Mural planned honouring legendary Stoke-on-Trent nightclubs and DJs

Two Stoke-on-Trent locals are planning to create a mural honouring legendary nightclubs and DJs from the city over the decades.

Bob Leigh and Phil Johnson are hoping to secure a spot for the artwork in Hanley, according to BBC News, measuring around 5 metres tall when completed.

The mural would celebrate DJs and famous nightspots of past and present, with potential plans to display a timeline of Stoke nightlife from the 1960s to the modern day.

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Speaking to BBC Radio Stoke, Johnson said inspiration for the project was sparked when he noticed several murals across Rochdale, as well as an artwork titled 100 Years 100 Faces celebrating famous Stokies, which was unveiled in Hanley, Stoke, in September.

“Let's do something similar about nightlife culture,” he told the station. “No disrespect to Rochdale but Stoke-on-Trent has given so much to the world.”

The mural would feature popular and historic venues such as The Place, thought to be the UK’s “first discotheque” when it opened in 1963, as well as Club Kinetic, Shelley’s Laserdome, The Void, Valentino's, and The Antelope.

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Both Leigh and Johnson have been attempting to preserve Stoke’s nightlife legacy with similar projects over the years, notably mounting unofficial blue plaques across the city last year in a nod to once legendary, now-shuttered venues.

They also hosted several tours of “lost” nightclubs in Stoke-on-Trent, described by Leigh as a “trip down memory lane” that attracted “ladies who used to dance around with their handbags who said they just wanted to reminisce,” and "a couple of rockers who were interested in heritage,” according to BBC News.

[Via BBC News]

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Associate Digital Editor, follow her on X