An art deco, laser-filled temple of fun, Flicks in Brechin became a mecca for the Stock, Aitken and Waterman generation in the 1980s.
Transport to and from the nightclub was not a problem.
Bain’s Coaches from Oldmeldrum operated a popular £2 return service that covered the whole of the north-east of Scotland.
Many of the nightclub’s customers travelled every weekend to Flicks.
So how did it all begin?
Stuart Aikenhead, Mike Swilinski and Peter Barr took an £800,000 gamble and bought the old King’s Cinema at 79-81 High Street and converted it into a nightclub.
Having previously run a mobile disco, Stuart, Mike and Peter were constantly being told it was a huge risk but they had a gut feeling they could make it a big success.
They realised that having a nurses’ home and US air base on their doorstep, and being within an hour of Perth, Dundee and Aberdeen, gave them a great catchment area.
Flicks opened on December 20 1985, the club’s name and recognisable cinema ticket logo was a nod to the building’s previous life before it reached its final reel.
They made Flicks one of the best decorated clubs in history, set up a light and laser show way ahead of its time and brought big-name acts to perform there.
Flicks picked up a collection of accolades as the best nightclub and disco in Scotland and the dress code was “smart fashionable dress” and “no denims” and “no trainers”.
Every performer won new fans and sold more records on the back of a Flicks visit and Brechin businesses made a small fortune.
Performers from Samantha Fox to Kylie Minogue appeared at Flicks
Former glamour model Samantha Fox was riding high at number three in the singles chart with Touch Me when she performed at Flicks in 1986.
She was the most famous Page 3 girl in history and the 20-year-old proved to be an extremely popular draw with the punters who packed the place out.
Strangely enough, it was mostly blokes queuing up in the High Street that night!
Bananarama were top of the charts with Venus in 1987 when they performed at Flicks and other big names followed such as Rick Astley and Sinitta.
Bruno Brookes, Amazulu, Doctor and The Medics, Imagination, Gloria Gaynor, Man 2 Man, Village People and Bucks Fizz all appeared through the smoke machine.
Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Johnnie Hates Jazz, Mel and Kim, Pepsi and Shirlee and Nick Kamen were the other big names from the 1980s that took to the stage.
Leslie Grantham (Dirty Den) from EastEnders was even seen pulling pints there!
And there were many others.
DJ Steve Wright was a regular at Flicks.
Signing off his show late afternoon Friday, he would fly up to Edinburgh and be driven to Brechin along with his sidekick Peter Dickson, who did all the voices on his show.
Come 9.30pm Steve was on stage and enthralling a packed Flicks with his zany antics.
So, what made them come up to Brechin to perform?
The Hitman and Her at Flicks in Brechin
Pete Waterman turned up at the nightclub’s second birthday party and his late-night clubbing show, The Hitman and Her, was also filmed live in Flicks four times.
Entry was £7 when the show was there in 1990.
He said: “Flicks was the furthest north we ever went for The Hitman and Her.
“If I remember rightly, we hosted four times from Flicks and every one was a huge success. But I was up to visit at least twice a year.
“It was pretty amazing because we were so far away from anywhere but always found the audience there to be fantastic.
“There was never any trouble, people throwing drinks or anything. They were there to enjoy themselves.
Flicks was a big club in a small town. But it was as good as any club I ever visited, anywhere.”
“It was just a great time. Mike, Stuart and Pete were really lovely guys.
“Flicks was a big club in a small town. But it was as good as any club I ever visited, anywhere.
“Given the size of the town, that was an amazing achievement.
“It’s just a fantastic success story. I met the best people there, that’s what I remember.
“The friendship was great, and the crowd was always up for it.”
Michaela Strachan misses clubs like Flicks
Michaela Strachan starred as Her during its ITV run from 1988 until 1992.
The show was originally to be called The Hitman and Michaela but the 22-year-old had yet to sign a contract so bets were hedged and a legendary name was born.
She told me: “It was such a bizarre idea and yet it has become so cult, and I find it extraordinary how many people seem to remember it and how many people watched it, considering it went out in the middle of the night.
“The wildlife stuff has now taken over but I’m always surprised by the amount of people who say they remember me and the show in a really fond way.
“Flicks was extremely friendly and welcoming and they absolutely loved us being there in Brechin.
“I think it’s quite sad there just aren’t those sort of clubs like Flicks any more.
“Now it’s all bars with some music and a bit of a dance floor.”
What happened to Flicks?
Flicks was sold to Montrose businessman Colin Bruce in 1992 for £300,000 and introduced new attractions including an under-18s disco.
It changed hands again a few times before closing in 1996 following a fire.
The club relaunched as Arena in 2001 with both floors totally rebuilt, and possessing one of the best sound systems and lighting rigs in Scotland.
The High Street nightclub struggled to attract clientele despite the investment and was eventually bought by Blue Beat Entertainment in 2004.
The music stopped when the venue closed permanently in 2005.
Flicks has languished on the Buildings at Risk Register ever since and the one-time king of clubs is now a dilapidated eyesore.
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