Jump to content

Cairo Jax Nightclub Sheffield


Sheffield History

Recommended Posts

Cairo Jax Sheffield.jpg

CAIRO JAX NIGHTCLUB SHEFFIELD

Nightclub in the centre of Sheffield owned at one point by first leisure. Also known affectionately as 'Cairos' It was also previously called the Cavendish.

Music was mainstream pop, dance and R&B/Soul. Most of our knowledge is from around the 1990's period - we are dying to hear from anyone who has any memories of the club from any time during it's lifespan.

THE LOCATION

Bank Street, Sheffield

post-1-1171286333.jpg

pictured above - location of where cairos used to be

THE LAYOUT

Coming soon..

THE STAFF

Managers - Adrian, Jimmy, Kevan, Paul, Simon Wigfield, Paul Kinsey

DJ's - Paul Barron, Nigel Barron, Steve Knight, Ian Alvey, Neil James (now retired), Lee, Paul, Nigel Filmer, Lady Jay

Light Jocks - Jo Jo, Louise, Tim ('chesney'), Paul ('sid'), Clive (raggytash)

Cloakroom - Carol

Dancers - Claire, Rachael

Doormen - Little T, Big T, Chas, Spanner

THE MUSIC

Mainstream party, pop, dance, cheesey stuff and in the 'Jax' side it was soul, r&b and funk. The Cairo's side had a stage and some of the chart acts and potential future stars would appear 'live on stage' usually singing to DAT tapes.

LIST OF SOME OF THE BANDS THAT PLAYED AT CAIRO JAX

Michelle Gayle

Kenny Thomas

Gabrielle

Sean Maguire

Those 2 Girls (Denise Van Outen in her early pop career)

Deuce

Ultimate Kaos

Dana Dawson

Richard Traviss

Worlds Apart

Optimystic

Mary Kiani

MEMORIES

The last night of the clubs night (before turning into Corporation) was mad. It was a party atmosphere where copious amounts of alcohol were consumed by everyone but the party stopped at 10 past 2 in the morning and everyone went home feeling it was the end of an era.

In fact the months leading up to the closure saw the music change slightly with more indie as well as dance being played. Oasis ruled at one point.

cairos.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just found this - one of my memories of Cairo's (first time I went in?) -

Radio One's 'MASSIVE Music Tour' programme (I've added a couple of pages from the programme of artists that featured at Cairo's):

The tour was aimed mainly at the teen audience and was an afternoon gig on May [4th?] 1995 (exact date unknown to me, unfortunately and only gives generic dates in the programme - 4th is about the most accurate I can get it to from the generic dates and sketchy memory).

The bands/artists that appeared at this gig at Cairo's [to my recollection] were:

PRESENTER: PAUL ROSS

DJ: NEIL JAMES

Michelle Gayle

Sean Maguire

Those 2 Girls (Denise Van Outen in her early pop career)

Deuce

Ultimate Kaos

Dana Dawson

Richard Traviss

Worlds Apart

Optimystic

Mary Kiani

I'm almost certain I have a couple of flyers somewhere for old club nights at Cairo's (and Corporation who took the building afterwards) - If I find them I shall post them!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

***UPDATE***

Right,

Just as I had hit a brick wall on this one I managed to find a former Cairo's DJ who was resident when it was at it's biggest and best (and busiest)

DJ Steve Knight

He's a true Cairo's legend and had Cairo's flowing through his blood, and back when nightclubbing was at it's prime in Sheffield City Centre he was right there at the forefront of it all.

Steve's managed to send over a lot of amazing unique pictures of the place, and some of the items such as a Romeo's and Juliet's keyring which I've never even heard of before now !

Our true thanks to Steve, and the project we are working on will benefit from his input and knowledge that should lead to a much much better published product !

pictured - cairos dancefloor in the 80's

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest knighty59

Hi Guys

Just joined the site and seen the photos you've put on there that i sent through......Not sure if i was a true Cairo's legend, i'm sure Paul Baron was the true legend, but it's great to know that i was a big part of the club at it's height.

Keep up the good work.

Steve K.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Right..

Been working on all the pics that Steve sent over

It's fantastic to be able to get actual first hand accounts of what a place is like so we'll be eternally grateful to Steve for these, and the information he's already given me for my bigger project on this nightclub..

Cairo's Dancefloor

Some Cairo's clubbers !

Darren and a laydee

Paul Baron & his famous pink suit

Paul Baron again.. This time being looked after !

Paul Baron - with an admirer

DJ Steve Knight takes a break

Jax DJ Box

Jo Jo (Cairo's lighting superstar !)

Jo Jo on the dancefloor

DJ Steve Knight and mates (romeo's 1982)

Resident club magician entertain the staff after closing

Romeo's keyring !!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There you go folks - Steve Knight now officially entered into the sheffieldhistory.co.uk hall of fame for excellent content submission

Great stuff - thanks Steve !!

Also Steve, if you're reading this - I've touched the pictures up a bit in Photoshop so feel free to take copies of them if you want..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Superb stuff.

One overriding memory of the place (towards the end of Cairo Jax) I have is of the record that was apparently the 'oh, no! There's a fire, let's evacuate!' record (i.e. the record that was played to alert all the staff to an evacuation).

I can't for the life of me remember what it was - but it was something stupid and novelty-like (the idea being it would be a particularly obscure track to alert all the staff).

It was always on the centre wall in the DJ box.

I remember one certain DJ *cough*Neil James*cough* thinking it would be a laugh to put this on half-way through his set....

...2 minutes later he was playing to himself in an empty club with all the fire doors open and everyone out on the streets....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest knighty59

WOW!!! The photos are looking good now you've worked on them a bit.

I'm sure i have another photo somewhere of the other lighting girl, Louise, but can't seem to find it at present.

I will of course send it through if i do come across it.

I will also take a photo of the Romeos keyring with the digital camera which should be a lot better than the one of the scan.

Cheers

Steve K.............just remembered that Paul Baron used to call me Stevo during my time at Cairos.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest knighty59

THAT'S THE ONE!!!

lol

This was obviously after i had left the club because we just had a button behind the decks that we hit if there was any trouble or the like. Also we just used to call for one of the managers to the DJ box and that was the cue for all the bouncers to descend on the danceflor.

Steve K.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest knighty59

Anyone hungry ?

Fancy a burger and chips from Jax diner ?

I always used to go for the Pizza myself, which was free to staff as were all the meals in the diner.

Steve K.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think they stopped doing pizza there - must have been too complicated !

The pics look a bit clearer now they've been touched up a little - I tried not to overdo it..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk/forums/uploads/monthly_03_2007/post-1-1173162144.jpghttp://www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk/forums/uploads/monthly_03_2007/post-1-1173162152.jpg

Our thanks again to Knighty who has reshot the pics of the Romeo And Juliets keyring that he still owns !

Fantastic work and I'm sure there's not many out there who own one of these - a very collectable item..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Does anyoneone know what happened to DJ Lee when Cairo jax close did he move on to another venue because i have not seen him around since ??

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you mean the same Lee that I know he moved to Doncaster to their main club

I saw him a few times there

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest knighty59

If you mean the same Lee that I know he moved to Doncaster to their main club

I saw him a few times there

Hi mate

When are you going to update the STAFF section? No sign of me, Paul Baron, Ian Alvey, Nigel Filmer, JO JO, Jay or Louise yet.

Would be nice to get a mention up there!!!

Steve K.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Agreed !

I've been mad busy with the Monty Mania film location thing this week

I'll do it now..l

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So what club is Lee at Now in Doncaster, Is he still there ?? .. It would be great to see him again, We had a good laugh when he was at playing cairos in the 1990's

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can't remember the name of it - grrrrr - it's on the tip of my tongue too

It was on a main street - I can vaguely remember it being near a church and you had to go up loads of stairs to get to it

Was it 'charisma' ?

What a top bloke he was too - always really sound with me and good fun to be around.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest knighty59

Agreed !

I've been mad busy with the Monty Mania film location thing this week

I'll do it now..l

Hi Neil

Thanks for updating the STAFF section but i see that Nigel Filmer is down as a manager when he was in fact a DJ in Jax. Also Lady Jay is missing from the DJ's.

Cheers

Steve K.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Justr got this quote from another thread (Crookesmoor School):

I often wonder what closing a place like that down feels like

Walking out for the last time - knowing it's going to be closed forever

Wierd feeling..

I can remember knowing of the impending closure of Cairos on the final night (before it became Corporation).

The DJ (my brother Neil) went 'partying' at the end of the night and handed the decks over to me - I remember feeling huge responsibility in closing the night and played the last half-hour or so (I'd done bits before, but either in Silks or right at the beginning of the night - or on the kids nights).

The last song played at Cairo's (when it was Cairo's) was 'Ready to go' by Republica, it followed 'Place Your Hands' by Reef. - This wasn't out of place as for a while Neil had been playing a few things like this (Oasis and Pulp mainly) at the end of the night, which always seemed weird following the dance stuff, but it also seemed to fit so well (mainly down to Neil crafting it that way - usually by singing 'Place your hands' himself over some dance track into the final part of the night!).

I can remember hearing 'Baby, I'm Ready To Go!!!' at the end of the tune, the lights coming up and looking around (ears ringing as they do at the end of a club night!) thinking that it was a little fitting for the old place. A couple of people walked past and said "Great song to finish on" - little did they know there was a little more to it.

It wasn't the last time we played the place as we got invited back when it was changed to Corporation (and 'The Other Side', remember that?) for a while, but it would have been fitting to leave it there forever.

As I seem to remember rightly, we all went into the old 'Jax' side after closing and drunk by the bar there just chatting about the place for what seemed like hours.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest knighty59

Justr got this quote from another thread (Crookesmoor School):

I can remember knowing of the impending closure of Cairos on the final night (before it became Corporation).

The DJ (my brother Neil) went 'partying' at the end of the night and handed the decks over to me - I remember feeling huge responsibility in closing the night and played the last half-hour or so (I'd done bits before, but either in Silks or right at the beginning of the night - or on the kids nights).

The last song played at Cairo's (when it was Cairo's) was 'Ready to go' by Republica, it followed 'Place Your Hands' by Reef. - This wasn't out of place as for a while Neil had been playing a few things like this (Oasis and Pulp mainly) at the end of the night, which always seemed weird following the dance stuff, but it also seemed to fit so well (mainly down to Neil crafting it that way - usually by singing 'Place your hands' himself over some dance track into the final part of the night!).

I can remember hearing 'Baby, I'm Ready To Go!!!' at the end of the tune, the lights coming up and looking around (ears ringing as they do at the end of a club night!) thinking that it was a little fitting for the old place. A couple of people walked past and said "Great song to finish on" - little did they know there was a little more to it.

It wasn't the last time we played the place as we got invited back when it was changed to Corporation (and 'The Other Side', remember that?) for a while, but it would have been fitting to leave it there forever.

As I seem to remember rightly, we all went into the old 'Jax' side after closing and drunk by the bar there just chatting about the place for what seemed like hours.

That must have been a real honour to be the DJ who played the last song at Cairos and what a track to finish on.

I'm just glad i called it a day in 1988 because i don't think i would have liked to have been there at the end. It would just have been too upsetting for me if the club had closed whilst i was there. It was bad enough when i decided to leave.

I still find it hard to think that Cairos is now an office block or car park or something.

What were they thinking when they closed it?

By the way, why did the club have to close it's doors for good in the end?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...