A welcome new home

TUCKED in behind Bradford’s Westgate under the shadow of the sky-line dominating Yorkshire Building Society tower block is Albion Street, a small cobbled back lane. At number 21/23, the 1 in 12 Club has found a home in a converted, slim, three-floored textiles factory. It was, said one woman, "an empty, grubby building that looked pretty rotten, pretty delapidated".

Over two years since it’s purchase by the 1 in 12, with the aid of local and central government grants worth some £90,000, the building has been regenerated by the hands, sweat and commitment of club members. It’s now a social club and venue, unaligned and independant.

The paint is fresh and bright, the furniture second-hand, the floors creak and it’s built to requirements. No flash, sterile waiting room or amusement arcade.

Through a narrow door on the street, tread up red-leaded stone stairs. The gig room on the first floor fits around 150 people, fully equipped with bar, stage and economy sized PA mixing desk. In proud position is suspended a dwarfing, painted red cloth banner, trade union style.

Twist round up the stair case, past garish silk screen posters announcing past 1 in 12 free festivals, and push through two doors into the main bar (Sam Smiths in the pipes).

It’s well lit, large windows pull in day light over the roof of the mill building opposite. Photo montage posters from a seven year history hang on cool green walls, red blinds, pool table and an assortment of armchairs, stools and tables.

The floor above is as yet undeveloped, but serves as office space. Plans for future use encompass prepared offices, work spaces and practice areas. Blessed with long sky lights, the cluttered dusty room is perhaps the only reminder of the building’s previous internal appearance.

The buildings development isn’t yet complete, it depends very much on the wishes and needs of members.

"We’re not restricted anymore, as in the past when using other peoples premises," said one member, "one night a week served a purpose - but now we’ve got our own premises, six days a week into which we can fit, really, whatever we choose."

"This club is a resource", added another, "anything that needs four walls around it, we’ve got it. This is what it’s here for."

ONE IN TWELVE claimants are defrauding the state said the Rayner Report early in 1981. In Bradford, where such remarks are treated with derision, the Claimants Union said "really?"

Their response was to set up the "1 in 12" club, to provide regular, cheap gigs for Bradfords unemployed, promoting mainly local independant bands, poets, and artists.

"To provide an alternative social scene for those of us with little or no money. Free from racist, sexist, statist hassles, bouncer intimidation, violence and dress regulation," quotes a press cutting montage in the building’s bar.

Operating from a series of pubs around the city, holding regular Sunday meetings and promoting bands, holding open-air free festivals, the 1 in l2 has proven to be an essential element of Bradford’s social scene in the ‘80’s.

The club’s members run associated collective groups producing and publishing a profusion of records, tapes, books and reports. The tapes and records like "The Worst of 1 in 12", and books like Jean Gitting’s poetry about the miner’s strike, "Striking Stuff’, were widely acclaimed and all sold out.

The club’s progress from pub to pub, "pillar to post", has at times produced it’s strains, said some long term members. But through a stark period of hibernation in the early ‘80’s members learnt, grew and developed and gradually overcame the unconcious male domination of club affairs.

There were constant highs. At Tickles, one of the club’s residencies in 1983, there were 1000 members. "It was buzzing".

There was the move to the Market Tavern, going with Tickles’ extremely supportive landlords Pete and Tim. The Market Tavern was a model for the club. Split level, it had a gig floor and upstairs bar and the club operated in it’s truest sense, as a social club. The idea of the clubs own building had it’s genesis there.

Some of the club’s venues, the Metropole and Royal Standard in particular, came under scrutiny as possible purchases by the club, following their successful application for a local government grant of £68,000. The negotiations with Tetley’s, selling premises after being "cobbled" by the Monopolies Commission, were fruitless. Their prices were out of range.

Many of the professionals the club came in contact with, accountants, architects and brewery managers "couldn’t conceive of a non-profit making venture.., it was beyond their concept of business."

A year of searching and negotiations passed. In 1985 they struck upon 21/23 Albion Street. The council grant and £25,000 from the Department of the Environment secured the freehold of the building. It also stretched to cover the building’s total overhaul. That took two years.

It was stripped and gutted step by step through 1986 and 1987 - floors, ceilings and walls.

From there it was rebuilt, new internal walls, fire escape, floors and ceilings. Re-plumbed, re-wired and repointed. Plastering, joinery, plumbing, painting and electrical work and building became the unpaid tasks of an ever changing and ever learning group of committed people, aided in the first place by a paid professional builder.

For one woman the traditionally male aspect of building was intimidating to begin with, the male members were more at ease with tools and skills.

"We came to the building not knowing anything about building work, nor did they. Being able to just ask, and enjoy the learning, and being taught by people who really didn’t know what they were doing but were learning themselves...". This was the key:

Postscript: "If we just steadily build on what we’ve got now, that is pushing ourselves forward all the time. It’s an advancement. And we’re bettering ourselves each time that we do that."

OPENING

"I walked down to this club on opening night... I had no feelings whatsoever. I was in here about twenty minutes and I sat here. I was stunned. It was actually working. All of a sudden it hit me - fuckin’ hell we did it. And if the club closes down tomorrow, we still did it!"

"The first night this place opened, I think everyone... couldn’t really relax together, because it was such an exciting feeling. You were on edge. It was buzzing. It was as if there was a current running through the room."

"I think the building’s fantastic, I don’t think you could have a better venue."

"Last night was the best night I’ve ever had. It’s got such a wonderful atmosphere. I mean, seeing it full of people. I think it was really, really good."

"I was astounded as to how well it’s gone. I think the people who’ve done all this have done a fantastic job."

FUTURE

"At the moment, I just feel relieved and happy that we’ve done so well. Ah.. yeah, excitement, and also trepidation about it continuing on a high wave and level."

"If we just steadily build, on what we’ve got now, that is, pushing ourselves forward all the time, it’s an advancement. We’re bettering ourselves each time that we do that."

"We’ve come from operating from the upstairs of a dingy little pub, pulling small audiences through, fighting to better ourselves all the time.

"Moving from venue to venue, shunting from pillar to post... and now, we’ve eventually go this - our own premises, it’s our home, no-one’s going to boot us out of this place. What happens here is up to us now."

"Hopefully we will continue to push forward now. The chances are there and it’s up to us how we use the space that we’ve got, how we choose to use the time."

"It is a daunting task. Also, you’ve got the requirements of the law to abide to. Negotiating with the police, the council, the brewery. It’s a very very big operation’.

SELF-ORGANISATION

"... without exterior powers providing for you. It gives everybody the power to do it yourselves. And we’ve proved you can do it - we’ve got the building."

"It’s not a set-up or a group of people that discourages involvement from a new corner."

"...it’s down to actually helping people rather than have one person making a profit out of some people."

"What this club is based on is that every single individual that gives anything gives it purely from their own personal commitment."

"I’d say, obviously there’s an element of control. It’s not just run chaotically. There’s an order to it, there’s organisation and consequently there is ‘control’.

"The thing is that ‘control’ is a control by the members who wish to come to Sunday meetings, discuss the up and coming things, and decide how to deal with them."

"It’s about treating other people as you’d expect to be treated yourself."

"It’s a place where you can come and you don’t get shit all the time. You can come, do what you want and It’s an easy place to be."

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