart in Newcastle.
Nowhere else shares our experiences, which have formed us into people happy to embrace unity & promote it honestly, as part of what we are & what we wish to represent.
Continuity across the generations
It’s now three & a half decades later & Deborah is still working with us…
Debs bossing the office, way back, probably around ten years prior to the end of last century.
Queen of Complaint Corner, she now handles all the ticketing & PR for our WHQ & Nat Turner Live Events shows & helps us to develop our whole, special music thing right across the UK. Debs is also the ‘Fox’ over on the Contact Us page in the top menu.
Lady, not bingo.
Her young daughter Cree (who was not even born back then), also became Manageress of WHQ Club & led our staff team from the very front until early 2015.
Millie, Debbie’s even younger daughter also worked with us at the Club too, before migrating over to join the team @ Wylam Brewery.
Debs' Daughters, Millie & Cree - next generation WHQ angels, spreading the vibes all over the Toon.
More & more, we meet the kids of people who used to drink at the Trent, or come clubbing with us in the early days, when they are in the Club now on a weekend.
Many of these kids are now having kids of their own too & so it goes on...
Now we think you’ll agree readers, as we get ready to welcome the third generation of young people in Newcastle to our ever expanding groove – That’s (WHQ style) continuity for ya..!
Fast forward
So, that line that we fought so hard to draw & risked so much to hold, back in the Trent days, was well worth standing our ground for. It is the exact same line we still hold today in WHQ.
Because music has the power, to open the eyes of the young.
Thankfully things have changed a lot & we’ve now nurtured & grown that original line, into an actual proper culture now. Our culture now represents racial harmony to thousands & thousands of people annually.
It’s a culture that is highly evolved & one that everyone who comes to & shares in our Club, clearly understands, respects & embraces.
The Kids know the deal with Kareem & Bruce.
We are still a proactive counterpoint, standing firmly against all small minded, racist wafflers & WHQ always shall be, for as long as it remains in existence.
Question..?
Are you enjoying our little historical ramblings..? We do hope so, as it's nearly time for us to start shaking up the Club scene.
Now if you’d like to go & get yourself a nice cup of tea & a biscuit, we’ll tell you about some of the other cool angles we were hustling back in the 80s & how they have contributed to World Headquarters Club…
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