The Forty Thieves night club

Never went it there, but I knew a guy who did. He was a huge guy, West Indian, and I knew him because he was in the bed next to me in Philip Ward, Cov and Warks Hospital. He had huge cuts across his face, a mass of stitches, so I asked him what happened. He told me that he came out from the Forty Thieves and was followed out by six white guys who set about him with broken bottles. He told me that he got three of them good and when I asked him what he would when he got out, he calmly said that he would get the other three. jajajaja Coventry night life was summed up well by 'The Specials' with their 'Ghost Town' song some ten years after this event, but I always avoided Coventry night life like the plague.

You'll never know.

Zigzag, having just read the post from Mike H confirms my opinion. The place was as rough as rats and I missed absolutely nothing by avoiding it like the plague. End of.

It appears I may have offended you by my post if that is the case please forgive me it wasn't my intention.

I think you have it about right. I can recall going to the Forty Thieves only twice. The first time was when 'well refreshed' and I can't really remember why we went there. It seemed to have quite a threatening atmosphere and some dodgy sorts who appeared to be either used car dealers or scrap merchants. The women there were largely older, brassy sorts, as I recall, and some may have long since lost their amateur status. The other time I visited was to carry out a bar inspection during the daytime. Like most nightclubs in daytime, it was grim and depressing with a foul smell and sticky floors. I never visited again, either under that name or any subsequent incarnation. Definitely a downmarket dive in my view.

I went to The Forty Thieves quite often so now I am intrigued as to how I appeared, used car dealer or scrap merchant. It seems some members have led very sheltered lives.

I have no idea how you may have appeared 40 years ago. All I am saying is that on the occasion of my visit it was not a very pleasant atmosphere and there were some dodgy sorts there. Possibly even forty of them. I would agree that some members have certainly led sheltered lives. I can assure everyone, however, that I am certainly not one of them.

No offence whatsoever taken.

The general thought on The Forty Thieves from the previous posts are that it was a really rough place to go, even as rough as rats as one member has described it. So I feel it needs to be said that the times I frequented the venue were in it's early days late 60's very early 70's when it was quite the place to go. Possibly the place went down hill after ownership had changed.

My friend and I went there in the 1960s. We saw the group Jigsaw who we loved and even Kenny Ball and the Jazz Band played there. It was a good place to go then.

My friend and I went there from 1968-1970 and loved it. We went every Thursday and Sunday and then the Locarno on a Friday and Saturday. We saw some great artists and the regular bands were Jigsaw and Six Across who were brilliant. I had to leave at midnight so maybe the trouble and the "rough crowd" arrived then as up until then they were a really good crowd. Clubs in those days were busy from 9pm as people loved the music and wanted to dance not like now when they get tanked up before they go and arrive in clubs about midnight.

I'm very pleased to see the two positive remarks on the Forty Thieves, I was beginning to think it was only me who enjoyed this venue. They did have some very good groups play here over the years. As for the reputation of being a rough place I think a lot of that was hearsay and exaggeration. Being a regular of the venue I didn't see any more trouble than could be seen at any late night venue in Coventry at that time.

I think the reputation came from when it became Busters, zigzag. That said most of the city centre at night in the mid-80's was a bit of a battlefield! I speak from experience

That may well be the case, my nights out in the city centre were long over by then.

Glad you enjoyed it as much as I did