The Longlands Club, situated on Marton Road in Middlesbrough, is a vibrant hub for music events and entertainment. Over the 4 years in which owners Michael Hill and Toni Appleton have been taking care of things, Longlands has become a truly active venue and an abundance of major names have graced the club’s central stage in the heart of Middlesbrough.
The owners have welcomed legendary two-tone ska band Bad Manners to their club on multiple occasions, a band who cemented themselves amongst the 80s ska revival genre alongside bands such as Madness and The Specials. Longlands promoters even came to their rescue during the band’s 40th-anniversary tour as their malfunctioned tour bus left them stranded, providing their own van to ferry them between gigs.
Other notable acts to have performed at The Longlands Club include iconic punk band UK Subs, who heralded the first wave of British punk back in the 70s, and Brit award-winning noughties boy band 5ive.
The critically-acclaimed actress and vocalist Toyah Wilcox (of seminal punk epic ‘Jubilee’ and The Who-inspired ‘Quadrophenia’) has also played a selection of her UK top 40 singles at the club.
Long-standing reggae group Aswad have performed fiery sets from their impressive discography of 21 albums, and The Neville Staple band have rocked out there, fronted by the vocalist of infamous Ska giants, The Specials.
Longlands have also hosted a huge variety of ‘Evening With’ nights, with former footballers such as Paul Merson (Arsenal, Middlesbrough and England midfielder) , Dean Windass ( England striker), two-time World Darts champion Glen Durrant and the current World’s Strongest Man, Eddie Hall, who can deadlift 500 kgs under strongman rules, all making their way to the club.
Venue owner, Michael Hill, has passionately expressed his goals for Longlands as a culture institution, stating that their mission is: “to break away from the typical social club stereotypes and drive the venue forward as a hub for live entertainment and functions in the area as well as being a community local with a modern feel”. He cites his ambitions for Longlands to become a: “diverse, recognizable venue similar to the lively ambience of The Brudenell Social Club in Leeds and Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club in London which are born out of the ashes of old ‘social clubs’”.
2018 is lining up to be a roaring success for The Longlands Club, with the ‘Peaky Blinders Ball’ on March 9th setting up to be a seminal triumph, with the promise of vintage-style decadence, old-school tunes and alcoholic debauchery in the style of the notorious TV show. Those missing out on this event will get to join in for another Peaky Blinders Ball on 11th May, organised due to popular demand.
Scoring a record-busting 9 sold-out shows at the Indigo O2, and a worldwide fanbase, eight-piece Ska band The Dualers are to play two sold-out shows on the 13th April and 7th of September this year at Longlands, acting as a testimony to the venues’ growing reputation. Their track ‘Truly Madly Deeply’ was even featured in blockbuster film ‘Fool’s Gold’ starring Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey. Their first ever Oktoberfest will also be held on the 5th October this year, promising a beer-guzzling night to remember.
This year, the venue aims to introduce a new string of events called ‘An Evening In Tribute To’, with the first featuring a tribute to pop sensation Ed Sheeran, set to take place on the 6th of May. These events will surely attract an eager audience and those heartfelt about supporting independent venues.
Michael is also looking into starting local band showcases too and is eager to support up and coming artists.
For further information about The Longlands Club, and to inquire about playing the venue, please head to facebook.com/thelonglandsclub.
