Reunion for legendary club Eric’s is happening exactly 45 years since police shut it down

A reunion for legendary Liverpool club Eric’s is happening – exactly 45 years since it was shut down after a police raid.

The night is taking place at District in the Baltic Triangle, owned by Jayne Casey who was one of the best-known regulars at the Mathew Street basement club. It will be the second Eric’s reunion since Covid, after a hugely successful one at the same venue last spring.

One of the organisers, Banjo, says the date is particularly significant this year.

He said:

“March 15 will be 45 years to the weekend since Eric’s was closed down after the police raided it. The Psychedelic Furs played and the police turned up in van loads and threw people in the back, but the irony is it was closing down anyway so that was already going to be the last night. 

“A lot of people were anti-punk back then; people were shocked and they wanted to close it down and get rid of the punks, even though they still haven’t managed to.

“One of the nicest things about these reunion nights is the cross-section of ages we get so it’s not just old punks reliving their youth, it’s people who know how important it was to Liverpool, to music culture and to the music they like.

“Eric’s enabled Liverpool culturally to step out of the shadow of The Beatles and The Cavern and to forge a new identity that’s still very much being felt across the city.”

Banjo was a regular at the Saturday afternoon gigs along with DJ Andy Carroll who will play at the reunion night.

He said:

“We were matinee kids, that’s where we cut our teeth musically,”

“Roger Eagle who ran Eric’s and Tony Wilson from Factory Records, who had a club called the Electric Circus in Manchester, had a deal where bands would come over to play two shows in Liverpool and at least one in Manchester.

“Most of them were from London or Leeds or Sheffield so it just made it more financially viable for them. 

“The matinees were for under 18s, I was 16 when I was going and it was life-changing. 

“I was a hick kid from a hick town and it took me from being a spectator to being an active participant not just in punk but in Liverpool’s cultural revival. I got £2.50 pocket money at the time, so 50p went on a return on the bus from Burscough to Liverpool, £1 into Eric’s and £1 to split between a record from Probe and a Coke.

“I remember when Iggy Pop played and the tickets were £2, I had to save up for it!

“The first band I saw was Joy Division, and I went back next week and it was The Specials and The Clash. How could I not fall in love with it?

“Norman Killan was the original DJ from Eric’s and he’ll be DJing at the reunion. They were eclectic times because there weren’t that many punk records around so Norman would play a lot of reggae, pre-punk stuff, some blues, as well as punk and post-punk.

“He’s still every bit as cool as he was back in the day.”

Banjo remembers Eric’s as a unique place where clubbers went to find their tribe and mingle with the bands.

“There was probably only about 300 people in the crowd for The Clash and the bands were so cool, they’d come off stage and hang out with the audience afterwards. 

“There was such a sense of community between the bands and the fans at Eric’s, there were no barriers.”

Eric’s 45-year reunion is at District, 61 Jordan Street on Saturday March 15, 8pm-late, £5 entry. 

Find out more about the Eric’s Reunion here.

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