Venue notes: Edwards No.8, Birmingham UK
Defunct punk/"alternative" rock venue that was located at the
intersection of John Bright Street and Lower Severn Street from
the 1970s until 2006, when the interior was gutted by fire.
According to
this BusinessLive article:
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In the blaze in November 2006, 500 people were evacuated, with 10
being treated for minor injuries. Initial fears that clubbers could
have been trapped in the burning building proved groundless.
The blaze brought an end to a club with a colourful history, where
many music lovers saw their first concert.
Edwards was opened in the 1970s and took its name from controversial
nightclub boss Eddie Fewtrell, the man dubbed Mr Nightclub for his
huge Birmingham-based entertainment empire.
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Altopedia describes the club as follows:
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Known to most Rockers in the Country as EDDIES, "Edwards No.8" was at
the centre of Birmingham’s Rock and Gothic scenes for over 20 years,
and was Birmingham’s last remaining & true, Rock venue until it
tragically burnt down a little after 1am on November 12th 2006. In
the late 80’s it was the heart of a thriving Rock complex, which comprised
two pubs/bars, a second club ("Edwards No.7") located immediately beneath
it, and another club named "Goldwyns" next door in an adjacent building.
In common with all clubs it had it’s ups and downs (particularly in the
late 90’s), but unlike it’s competitors it survived and was all the
stronger for it’s ordeal.
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And from
Timeout:
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In the Birmingham rock venue deck of cards, Eddie’s remains the undisputed
ace of spades. It started out on John Bright Street as Edward’s No. 8,
a part of Brum nightclub magnate Eddie Fewtrell’s nocturnal empire (hence
the name). Originally it was an early '80s mainstream club, where wannabe
Don Johnsons danced in linen suits with rolled-up sleeves.
In 1987, though, it turned to the dark side and became a very successful
rock and alternative music venue, attracting coachloads of leather-clad
pilgrims from all over the country and hosting gigs from the likes of
Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Rage Against the Machine.
Sadly, the original Eddie’s venue was destroyed in 2006 after a toilet in
the club caught fire (presumably to the tune of "Smoke on the Water").
Since then, the club’s had a variety of short and long term residencies
before settling into its current home at the Tunnel Club on Livery Street.
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The historic Victorian building was not totally destroyed by the fire.
Five years later it was fully restored, with office and business space
made available for lease. As of 2019, the former Edwards No.8 at ground
level was occupied by Turtle Bay restaurant.
Note: on a list of tour dates for Grant Hart's band Nova Mob, the venue
name is mistakenly specified as "Edward VIII," but the band's tour
book has the correct name.
[Do you have more information about this venue? Please
email me.]
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