Nightclubs people travelled 'from far and wide' to visit

Back in the 1980s and 90s. one Merseyside area saw people travel from "far and wide" to visit their brilliant nightclubs.

In Liverpool city centre, clubbers would head to the likes of 051, Krazyhouse, Cream (Nation) and Garlands. But many would also venture further to Aintree, to head to the likes of The Paradox and Fallows, which later transformed into Kiss.

The site of The Paradox had previously been home to Vernon Pools before it burst onto the scene. And the site of Fallows, which also had a twin site in Speke, has also seen much change since its clubbing days.

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At one point, the Aintree clubs also attracted the attention of ITV's The Hitman and Her, hosted by Pete Waterman and Michaela Strachan. Here, we take a look back at the town's nightclubs that saw people travel "far and wide to visit."

This list isn't intended to be comprehensive.. But if you have any more you'd like to see included, let us know in the comments section below.

The Paradox

Years ago, The Paradox in Aintree was one of the most popular clubs in the region. The art deco style clock tower, on Ormskirk Road, was one of the places to be in the 1990s.

The site started out in the 1920s as the Vernon Pools building, but when they moved to new premises in 1991 it became the Paradox nightclub. Many DJs had weekly sets at Paradox, which were loved by clubbers every week before its closure in 2001.

Many DJs had weekly sets at Paradox, providing the soundtrack to many nights out. The club was also adored for its themed nights.

At one point, Paradox hosted a Saturday Night Live club night which was broadcast on Radio City and presented by Kev Seed. One of the DJs who had a weekly set at the club was Marco Moretti, who was known as DJ Marco.

Whilst on air, The Hitman and Her also visited the Aintree nightclub. A short clip on Youtube shows Michaela and Pete come on camera with people dancing and waving behind them. Michaela said: "Hello, welcome to The Hitman and Her, this week we’re at another new club. This has had £3.6m pounds spent on it."

In the crowd, you can see clubbers on each others shoulders trying to catch a glimpse of dancers performing on stage, and colourful strobe lights illuminate the dancefloor. Later, Michaela gets the crowd involved with game Pass The Mic, which sees clubbers Amanda, Angela and Joe sing Help by The Beatles, which sees contestant three, Joe, win a pair of slippers.

In January 2013, the building was torn down, having stood empty for years and becoming derelict. After the iconic structure was demolished, the site became home to a Sports Direct store with a gym attached. The ECHO recently reshared fascinating images that offer a glimpse into the final days inside the former nightclub building before its demolition.

Ahead of a Paradox reunion in 2021, DJ Marco told the ECHO: "Because Paradox wasn't situated within Liverpool city centre, it seemed to be more of a local community nightclub, although many people did travel far and wide. Saturday Night Live became so popular there was a regular night bus to and from Skelmersdale and Warrington, bringing hundreds of extra party goers week in, week out."

Fallows

If you were a clubber in Aintree in the 80s and 90s, you'll most likely remember nightclub Fallows. Fallows on Heysham Road took off in the late 80s and is remembered for its Monday and Thursday club nights in particular.

At one point, there was also another Fallows, known as Fallows Two, in Speke. Back in 1991, ITV's Hitman and Her TV show saw hosts Michaela Strachan and Pete Waterman also film an episode at the Aintree club.

An old rediscovered clip, uploaded to YouTube, you can see camera move towards the crowd, capturing clubbers dancing. After the Wee Papa Girl Rappers performed single Best of My Love, What Do I Have To Do by Kylie Minogue is played to the crowd.

Cameras from above scanned the crowds whilst operators were on the dancefloor in the action to capture close-ups of the clubbers. That night, Michaela and Pete also hosted a fashion section featuring "funky" styles from a collection based on Mathew Street, which saw five models strut their stuff in everything from lime green playsuits to bright yellow bomber jackets and a red drawstring jacket with matching hot pants.

But the following year in 1992, clubbers were gutted when Fallows as they knew it closed its doors for good. Two years prior, European Leisure had acquired Fallows One in Heysham Road, Aintree and Fallows Two in Speke.

In November 1992, it was announced that Aintree was set to get a new nightclub after a half-million pound investment. For some time after, Fallows Two in Speke remained open.

Kiss

Over the years, the home of Fallows on Heysham Road has evolved, being separated into different rooms and then made into a pub called the Heysham Arms and another club called Kiss. On November 17, the ECHO reported: "The entire internal layout of the building has been altered to produce two separate discotheques - Kiss, which can accommodate about 1,200 and Yel, with a 350 capacity.

"There will be soul and swing music in Yel and a more dance orientated selection in Kiss.. Each disco has a top quality sound system, it's own dance floor, DJ and state-of-art lighting."

For Aintree clubbers, the old image of Fallows had gone, with the former black, white and chrome décor being totally replaced. Boasting seven bars, including two cocktail bars, clubbers may also remember the sites fast food outlet - Love Bites Diner - which dispensed burgers, chips, tea and coffee.

In its time, the site also had a VIP lounge and a function room available for hire. In 1992, admission costs varied from £1 to £4 depending what time you arrived, with Kiss opening from 10pm till 2am. The club was also known for its Yellow Submarine nights on a Monday attracting many students.

At the time, mainline draught beers cost 95p a pint and spirits were also 95p. Resident DJ's included Gary Gee and Andy Gapp. Eventually Kiss came to an end and later, so did the Heysham Arms to make way for Thomas Valentino’s.

The rest of the venue eventually became Time Out, children's indoor soft play centre. In more recent years, Thomas Valentino’s became a function room, before transforming into The New Valentino's Function Suite.

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