Sheffield retro: When the Roxy took centre stage on ‘Hitman & Her’ presented by Pete Waterman and Michaela Strachan

Pete Waterman and Michaela Strachan somehow tamed 2,000 alcohol-fuelled Roxy nightclub goers with hit acts and dancing competitions. One of the standout nights was Bonfire Night, Saturday, November 5th, 1988. The Arundel Street venue, now the 02 Academy, was packed to the rafters.

Pete Waterman remembers it fondly: “The Roxy was one of the better clubs. Everybody joined in. There was no pretence. No airs. No graces. People came for fun.” Joe Roberts remembers the night well: “The fact the show was coming created a buzz for weeks before in Sheffield. It was our chance to grab a bit of the limelight in the day before social media and mobile phones. We loved it!”

The show was recorded live, edited on-the-fly and broadcast later that night – often not being screened until 3am. Local crowds ensured the Roxy was a sell out as the likes of chart toppers like the London Boys and Royal House from New York performed and various Sheffield clubbers were plucked out of the audience to participate in regular games such as “pass the mic!” and “showing out”.

June Feek’s son was that excited to appear on the Bonfire Night show he rang his mum at home in Brinsworth to ensure she recorded it. June Feek said: “I ended up having to stay up until about 4am to ensure it was recorded!”Her son, Chris, came forward with the VHS tape which has been kept safe for over 30 years.

The Roxy was a true staple of ‘80s and ‘90s clubbing in Sheffield with a mix of mainstream nights, student nights, rock nights, over 25s night (or ‘grab a granny’ as it was better known). Major stars of the era performed including Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Edwin Starr, Sabrina and more.

Pre-club pub crawls regularly started at 7pm (none of this post-9pm meeting shenanigans in the era prior to licensing deregulation) and it’s no surprise that more than a few punters had trouble traversing the hallowed steps up to the sprawling Roxy venue as pub closing time approached. Once you’d got the green light from the bow-tie wearing bouncers you entered a sea of neon lights (it was a truly gargantuan light show); dancefloor the size of a football field; a wealth of bars upstairs and down and a balcony to hone in on the talent on the dancefloor.

A Roxy regular remembers: “It was the biggest club in the region and people used to travel for miles to come. I loved it. I was gutted when it shut.” If you want a taste of the Roxy you can do worse than trying the now annual reunion which this year is set for Friday, December 8th. Tickets are £11 (including booking fee) and available from: bit.ly/RoxysMadFriday2023