Legendary Liverpool club Eric¹s to re-open ON October 1, 1976 a new music club opened its doors on Mathew Street in Liverpool. The iconic club was called Eric¹s and with the backing of Roger Eagle, Ken Testi and Pete Fulwell, it would become synonymous with the punk-rock era. But despite closing its doors after only four years its influence on the music scene was legendary. With early gigs from Blondie, Buzzcocks, The Clash, Elvis Costello, The Jam, Joy Division, The Police, The Sex Pistols, The Stranglers and U2. It was with the local bands that the club would have its greatest impact as it helped launch the careers of Echo and the Bunnymen, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Pete Burns, Pete Wylie and Teardrop Explodes. While band members from Big in Japan would later be linked with Frankie goes to Hollywood, the KLF, The Lightning Seeds and Siouxsie and the Banshees. After 31 years the music venue will re-open its doors later this year. Owner and managing director John Lynch, along with musical director Ethan Allen and promoter Lee Butler are hard at work researching every detail of the original club. ³Eric¹s is part of Liverpool¹s musical heritage and we want to return it to its former glory. It¹s being recreated in the image of the original venue but we¹ll have to bring certain things up to date, the venue will have air conditioning and they¹ll be showers for the dressing rooms. Just like the old Eric¹s we too want to provide a stage for talented local bands so Eric¹s can become part of their musical history,² said John. Ethan said: ³Eric¹s was so special because it played music you just couldn¹t hear anywhere else. It wasn¹t just about the punk rock, there was jazz, reggae and folk music. They had performance art and poetry. Craig Charles got his first break there by reading poetry between the acts. We want to make Eric¹s special again.²
