Opening in late 1989, Tin Pan was the first club in Glasgow to play the new sounds coming from Belgium and Detroit at the time. Split across three floors, the club was hidden away on Mitchell Lane and was Year Zero for techno in Glasgow. It launched the careers of Slam and established classic nights like UFO and The Orb. Negotiating all those stairs was a bit of a whitey though.
I was taken there by a good friend Frank Paterson in the late eighties I was an out-of-towner.
This was the first time I’d mainly heard beats only in a Club for the majority of the night. This wasn’t rave or house as such, more like electronic beats. This was also before any ecstasy scene had kicked off. It would be a Football Terrace clubbing crossover. A three floor dance club with a connecting staircase, you’d always meet a good section of clubbers
The crowd were cool, Glasgow always had the unique style of matching up between casual or tailored threads and of course a few permanent sun-tans. This was a place where you just wanted to dance, no chemicals apart from a Red Stripe or maybe a shlitz.
It was here I first heard dance tracks like White Horse – Laid Back, although the track was old I’d never heard it before especially in a club. Also Electrical Salsa by Off.
I was also introduced to some good pubs in the City which seemed to be the crowd that would later be at Tin Pan. Carnegie’s was a great little joint and again a good crowd, always on a good vibe. It was here I noticed remixes of Ten City also Joey Negro – Promised Land.
Tin Pan was a club that was hidden away in Mitchell Lane. Theres not many tributes or photos that justify it’s excistence, but it was certainly a catalyst to a lot of major clubs and DJ’s that came about in the 90s.
Holywell Street would like to pay tribute to Glasgow and it’s Night Clubs and of course Frank the legend.
Holywell Street would like to welcome Ste Carter in again for another contribution to the blog.
By Ste Carter 26th October 2019
Following on from the last article, ‘There is more that unites us than divides us’ I can only echo, in some small way, the thoughts and feelings expressed there by expanding slightly on some of the themes.
It’s really tough to love modern professional football. It’s tough to love your club, even when that’s all you know, and that’s all that you can do. But it’s really tough to love a club in the English Premiership League. This is a league that has aped so perfectly the global capitalised model of neo-liberalism that I totally despise. As an Evertonian growing up in the sixties, it was oh, so, different. I still remember (with fondness) our beloved winger, and working class legend, Johnny Morrissey, getting pinched for storing stolen ciggies, in what was an absolute world away from the multi-millionaire mercenaries that dominate my club today, and who live in constructed bubbles that see them with almost no social or emotional connection to the club they ‘play’ for. Now I know this blog is read by a mainly Celtic support so I’ll (by way of ingratiating myself) mention the great Lisbon Lions. No matter what side you see out on the park these days, it can’t, and never will, hold the place in the pantheon of greatness, that the 11 local lads who buried themselves for the shirt, immortalised themselves in the club’s history, and who lived the very dreams of the working class people who loved them, merit. These were your people and they did for you something that we all know can’t happen today.
So what’s my point?
As an Evertonian, I utterly despise Liverpool FC. Yet as a proud working class socialist there’s has never been a second when I have not been 100% behind the #jft96 campaign. Why? Because this is what unites us, not divides us. Hillsborough was nothing but an unprincipled establishment attack by Thatcherism, with its disgraceful attempt to cover up working class deaths at the hands of state sponsored tools, and as such, is much, much bigger, than any petty football rivalries. That’s why I applaud all attempts by fans united in their desires to reduce ticket prices; untied in their desires to promote community work to include young people in the future of our clubs; united in cross partisan attempts to stand up against all forms of terrace fascism- all of these actions are also valid attempts try to cling on to the working class coattails of our wonderful game, which is increasingly distant from its roots, which are our roots. My final point is work with working class Hibbies; work with working class Dons; work even with working class fans of clubs you despise if their motives are class based and always anti–fascist. As we’ve already been told correctly, there’s more unites us than divides us, and if we the working class fans are to have a future with and for our clubs, it’s now more important than ever.
The grudge was regional; Bradley was Hibs, we were Celtic; he was younger, but you couldn’t help but look up to him. During the 1985/86 season, Celtic faced Hibs six times—four matches in the league and one in each of the cup competitions. This likely intensified the feud between the two groups during the football casual era of the eighties
At the start of that season, I remember thinking that a smaller club like Hibernian (Hibs) couldn’t be much of a presence on the streets. This was a big mistake. Looking back now, it’s clear that they had the best firm in Scotland—a very organised group that also had a younger crew. Brad stood out from the rest; despite being only around 14 years old, he was capable of taking down guys who were five years older than him. I experienced this firsthand a few times, most notably during the League Cup match at Easter Road. He was a real nightmare!
I remember a well-known Celtic lad trying to confront him, but it backfired. The police stopped us and told us to “pick on someone your own size,” while my mate stood there with a broken nose. You could see that Bradley was a trained boxer; his eyes were unforgettable. He would stand on the opposite side of the terrace from us like a golden eagle sizing up its prey. While the other lads were shouting in conflict over the fence, Brad would watch and scan the away end. He always wore the most expensive and sometimes unique clothing and habitually analysed what others wore. Bradley would go on to become one of Hibs’ main figures when the CCS and BBC merged into one.
By around 1989 or 1990, many of us, including Brad, had moved on from this scene. It was during this time that I got to know him, and I considered him a friend ever since. However, he spent some years away and was quite a private person for many years.
I remember hearing him speak for the first time. Brad zoomed up to me on a mountain bike in Edinburgh, and although we had only known each other through our football rivalry, he was well cool. At that time, he was hosting some decent club nights. “Alright, ar kid?” he asked, which felt like both a greeting and an invitation to engage, as he quickly moved on to the next topic before I had time to absorb what he had just said. I found this amusing, considering he often came across as a man of few words. I initially thought he might hold a football grudge against me or perhaps look down on me, but that was never the case. He invited me to one of his club nights, and I arranged to meet him at the City Café. A few familiar faces from Hibs were also there, which felt a bit intimidating at first, but it was all good; I was Brad’s guest. Through him, I got to meet guys who I still consider friends today. That was his gift—he had a knack for bringing people together.
I still remember him as a charming and charismatic leader. He spoke with such philosophical insight that it seemed like he had swallowed a dictionary. While I drank beer, he would sip on bottles of water, promoting his ‘fit mind, fit body’ attitude. He pointed out that we were all just young guys fi the streets eh, comparing our experiences to ‘cowboys and Indians,’ right?
I wouldn’t see Bradley again until 1995 when he and a few friends came to London for the weekend to attend a famous boxing match. I arranged to meet him at a pub in Knightsbridge so he could visit Harvey Nichols. When I arrived, I noticed him and a couple of others standing on the central island of the road, leaning against the railings—his golden eagle eyes were back! Old habits die hard, and he was checking out who was walking by. He mentioned that Chelsea sometimes moved around that area, but honestly, he was just posturing; he had moved on from that scene. He still exuded confidence and, true to form, he wasn’t a drinker—his drink of choice was water. After visiting Harvey Nichols, we headed to the Armani store. Armani was the brand for him, and in true working-class spirit, he would always look for ways to get his label as cheaply as possible—and, of course, he did. We spent the day with him and his small group from Edinburgh, hopping between a few pubs; I could have listened to his old stories and vibrant spirit all day. Eventually, I left, and they went on to the boxing.
Working Class Hero
As John Lennon said, being a working-class hero is something to be. In later years, I had the privilege of working with Brad on several projects embodying the spirit of solidarity; these were primarily joint ventures between the Celtic and Hibs fans. His leadership skills shone brightly throughout these initiatives. Two of his many memorable quotes are, “It’s easier to be a good gadgie than a c*nt,” and “There is more that unites us than divides us.”
Bradley approached us at HWS to discuss possibly organising a joint food bank collection at Easter Road during the upcoming Hibs vs Celtic match. I thought it was a cracking idea, and the Celtic fans embraced it immediately. Through Helping Hands, which was his initiative for solidarity, we began to put the plan into action. With the support of former casuals from both Celtic and Hibs, we arranged for Celtic fans to bring their usual food bank supplies as they approached the away section at Easter Road. There would be tables set up to collect the donations. We also received cash donations from fans who couldn’t bring food bags. Wee Jay Beattie and his dad came with bags, and Wee Jay helped us for a while, which was outstanding. He even requested a Helping Hands vest to wear. The team that Brad and Jim Slavin had assembled understood the plan; it felt like a military operation. Vans were already on-site to move the bags as soon as the kick-off began. This effort was relatively easy to organise, thanks largely to connections and the spirit, energy, and respect that Brad contributed, which was essential in making it a significant success. The Celtic fans were exceptional in their willingness to help the disadvantaged people of Edinburgh.
Boxing.
I visited Holyrood Boxing Gym only once. It was a weekday, and I had just popped in to see my friend. I regret not going there for him to put me through my paces on a Sunday morning, but I believe Jake is stepping in to carry on the tradition, so I will be visiting for that reason.
It has been difficult for us here at HWS to write this article, as his loss is still fresh and painful even as I type. The gym was Brad’s place, and I witnessed his ethos firsthand. He was a leader who provided immense encouragement. Everyone who walked through the gym door was treated equally; there were no heroes, or perhaps they were all heroes in their own right. By the time they left, they felt that way. He built people up, instilling the confidence they needed, whether it was for weight loss or, just as importantly, providing a proper outlet for mental health issues. His presence worked in tandem with this mission.
Brad had a unique ability to offer a few words of encouragement that could lift anyone’s spirits. He made me a better person; I know he did the same for hundreds of others. He would go the extra mile to help a friend without expecting anything in return. One has to wonder, did this guy ever sleep? It seemed hardly ever, especially after he completed a Guinness World Record by doing pad work for 24 hours straight. If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the documentary “Bradley Welsh Tough Times.”
Leigh Griffiths
When Leigh Griffiths went through a tough time last year, Brad stepped in to help and set a few people straight. Brad knew Leigh as one of the many footballers who came down to assist with the kids through Helping Hands. He contacted me, and I couldn’t get him to calm down on the phone. Brad was reading online comments from people mocking Leigh and his mental health—two things that are simply unacceptable. He said, “Leigh’s a guy from the streets with magic at his feet who’s just going through a rough patch. He’s just a lad from the scheme.” He was rightly calling people out on Leigh’s behalf to explain their comments. I believe Leigh (LG) phoned Brad to thank him for his support.
After that, it was time to get to work. Brad emphasised the need to support Leigh and wanted us to come together again. I completely agreed, as he said, “He’s one of our own, mate.” Ironically, another Hibs vs. Celtic match was coming up at Easter Road, so we put out the message.
I was on the phone with Brad most days; he took on a lot but never stopped helping where needed and always focused on what we could do next, using his connections and mine. Our next joint venture was with the Green Brigade at Celtic. We had arranged to meet them and work on a solidarity banner supporting the working class and highlighting disingenuous charities. We also planned for members of the Green Brigade to receive free boxing sessions at the club during the next Hibs vs. Celtic game, which unfortunately did not happen in the end.
Later that night, we received the news that Brad was no longer with us. Everyone has their own story to tell about Bradley Welsh, and it seems to follow a similar theme: friend, inspiration, coach, life-changer, charming, gifted, and faithful. I think it was Irvine Welsh who said you would only meet a few guys like Brad in your lifetime. That may be true, but I’m still waiting to meet a second one.
Ironically, just after his passing, the next game at Easter Road was against Celtic. We had been told that the Hibs fans were having a minute of applause at the 48th minute, and in his spirit, I felt it was only right that HWS should do one last thing for a friend. It was pretty easy, and everyone agreed … https://wordpress.com/post/holywellst.com/336
Both sets of fans were incredible, and in the 48th minute, we shared a collective applause for Bradley Welsh. Once again, the Celtic supporters stood in respect for this working-class hero.
Among his parting words, should he ever be taken at a young age, was …
‘Ye see, Now try to be me. Me … me … me. Go and never forget.’
We can only try to be him. If you get halfway there, you’ll be doing more than alright.
A lifelong sufferer of Depression has had their life turned around after being advised to ‘cheer up’.
As yesterday was Mental Health Awareness day. There was a ground breaking moment.
“It was my new line manager,” confirmed Archie C Young
“He’d spent a week mucking about with a spreadsheet and had run out of things to do so he called me into his office to ‘get to the bottom of this depression thing’.”
Mr Richard Head (Dickie) joined him and received his revolutionary treatment within minutes.
“Yeah, I told him about my condition, and he just leant back in his chair, folded his hands behind his head and went ‘you want to just cheer up a bit’.
“It’s changed my life. I mean, I’ve had nearly twenty years of CBT, anti-depressants and psychotherapy. If only someone had told me to cheer up all those years ago.
“He also mentioned that I should ‘snap out of it’.”
Richard Dickie Head, the line-manager, went on to explain the theory behind his treatment.
“Well, it’s just common sense isn’t it?” He told us.
“I mean, it’s fair enough to be depressed if, you know, your wife’s left you or you’ve lost your job or something, but if you’re just depressed for no good reason, then you just need to cheer up.”
He also mentioned that people with anxiety disorders should probably just chill out.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has seized on the new developments in depression treatment, cancelling all finance for current treatments of Depression and issuing guidelines for Doctors to just tell sufferers to ‘just try and cheer up a bit’.
Call it Sunday or a pending Monday musings. The day after, the beer fear or the depressing summer weather.
These days seem to be the start of the week the pending doom and the ‘what if’ thoughts.
It seems the human brain is wired to be depressed or anxious and we must find our own peace in modern day times, but what if it was just as easy to obsess over good thoughts rather than negative thoughts? I mean if part of it’s supposed to chemical then surely the chemical imbalance could work the reverse? Easier said than done, I know. I want to touch more on anxiety here although it’s sister depression does overlap with it.
FEAR! This is where anxiety starts and of course for a lot of people worry.
If you knew you could probably handle ANYTHING that came your way , what would you possibly have to Fear?
The answer is: NOTHING!
I know you are probably not jumping up and down for joy just yet, but believe me when I say this is good news and advice. What I’m trying to put over is you can handle all your fears (and this includes myself) without having to control anything in outside world. This should come as tremendous relief if I really was the voice of reason but I’m not, however I will continue with food for thought. Now, you don’t have to control what your friends do, what your children do or what your boss does. You don’t have to control what happens in an interview or what happens in your career or what happens with your money.
All you have to do to diminish your fear is to develop more trust in your ability to handle whatever comes your way!
This is critical. From this moment on , every time you feel afraid, remind yourself that it is simply because you are not feeling good enough about yourself. But put this on a post-it-note wherever you want, stick it on the fridge FEEL THE FEAR AND DO IT ANYWAY or another one I’LL HANDLE IT.
I often ask myself why we have so little trust in ourselves I’ve also been asked the question from others. I don’t really know the answer to that. I know that some fear is with our instinct much like anxiety this keeps us alert to trouble. The rest – the part that holds us back from personal growth – is inappropriate and destructive, and could be blamed on our conditioning.
I’LL HANDLE IT!
Remember stick this on a post-it-note and onto the fridge or in every drawer. I can hear the doubting Thomases out there saying, “oh come on now how do you handle cancer or the death of a child” I understand your scepticism. I was and can still be a doubting Thomas myself. I feel the negative feelings but give yourself a winning chance and you will find yourself coming closer and closer to self to a high level of self-confidence that you will begin to realize you can handle anything that comes your way. Never let these three words out of your mind – probably the most important three little words you’ll ever hear:
I’LL HANDLE IT!
Obviously , the real issue has nothing to do with fear itself but, rather, how we hold fear and the perception. For some people fear is totally irrelevant. For others, it creates a state of paralysis. The former hold the fear from a position of power (choice, energy and action), and the latter hold it from a position of pain (helplessness, depression, and paralysis). These are both okay I’m not coming from the angle of weakness or strength in any of this.
FROM PAIN to POWER
To move ourselves to a position of pain to power is where we want to be. The fact we still have the fear is irrelevant – it is ok to feel fear.
I’ve mentioned Power. There are a lot of people and this includes myself who don’t quite like the concept of power and I want no part of it. In todays world especially ‘power’ has negative undertones. It often implies control over others, and, unfortunately, is often misused.
The kind of power I am talking about is entirely different. In fact, it makes you less manipulative of those around you, and certainly more loving. I’m talking about power within the self. This means power of perceptions of the world where we look at things from different angles, thinking in grey areas instead of always black and white. Power of how we react to certain situations in our lives, power to do what is necessary for your own self-growth, satisfaction inlife and power to act and power to love. It is your own power within I’m getting at. It is not and egomania, but a healthy love self-love. In fact egomaniacs have absolutely no feeling of power – thus their compelling need to control anyone around them. Fill your self with self-compassion and that is also a way of giving you that very power.
If everybody feels fear when approaching something totally new in life or in general then we must conclude the FEAR IS NOT THE PROBLEM. It is how we hold the fear, the fear is totally irrelevant.
Here at HWS we love a chat with creative musicians, DJ’s or remixers and who better than a couple of bods I’ve had the pleasure of growing up with and lived streets away from.
From the subways to the streets, they were picking up the best tunes. If it wasn’t for these guys and few others the area would possibly have dived into heavy hardcore rave music. Langlee, Tweedbank then Gala had just the right crowd on-centre at the right time from 1990 and the duo were learning their trade from that point.
Justin Wilson and Steve Cass aka No ‘Strings Attached’ popped into see us at HWS Towers. They are the best about …
Good to see you chaps, how’s things?
Hi Mate – Thanks for inviting us along. Everything is going pretty well right now and although a fairly quiet year on the promoting front as we were slow of the mark securing dates with venues we have a few things bubbling away to keep us amused and have also started booking up for 2020.
To start with how did the title NSA come about and when was that established?
We had been planning to start a regular club night in Galashiels back in 1995 and after brainstorming potential names we managed to get it down to 3 or 4 but could not agree on it so started to concentrate on the set up as the venue we were going to use was in the basement of the local football stand so needed a fair bit of work to transform it into something that resembles a nightclub. We wanted to source a parachute to cover the ceiling and walls so the dance floor was like a small cocoon and after searching the yellow pages we found a company who sold club decor. When making the order the girl on the line said the type of parachute we are looking for has “no strings attached” and we just liked that at the time so ran with it.
I must give you guys a massive compliment for keeping the interest and vibe going down in Gala and of course Edinburgh. So, for the readers, when did you start DJing – and what or who were your early passions and influences? What is it about music and/or sound that drew you to it?
Well, the influences would have to come from guys like yourself who were involved in the scene down south and introduced the sounds to Galashiels via mix tapes along with some legendary local nights with DJs Rich Bell, Scott Ferguson (Robot 84) and others. Another massive influence was going to The Citrus club in Edinburgh from the age of 17 which gave the opportunity to regularly hear the best DJs around like Fabi Paras, Andrew Weatherall, Justin Robertson, Craig Walsh etc and meet people who still come along to NSA to this day. The feeling, atmosphere and escapism of being in the club was always the draw created by the combination of great music, sound people & various substances.
Around this time we also got the chance to play early sets at some of the local nights as well as regular house parties and that sparked the idea for us to put on our own thing.
When doing the DJing considerations that go into deciding which track to play next? What makes two tracks a good fit? How far do you tend to plan ahead during a set?
It’s impossible to completely plan ahead but of course we will select a few tracks we think would work depending on where we are playing. We often play back 2 back so track selection is very last minute depending on what the other person finishes on and what you think is a best fit to try and keep the flow. Usually this works out quite well as feel we are good at reading a crowd. The last half hour can be a bit chaotic if the night is going off as you start thinking about the end of your set and what tracks you have not had the chance to play yet.
What were some of the main challenges and goals when starting out as a DJ and how have they changed over time?
As we generally warm up for our guests the goal is to try and set the tone for the night by gradually building it up before handing the reigns over to the headliner and by that time the crowd should be ready for them taking it up a gear. We don’t think that challenge has really changed but we have got a lot better at it.
What is it about DJing, compared to, say, producing your own music, that makes it interesting for you?
Producing is something we would like to do in the future and have had a couple of attempts in the past in collaboration with others but find it really difficult to stop changing our minds and running with something all the way through to a finished track. Djing provides real time satisfaction as someone else has already done the difficult part of creating the great music and all we have to do is put it on for an instant result.
You’ve been on the music and dance scene almost without fail for many, many years now. In terms of creativity, do you ever feel like you need to recharge? Where do you find the calm and energy to keep up with things?
We don’t put on or play at enough nights to get exhausted from it and the reason for this is we would rather do less and make them special rather than just doing it for the sake of it.
You still stay in the Gala area these days, I’ve always seen it as the cosmopolitan town in the Borders although it can be fickle at times. Do you think it’s still musically the best place for yourself to be?
Although we have had many great years in Galashiels, Edinburgh feels more like home these days and a great crowd come out to support the nights we have at The Mash House and Sneaky Pete’s including a strong contingent from Galashiels. The nights usually sell out but It still feels as if everyone know’s each other. Our aim is to make every night as good as or better than the last and one of the greatest compliments we ever received was hearing Andrew Weatherall say “That’s a proper Acid House party”.
The Fairydean still sometimes seems the spiritual home of NSA, you’ve had some top nights there over the years with cracking DJ’s. Does any of these nights stick out?
We have lost count of how many nights there have been in there but we have hosted many great DJs over the years that have all been special for different reasons. if we pick two stand out nights it would have to be when SLAM played for our 20th Birthday and the first time Ivan Smagghe played for us.
SLAM managed to play a track from every year from the last 2 decades so clearly put some thought into it and Ivan was meant to be playing at SNAFU in Aberdeen with us but the club closed down a few days prior to the night so we managed to quickly shift it to the dean and sell out within days. He played one of the best sets we have heard and has been back with us a few times since then.
One more night we want to mention was in Edinburgh rather than the dean but is pretty relevant just now given the mess that is Brexit.
The night was 24th June 2016 and the UK just voted to leave the EU. We had a big night with A Love From Outer Space at the mash house. The outcome of the vote resulted in a low mood which could be felt from the chat in the car picking up the DJs to the crowd coming through the door so we feared it might not go too well. However the club filled up quickly and the dance floor was rammed within 30 minutes of opening and the whole place went off. The soundtrack was perfect and the room was full of smiles all night as it was the tonic everyone needed at that moment and I’m sure it will stick out as a favourite for a lot of people.
Ibiza? Do you still visit? how often do you get over?
Not been to Ibiza in about 8 years so pretty detached from what is going on out there and can think of plenty other places we want to check out before returning. There are great festivals & clubs all over Europe that have far more appeal. Here are a couple of festivals and a couple of clubs to look up. Convenanza in Carcassonne (France) , Love International in Tisno (Croatia) Smala in Vilnius (Lithuania) and Robert Johnston (Frankfurt) Germany.
Top five club / dance tracks?
Red Axes / DJ Tennis – Redrago
Curses – Puttanesca
Andrew Claristidge & Workerpoor – Slow Uppercut (Soviet Union Remix)
Celebrating 25 years of NSA which we are currently programming and can confirm it’s looking pretty tasty. Also really looking forward to getting back into putting on regular parties in Edinburgh again and perhaps releasing a track.
What was the last record you bought?
Last vinyl bought was an old electro compilation on the StreetSounds label that was a lucky find at Mauerpark flea market in Berlin. Another old find was made a bit closer to home which was Davorite – Electrick Dragon.
Choice of footwear?
Adidas is the obvious choice and have owned many between us so will go with the classic Converse HI-Tops and TST which were stocked briefly in Xile a few years back and have become practically impossible to source now. Apparently footwear designer Seishi Tanks hand draws every design and hand finishes each of them after production.
And the best DJ there is/was is?
Difficult question as so many favourites and our booking policy is based on who we think is the best but as you pinned us down to one we are going to go with Andrew Weatherall as he never fails to amaze and inspire and we are truly honoured he still regularly plays for us after first coming to NSA in 2000 when we were running out of Edinburgh’s most iconic club space The Venue.
Lastly, what have you guys got coming up?
This Friday (August 2nd) we are playing for Tweak_ at the Liquid Rooms in Edinburgh for their night with Detroit’s Carl Craig. We are on from 11pm – 2am.
August 18th – Hectors House asked us to join them at 99 Hanover Street to support Ibiza’s godfather of chill Jose Padilla. We will be playing between his early evening sunset slot and warming things up for his club based set later in the night.
September 10th – We will be on EHFM doing a mix for the the Sheikh (pronounced Shake) hosted by Adam from Cheap Picasso.
December – New Mix for a Madrid based label
December 20th – Edinburgh, TBA
Boxing Day – Edinburgh, TBA
A taste of NSA …
A pleasure to have you chaps pop in, thanks a lot. I’ll be seeing you soon.
Holywell Street 