New mural 'keeps alive' 1960s nightclub memories

12 hours ago

Jennifer Vernon-EdwardsYorkshire

News image — Detail from one canvas, part of the four that form the new mural by Angie Hardwick

BBC In blues, olive greensm red and white this colourful pop art style mural, features stars who played at the from the former Sheffield music venue.
Featured among them is a large image of Stevie Wonder, with a small afro, dark glasses and headphones, can be seen to the left under the words 'Don't Argue in olive green. A large buddha head is to the right of hte image and there are large musical notes doted around — Detail from one canvas, part of the four that form the new mural by Angie Hardwick

A new mural has been unveiled to celebrate a former Sheffield nightclub's place in Yorkshire's cultural landscape.

Opened by Peter Stringfellow and his brother Geoff in 1964, the King Mojo club hosted celebrities such as Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder, Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix, before closing in 1967.

The artwork was commissioned as part of the Mojo Rising project to mark the club's 60th anniversary, and celebrates some of its most memorable moments.

Artist Angie Hardwick said the mural celebrated "the music heritage of Sheffield", adding: "It's really important to show Sheffield now, what it was like then, that it was a vibrant city."

Mojo Rising - Celebrating 60 Years of Music and Community is a National Lottery Heritage funded project.

It received a £114,300 grant to bring the club back into the spotlight through oral history collection, exhibitions, podcasts, a documentary and a book.

Project manager Neil Anderson said: "Most of the ex-club goers are now in their 70s and 80s.

"For me it's so important to record their memories while they are still here, it so important that we do it now."

The mural, which was unveiled at The Old Library in Attercliffe by musician Dave Berry, comprises four canvases painted in a "pop art style".

Phil Barnes and Paul Norton, Mojo fans since the 1960s, painted alongside Hardwick and shared their memories during their creative sessions.

Norton, who helped paint psychedelic colours and Buddha images at the original club, said painting the mural felt "weird, but good, because it was a great time of my life and the love of music has stayed with me".

A smiling grey haired and mousached Paul Norton wears a burnt orangey red polo shirt , a dark brown flying jacket with a red poppy. Next to him is artist a smiling Angie Hardwick, who has long blonde hair with a few blue strands at the front and wears a light grey short sleeve top and a large dark grey cowl around her neck. On the right is Phil Barnes who has short cropped white hair and wears black. — Paul Norton, Angie Hardwick and Phil Barnes painted the mural

For Barnes the Mojo years never feel far away.

"Even though it's 60 years ago you can remember it like it was yesterday, it deserves to be remembered, it deserves something like this to keep the memory alive," he said.

Hardwick said it had been a "privilege" to work with Norton and Barnes.

"It's been fabulous to get to know Phil and Paul, they've talked my ears off," she said.

It is hoped that the mural finds a permanent home next year, but first it will visit the former Mojo Club area of Sheffield, Pitsmoor, and the city's Moor Market, gathering further memories of Sheffield's 1960s music scene along the way.

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