The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
The night a real-life Disco Inferno gutted city’s hi-tech nightclub
With a laser light show, atomic neon balls and other space-age systems, the Fountain was Dundee’s hottest venue. But 35 years ago it was almost destroyed in a ferocious blaze. Graeme Strachan reports
“Burn baby, burn,” sang The Tramps in their famous disco hit, and one Dundee venue did just that in June 1985.
The Fountain opened in November 1983 just before rivals Fat Sams and was the first club to have lasers as part of the light show.
It featured a video lounge, cocktail lounge with over-active dry-ice and bubble machines on the dancefloor. Clubbers were told to remember the three Bs: Be Early, Be Smart, Be Over18.
Jeans were allowed but customers were expected to be neat and tidy to pass the Fountain’s “tight vetting process”.
The light system consisted of space lighters, atomic neon balls and cosmos balls which were attached to a raising rig which could lift the whole system five feet towards the ceiling.
The DJ was Gary Clark, who came from one of Norway’s top discos, while Kool Breez operated the lighting system, having arrived from London’s Camden Palace.
The Friday Night Fling featured all drinks at 50p; Saturday night was Party Night including what was described as a “crazy half-hour of total madness” from 1-1.30am and Sunday was over 20s night with ladies’ admission £1 and vodka 40p a nip.
However, tragedy struck 35 years ago at around 6.30pm when fire ripped through the upper floor of the Brown Street venue, causing extensive damage and completely destroying the roof.
The Fountain – which was Scottish Disco of the Year in 1984 – was closed at the time but shortly before the alarm was raised workmen had been redecorating the main disco on a lower floor.
Eight fire crews raced to the scene and firefighters had to break open the door to gain entry, only to be repeatedly beaten back by thick, choking smoke.
From a hydraulic platform outside, firefighters began hacking off roof slates with axes while training jets of water on to the flames from above.
Police erected a barrier to stop the public from entering Brown Street where debris was falling into the roadway.
Fountain owner Denis Watson and his finance director Betty Hand made a 20-mile dash to the scene from Mrs Hand’s home in Glamis.
They could only look on helplessly while 34 firefighters bravely tackled the blaze.
The roof, where expensive video equipment was stored, was completely destroyed and there was extensive smoke and water damage to the floors below.
In the video lounge, large monitors were completely melted by the intense heat.
Loss assessor David Dalston drove through the night from his Yorkshire home after a 1am phone call from Mr Watson.
The Fountain was insured for £1 million and the repair bill would be well into six figures.
Firefighters had to make an emergency dash back to the scene just 24 hours after the blaze when a bag of rubbish smouldered to life again.
Dundee CID investigated but there were no suspicious circumstances.
The Fountain remained closed for months following repairs, before reopening in April 1986 after Mr Watson spent £160,000 on improvements to the interior.
The club returned just as Fat Sams and the Dance Factory started working on the Dundee music scene.
Fat Sams suddenly became the place to be while the Fountain changed its name and became Dirty Den’s, which opened in 1988.
The club later changed its name to Oscars, then the Colosseum, and most recently Oxygen, before closing down for good.
“Eight fire crews raced to the scene and had to break open the door, only to be repeatedly beaten back by thick, choking smoke