Remember this favourite Newcastle city centre matchday bar?
MATCHDAY at St James’ Park is nearly upon us.
Newcastle United host Southampton in a crucial relegation battle on Saturday.
Part and parcel of the experience for many supporters is the pre and post-match drinking session.
Generations of United fans have fortified themselves with Dutch courage in the pubs of Newcastle before a big game, then returned to celebrate or commiserate depending on the result.
It’s no secret the city has a brilliant range of bars - old and new - for those who enjoy a tipple with their football.
For years, Idols, located in the bowels of Newgate Shopping Centre, was a big favourite with mainly male Toon fans on matchdays.
If you wanted a quiet, contemplative quaff, this was not the place for you.
Idols was loud, in-your-face, and fun, fun and fun.
Mick Edmondson - aka ‘Mad Mick’ - was DJ there from when the bar opened in 1994, staying for 13 years.
Today, he owns the popular Back Page bookshops in Newcastle and the Metrocentre.
Mick remembers: “Idols was brilliant from the off. We started the pre and post-match parties a couple of months after the place opened
“At the time, Newcastle United were riding high under Kevin Keegan and tickets for the match were like gold dust.
“There’d sometimes be 1,000 people down there, but there was never once any trouble.
“Everybody had a laugh. Everybody had a drink. There were people from all walks of life - and away fans sometimes.
“We had exotic dancers and barmaids - and we’d have eating competitions.”
These would consist of punters necking down a volcanic substance called ‘curry hell’ which would be carried out by bar staff wearing quarantine gloves.
Concocted by the late Abdul Latif - also known as the Lord of Harpole, manager of the famous Rupali restaurant in the Bigg Market - it was billed as the ‘world’s hottest curry’. It was like putting sulphuric acid rather than food in your mouth.
Mick remembers: “More than one contestant ended up on the toilet and missing the match!
“We’d also do the ‘yard of ale’, with the record being four seconds.
“Les Ferdinand paid a visit once when he was leaving the club. And Sir John Hall even dropped in.”
On TV screens around the venue, as a backdrop to the raucous activity, there’d be archive video footage of classic 1970s and 80s Newcastle United matches playing.
Meanwhile, long-time DJ Mick would be blasting out punk, indie and mod classics over the PA.
Many of us will recall having matchday fun at Idols.
Mick left the bar in 2007, and today runs a pre and post-match event at Bar Beyond in the Gate.
Idols was consigned to history along with the Newgate Centre by the bulldozers in 2016.