mandy griffiths

I was friends with a girl from school who was a year older than me, Michelle, and one of her friends was Dave Moore. And I went up the Tavern with her, and Dave Moore. And we just started drinking in there. But I was only like sixteen, might have been even fifteen. 

Dave used to live just up the road from me and Michelle used to live on more or less the same estate as Dave so we used to all go back together. But then Michelle, she met someone and she sort of went steady with him and she stopped going to the Tavern whereas I carried on going in with Dave and then we met everybody else. 

It was a place where you could just go up on your own. I’d feel alright going there. Whereas other places... I wouldn't have gone in a different pub on my own. But I was alright going there on my own and sitting down and waiting for someone. Everybody seemed friendly didn't they?

I don't think my parents knew I was going there. I don't think they realised. I think they was just happy I was just out their hair really.

I think bikers and rockers always had a bad reputation anyway, didn't they? Quadrophenia and all that sort of thing, they were always classed as a bit rough. But in my experience I never saw any problems there.

It was a rough looking pub and quite often on a Saturday there was people hanging round outside it, sitting on the floor, lying on the floor. And there was a corridor of people sitting on the floor as you walked in.

There was no other jukebox like it really, was there? I always remember Lola you know by the Kinks. Takes me straight back.

It was just great times. The music was great, the atmosphere was great. And you could go in of a dinnertime, sit on your own and somebody'd nod hello to ya.

I think you change from being like a…child's the wrong word...a teenager, to like early twenties, late twenties and that's like your most formative years, isn't it really? You've gone into an adult. And even now I still remember times and I think That was brilliant that was and it’s never been the same. 

It was just really good times, wasn’t it? I think you keep some friends forever, don’t you? It doesn’t matter how long it’s been since you’ve seen ‘em. You’re still friends with ‘em.