This 4-6 Woodbridge Road, Guildford located venue was not front and centre necessarily, but it did host many a local band in the earlier days.

Opened as the Electric Cinema on Boxing Day, 26th December 1911 – a conversion from a skating rink – by late 1985 it was re-named Cannon 1 & 2. The cinema closed on 31st March 1988. The Flicks Nightclub, which was promoted as ‘The Live Alternative’ was run by the Aldridge brothers, Clive and Stuart, who took over the building in 1990. Later renamed Bojangles, it closed in 2012 and after standing unused was taken down in 2014, but not before it was featured on Derelict Places.

Railroad Earth headlined a gig at Flicks in February ’91, supported by Farmhouse Bread and Scotch, to a small crowd of committed gig goers who were undeterred by deep snow. On 20 April ’91, Wildfire got paid 60 quid for supporting Big Town Playboys at Flicks. This appears to have been the standard rate for a support or local band, with The Rockit Men being paid the same for a 30 May ’91 gig, having appeared there a month earlier on 26 April ’91. Wildfire were also back at the venue on 3 June to support Manfred Mann’s Earthband. In July ’91 Yellow Darkness reported that they are banned from Flicks for “foul and abusive language” – A claim Flicks management denied and we assume after their 26 July gig supported by The Rockit Men. In August ’91 The Flowerpot Men supported Ozric Tentacles at the venue and we know that Who Moved The Ground? also appeared there around this time.

August 1991

Other big names, such as Freak Power, A Man Called Adam, James Taylor Quartet, Snowboy, Driza Bone and Mother Earth, also took to the downstairs stage. Reportedly, sometime between ’90 and ’95, an episode of 1990’s Channel 4 television programme The Word was recorded at Bojangles. In ’97, The Wok Club was in residence hosting nights every two weeks, but was more focus on putting DJs in the main hall, such as Smokin Jo, Ricky Stone, Brighton based Sarah Chapman, and DJ Breeze.

The last listing for live music at Bojangles was on a Thursday – no not a student night, which was on Wednesday’s, when the main hall pounded to stone cold floor fillers from Ruby Turner, JX, Livin’ Joy, Gloworm, and Future Sound of London – and featured local band Mindwire, who took to the stage along with Dolls Head and No Mosquito on 8 March 2001.

Gallery:

Bojangles, on the left. Source: Margaret Flanagan via Guildford Town Past & Present
Flyer for The Wok Club Night at Bojangles in 1997, as found on the ceiling of Ben’s Collector’s Records Records. Source: Ben Darnton
Flyer for The Wok Club Night at Bojangles in 1997. Source: Ben Darnton
Wildfire, on stage at Flicks, Guildford supporting either Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, Chicken Shack or Big Town Playboys in ’89, ’90 or ’91. Picture courtesy of Ben Darnton
Bojangles during demolition in 2014. Source: Jonathan Piers Butler via Guildford Town Past & Present
20 April 1991: Wildfire got paid 60 quid for supporting Big Town Playboys at Flicks. Picture courtesy of Ben Darnton
20 April 1991: Big Town Playboys, supported by Wildfire, were at Flicks. Picture courtesy of Ben Darnton
3 June 1991: Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, supported by Wildfire, were at Flicks. Picture courtesy of Ben Darnton
30 May 1991: Rockit Men got paid 60 quid for playing Flicks. Picture courtesy of Ben Darnton
26 April 1991: The Rockit Men’s setlist for Flicks, Guildford. Guildford. Picture courtesy of Ben Darnton
26 April 1991: Rockit Men were at, the old cinema, Flicks, Guildford. Picture courtesy of Ben Darnton
26 July 1991: Gig Listing from TBI local newspaper has Yellow Darkness, supported by Rockit Men, playing Flicks, Guildford. Picture courtesy of Ben Darnton
Bojanglez… Source: Jonathan Piers Butler‎ via Guildford Town Past & Present