Photograph
International 2
1975

“now i don't remember it looking like that! i remember it more set back from the road too...”

“Me neither, I remember it being a much older/vintage building (painted black or dark grey?) and definitely set back from the road...”

“Joe Strummer was top night when it was Int 2 has anyone got pictures of International 1 from the outside, was it called Geneveve's in the old days? My cousin used to go Northern Dance nights.”

“Have I got this wrong then? Wouldn't be the first time :-) If so I'll delete my text and add the venue as the Carousel club. I remember this place and, preferring smaller gigs, only made it to the Int2 a couple of times - Steve Earle solo/acoustic being a great gig.”

“i dont want to be the one to say it's wrong! my memory's terrible. the stairs look familiar but that's about it.”

“This is the right place. The International 2 was known as The Carousel in an earlier life.

Fond memories of seeing the likes of Public Enemy, Frankie Paul, Yellowman, Trouble Funk, Gil Scott Heron, Slave, Fela Kuti, Yargo, EPMD, Jungle Brothers etc (not on the same night obv) and working on shows from the likes of ACR there.

The owner had an alsatian that used to roam round the place at night and when we came in to set up a show the first thing
to clear off the stage was the dog shit.”

“mmmm i can't really remember who i saw here. definitely the pogues - i was right up against the scaffold 'safety' barrier at the front and under the weight of the crowd the metal bars started buckling- i kid you not! i saw this metal pipe start twisting and then it sheared infront of me and i was getting pushed onto it, trying to hold myself back. i remember trying to get the attention of a security guy near me, but he was watching spider hit himself over the head with a tray (i wonder if that was on the rider?) - finally, and just in time he saw me and came running over and kicked the pipe away from me just as a big wave on movement hit me and i was pushed forward - the sheared end pipe would have certainly gone right into my stomach. Great gig tho', don't know the date.

Also saw the Stone Roses here - never seen a floor so littered with plastic cups before - James, 808 state... and i'm sure many more but i forget. Tried to get into De La Soul but didn't...”

“You had me worried there! I remember the steps but not the wall.

(Tell us about the De La Soul gig DG. )”

“Remember seeing Big Audio Dynamite on a sunday night ,the place was bouncing also saw yargo ,happy mondays,the christians and toss the feathers on a xmas or new years eve (what ever happened to toss the feathers ?)always prefered int 2 to int 1”

“I don't remember that wall out front with the railings.
Wasn't it called Slosky's at one point too?”

“Loads of top names played here...The Ramones twice in the late 1980's, Iggy Pop on his Instinct tour, and the Black Crowes (supporting Dogs D'amour) were among my favourites.”

“Known as Sloskys just before it changed to International 2. James and the Stone Roses did a joint benefit gig for something. There was a drinking room to the left when you first went in. You had to go down some narrow stairs to get to the main hall - I remember bouncers trying to shove everybody down the stairs but it was so packed it was impossible to move. There was also a small kind of balcony to the right the mixing desk or dj were up there sometimes. Housemartins played here - the set lasted a couple of hours despite the lighting rig falling off the ceiling onto the band. Once they shifted it (Lighting rig 1 - Housemartins 0) they did a cracking long set.”

“Great venue: I saw Georgie Fame, Jimmy Smith, Ted Hawkins, Gil Scott-Heron, Curtis Mayfield and a few others I'll have to flog my memory to recover...”

“Was my Uncle Peters club, my aunty Peggie , mother and other family members worked there, also visited by the Krays, fond memories of playing there when i was a kid , Terry wogan did his first perfomance there and fell on entry as my mother remembers.”

“I remember going there many times in the late 1980's and early 1990's. Amongst many, I saw Tin Machine, Gregory Isaacs, and most notably, Sly & Robbie and the Taxi Gang in 1986 I think.”