INDIGO VAT
The Indigo Vat, Hampshire Terrace, Southsea also known as Bottle in Wall, Portsmouth Club, Tina's, Cellar Club, Scandals.
The 1911/12 Kelly's Directory lists 15/16 Hampshire Terrace as Millers Temperance and Commercial Hotel, prop F T Clogg.
Between the wars it was the office of the Ministry of Pensions
From the 1936/7 Kelly's Directory, Miller's Buildings 15/16 Hampshire Terrace
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Around 1959/60
in the Hampshire Terrace Cellar Club, they featured players like Cuff Billett, Bill Greenold, and Bill Cole and include songs like "Sunny Side of the
Street, "Darktown Strutter's Ball", "St James Infirmary", "Dinah", "Caldonia" and "Alexander's Ragtime Band"
June 1963,
The “Portsmouth Club” in Hampshire Terrace featured the Cellar Playboys, Pete Stroller & the Drifters and Chris Ryder & the Southern Sounds. The latter returned in
August.
October/November 1964
Terry Lightfoot’s Jazzmen appeared at the Cellar Club, Hampshire Terrace, which also featured the Alan Cave Quintet in a weekly residency playing “swing, mainstream
and modern”.
May 1965
The folk world was now “all action” and “moving towards the long-forecast boom”. Americans Bill Clifton and Tom Paxton were at Folkways in Arundel Street, many
people were turned away from a Nadia Cattouse sell-out performance at John Isherwood’s Folkhouse Club (Talbot Hotel) and while the appearance of Julie Felix and the
Settlers at the Guildhall was less well attended it was an “artistic triumph”. Future cult folk singer Vashti Bunyan was mentioned in Spinner’s column while the Bottle in
the Wall Club in Hampshire Terrace was the latest to open a folk club, starting with two locals, blues singer Frank Hurlock and acoustic guitarist Barry Roberts.
January 1966
Doreen Parsons, managed the local Tea-Pots and ‘Spinner’ in the Evening News said brought success in a “masculine world”. Doreen and her group opened yet
another club with a new name at the Hampshire Terrace venue, the Indigo Vat and attracted a good crowd.
The local group scene was increasingly active through the spring and early summer, supported by a number of new clubs. The Indigo Vat soon moved to three nights
attracting many musicians, as it became the local “in place”. Regular performers included the Bryan Hug Fraternity, the Tea-Pots, Simon Dupree & the Big Sound, the
Klimaks, the Gaudy Doyle Set and St Louis Checks with new drummer Alan Williams.
February/March 1966
The Indigo Vat moved to three nights attracting many musicians, as it became the local “in place”.
Regular performers included the Bryan Hug Fraternity, the Tea-Pots, Simon Dupree & the Big Sound, the Klimaks, the Gaudy Doyle Set and St Louis Checks with new
drummer Alan Williams.
On February 6th The Teapots played on the 'opening night'.
Indigo Vat, was described by the Portsmouth News Music man 'Spinner' as the “centre of the Portsmouth scene”.
April 1966
The Soul Society and the Meteors UK were at the Indigo Vat and the Soul Society returned in May. Jazz had been fairly quiet but Dave Rogers who had been involved
previously in the Cellar Club (and is now landlord of the Auckland Arms, Southsea) was presenting New Orleans-style every Friday at the Railway Hotel, Fratton.
June 1966
Simon Dupree & the Big Sound were at the Indigo Vat, which Spinner described as the “centre of the Portsmouth scene”.
December 1966
Barry & the Strollers made their Indigo Vat debut. The Academy and Simon Dupree & the Big Sound were there on successive nights.
January 1967
St Louis Checks and Nite People opened the year at the Indigo Vat. Portsmouth’s College of Technology students were promoting more actively and in mid-January
presented Alan Price and the Wrong Direction (formerly the Tea-Pots) at South Parade Pier. The Wrong Direction then played at the Indigo Vat.
March 1967
Spinner described the new Rolling Stones album Aftermath as their “long road to insignificance” but he was more enthusiastic about the new single by Indigo Vat
favourites Simon Dupree & the Big Sound “Reservations” which they were promoting with local record store appearances.
Local soul bands the Inspiration and St Louis Checks played at the Indigo Vat, followed by the Academy and the Shame – the latter including future star Greg Lake
(Emerson, Lake & Palmer and "I Believe in Father Christmas")
June 1967
The Academy played the Indigo Vat on the 4 June 1967 but then split. Organist Rod Watts replaced Mick Cooper in Soul Society who also played at the Indigo Vat this
month, while Mark Tuddenham and Graham Hunt joined Bryan Hug’s new five-part harmony group.
Autumn 1967
Harlem Soul Band (later Harlem Speakeasy) played at the Indigo Vat.
October 1967
Three years earlier, the Roadrunners had been one of the main support acts at the Rendezvous and played regularly around the city before becoming Simon Dupree & the
Big Sound. In October 1967 the group’s Phil Shulman told Spinner that the “early years at the Indigo Vat were what decided us to turn professional” while as predicted,
their new single “Kites” was “completely different from the hard-driving soul sound” of the band – it would of course bring their only Top Ten success.
December 1967
Manager Ricky Martin announced a new version of 'West Coast' sounding locals, Coconut Mushroom would reappear at the Indigo Vat.
2nd Dececember 1967 Soul Society appear at the Vat
February 1968
Brother Bung (Saturday 3rd) and Wishful Thinking (Sunday 4th) at the Indigo Vat – tickets 4/6d and 5/-
February 1968
Sat 17 Fumble
April 1968
In an Evening News (‘Spinner’) interview with Derek Shulman confirmed that Simon Dupree & the Big Sound “love the Vat crowd” but in early April, Spinner reported
the club’s unexpected closure. While the number of local bands seemed to increase weekly, some rock venues appeared under threat.
June/July 1968
The ‘New’ Indigo Vat revived and was listed by the Evening News along with the Parlour (having dropped the prefix ‘Soul’), the Incredible Black Cat, Paradise Found,
Manor Court Youth Club and the Locarno as local venues. Sadly, just days later Spinner announced “Indigo Vat closed by promoter Ann Luckett” because of “some very
childish people with fuzzy hair who ought to be in a nursery”.
At this time the club cellar room was owned by Mr and Mrs Phipps who came from South Africa.
It seems they have had money problems and disappeared suddenly and Ann's club night was finished.
From the NEWS Supplement "Portsmouth in the 60's June 1993
The indigo Vat
This club was in a small cellar in Hampshire Terrace (now Scandals). It
was also known as the bottle-in-the-wall club, clue to the number of wine
bottles set in the walls and it was the venue for the launching of one of
Portsmouth's very own rock and roll heroes.
Nearly opposite the Birdcage at number 83 lived Derek Schulman,
who, with brothers Phil and Ray, were better known as Simon Dupree and the Big Sound. They reached the
top twenty with their still popular recording of Kites.
It was at the Vat that. Simon Dupree played on the eve of the launch of their first record I See The Light. The
club was frequently so packed that any dancing was restricted to a form of bobbing up and down on the
spot. The night Simon Dupree played it was bursting at the seams.
When the group disbanded, the brothers formed Gentle Giant which had a huge following in Britain and
America during the seventies and eighties.
Some other popular local bands who played at the Vat were the St Louis Checks. The Coconut Mushroom
and blues group Brother Bung, fronted by singer and guitarist Bob Pearce who is still playing and recording
25 years on, as the popular Bob Pearce Blues Band.
Coconut Mushroom at the Indigo Vat photographer Nigel Grundy
As it is today 2022, an estate agent
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