Berlin was a basement bar and club and is shown in these two 1986 photos from the Archives. It was a small, dark low-roofed place with one of the first dry ice machines in town and a big screen showing films and video footage. It was previously Blinkers, a members restaurant club, and later the Asylum.
The exact site of Berlin was probably this building, Pierre Alexandra the hairdressers, as judged by the pipes on the outside of the building, which don't seem to have changed since the 1986 photos above.
Site of Berlin, King Street West. (c) googlemaps.
It was a dark and dingy subterranean sound chamber. Sofas pushed up against the walls and tvs mounted here and there all playing A Clockwork Orange on loop. The dance floor was small and sticky and sometimes a camouflage net adorned the ceiling over the pit occasionally ending up being pulled down on everyone, trapped and caught in the music. It was truly delicious and I became a regular making friends on the scene, sharing make up, brought together by the music. We'd get the last bus home and sleeping in til noon as it wasn't a school night! Saturday afternoon we'd often hang out in the underground market. Yvonne from Collectors Records playing our requests and giving us a little corner to socialise. Ashley next door sold jewellery and did piercings. We'd buy merch and hair dye from Afflecks and plan our outfits for the night. Other haunts were The Ritz on Monday, Playpen Tuesday, Legends Thursday, Sometimes The Banshees Friday and Cloud 9 on Saturday. I have a handful of photos, one i found today invocking happy memories of my early club days and great people I met on the way. Love and Light
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