Early Days Caesars Club, in the 1960 H Wain's Greengrocers shop stood where the estate agent Leadres is now. 7th March 1958 Rock'n'roll to the Mick Glover Group at Caesars Dance Club, 134 London Road (rear of Wains). 7th June 1958 Live Five/Mick Glover and his Rock'n'rollers play at Caesars Club, North End every Saturday and and Monday. 9th January 1959 Mick Glover and his Rock'n'rollers play at Caesars Club North End. 16th January 1959 Mike Glover and his Rockets plus Colin Hart and his Rock Group play at Caesars club. 17th October 1959 Mike Glover and his Rockets play at Caesars Club. 14th Noivember 1959 Mike Glover and his Rockets play at Caesars Club. 1965 By mid-1965 there were about six folk clubs operating in the city including the Folk Barn at the Oasis Club, North End 1966 Tom Paxton was a special guest at the Oasis Folk Club, North End on 17 January February the Soul Society were regulars at North End’s Soul Parlour August 1, 1966 Oasis Club, Badfinger August the Action, the Blackouts were at the Soul Parlour August the Mike Stuart Sound drove from Sussex to play at the Soul Parlour in North End. October Ernie Sears tried promoting in the city again with jazz at the Oasis (Parlour). October The Academy appeared at the Parlour with an impressive stereo PA system. December New Tia Juana Jazz Band (with Cuff Billett) were at the Oasis. December the St Louis Checks played the Soul Parlour 1967 January New Tia Juana Jazz Band were still appearing regularly at the Oasis. February The Oasis presented Tranby’s Jazzband february Jazz became more regular at North End’s Oasis again with Tia Juana Jazz Band and then Ken Colyer February the Untamed at the Parlour. February Travis Raymar played at the Parlour March the Oasis offered a mix of jazz and folk with Max Collie’s Rhythm Aces, local bluegrass group the Cumberland Echoes and Jakki. february Mike Stuart Span and Morgan’s Camel Train were at the Parlour February Travis Raymar played at the Parlour May Spinner suggested that the Soul Society might replace Simon Dupree in local affections, praising their recent show at the Soul Parlour. by mid-May, jazz at the Oasis had “dried up”. Summer newly-formed Coconut Mushroom with a repertoire based on the new West Coast bands were to “present the city’s first home-grown attempt at a fully fledged light show and psychedelic ‘happening’ at the Parlour”. September the Oasis featured the “ultra pure” Ken Colyer. On 13 November, the Action played at North End’s Oasis/Parlour 1968 January Spinner reported, “jazz dies at the Oasis, but pop stronger than ever”. Name changed to 'The Soul Parlour' March Tangerine Slyde were a rare live band at the Marina and Life appeared at the Parlour. August opened with Blossom Toes at North End’s Parlour Autumn Light Emporium appeared at the Parlour with Blossom Toes (Friday) and Fire (Sunday) Autumn Local bands were attracting regular gigs in their own right with Inspiration, Crimson Ballet and Fire all “well received” at the Parlour August Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera appeared at the Parlour in North End. in September were Skip Bifferty (Parlour) In early October Free, were at the Parlour – their first club gig in the city. October Gold Dust were also at the Parlour as were Harlem Speakeasy. October Inspiration, Mushroom and Heaven appeared at the Parlour. 1968 October 10th Pete Quinn Oasis Folk Club 1968 October 11th Goldust December Free were at the Parlour, now often known as the Oasis. As 1968 drew to a close, Blonde on Blonde at the Parlour, December Free were at the Parlour, now often known as the Oasis. Fri 20 December Free & Chalk Farm played the Oasis. 1969 10th January 1969 Goldust, Image. Friday 21 February Rosemary were playing the Parlour. February Parlour promoter Linn Harris suggested the scene was “played out”, suggesting “many progressive outfits are brilliant instrumentally but the youngsters cannot dance to them”. Spring Rosemary played the Oasis Rosemary were “well received” at the Oasis Spring An advertisement announced ‘officially’ that the Parlour had “ceased to exist” and had been replaced by a club called the Yeti. On 15 May, Spinner previewed an “experimental” evening with Rosemary at the Oasis, “augmented by lights, verse and mime…musical content will comprise entirely original content”. local band Gold Dust (Oasis) May Polydor recording band Blossom Toes played at the Oasis “to under 100 people”. In September, Internal Combustion, Wanted and Dragonfly appeared at the Oasis Sepotember Spinner described Wanted at the Oasis as “impressive but could vary material more” 2nd November 1969 The Solent Sound Mushroom made a rare Portsmouth appearance at the Oasis in November which Spinner called “as slick as ever”. Local bands Time Dynasty & Dirty Pig played at the Oasis and in mid-November The last month of the 1960s opened with the promise of “something special” at the Oasis with them and Rosemary and Spinner reported that Mirkwood were “well received” as the two bands established another “new house record”. On Boxing Night, Wanted appeared at the Oasis. Pompey Pop - Venues from the 50s and 60s - The Oasis/Soul Parlour North End If you walk across North End Junction towards Hilsea, almost immediately on your right is an alleyway that leads to the snooker hall. Above it in the early 1960s was the Oasis, a private members-only drinking club which the owners Norman and Katie Loades, rented out for weddings and other events. They also ran their own members dances on Saturday nights. In the mid-1960s there was briefly a folk club there (‘The Folk Barn") including an appearance by Tom Paxton and among local artists regular performances by Jakki. In addition, Ernie Sears of the Rendezvous promoted jazz there around 1966 with regular act the New Tia Juana Jazz Band and occasional guests including Ken Colyer. By early 1966 Linn Ashton-Evans was managing local group the Soul Society and she began renting the hall to promote them and other groups like Academy, St Louis Checks, Blackout, Inspiration, Harlem Speakeasy and Sons of Man on Friday nights, re-naming it the Soul Parlour. This became sufficiently popular that Linn moved away from managing bands and gradually expanded the club's musical policy beyond soul, at which point she shortened the name to the Parlour. Most of the local bands played there over the next few years including Tangerine Slide, Coconut Mushroom, Wanted, Rosemary, Heaven, Gold Dust, Virgin Circle, Dragonfly and also some of the newer sounding recording bands including Free, Skip Bifferty, Blossom Toes, Blonde on Blonde, Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, the Iveys (who became Badfinger) and the Human Instinct. Around 1968 the police began to take a closer interest in whether this was still a members-only club so to ease pressure the name reverted to the Oasis Club so that visitors could be signed in by members. During the next couple of years Linn continued to book regular gigs there, adding local lightshow Light Emporium and in 1969 briefly renaming the club the Yeti. By the autumn of 1969 audiences were declining at most clubs around the city. As the 1960s drew to a close on New Year's Eve, the club offered a cabaret quartet and insisted "collar and tie essential" and the days of the Parlour were over. Dave Allen. (With thanks to Linda Du Pret - formerly Linn Ashton-Evans) In 1997 the club was called 'Alley Cats' In the latter days, the club was called Top Cats, and here's the football team to prove it. Later it was called Gatsby's Today it's the Post Office Club.

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