“Bernard's Bar (later to be known as Stuffed Olives, Bar Kay and now South nightclub, 4a King Street) was a Manchester gay club run by Bernard Slingsby at a time when there were very few in the city centre.
Deville's was a club on Lloyd Street attracting a mixed crowd, latterly the post-punk/goth crew.
I'd like to learn what the connection was between the two venues, or whether this was a simple co-promotion.
Bernard's Bar was name-checked by Morrissey in an interview with Melody Maker where he said ‘if one wanted peace and to sit without being called a parade of names it was the only hope’.
Apparently, in the late 1980s future Hacienda star Jon Da Silva made his name on the decks at Bernard's. The club drew a crowd of gay and working-class straight men, with people queuing around the block to get in, including future Happy Mondays stars Shaun Ryder and Bez. Accounts from DJs and revellers reveal how the shared love for music broke down barriers between communities.
In 2007 Bernard Slingsby ran as a Conservative candidate in the Radcliffe West ward and also campaigned to stop the closure of care homes for the elderly. He died in 2015.”
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Been looking for something relating to Bernard's Bar for years!”