Lord Lindsay did many great things for Keele, but it’s doubtful whether even in his wildest dreams (nightmares?) he ever envisaged a disco being named after him, and a disco well loved by Keele students of the seventies at that

Lindsay refectory had a large, generally unused space (now the Lindsay Hall Bar) with a dance floor, a hatch through which drinks could be served and, most important, a mezzanine area where kids who were too cool, too socially challenged or just generally too afraid, to dance could hang out without looking tragic

The disco would generally get going on Fridays (always Fridays) at around 10 pm, with a huge influx at around 11 when the Union bar shut. I have no idea if they had a legal license, but the bar was always open until 1 am (or earlier if drinks ran out, which they often did). In my first year DJs Steve Dixon and Stuart Ross played a very wide range of music, generally, but not always, guaranteed to get the masses on the floor. They would always end with Elvis and ‘Are You Lonesome Tonight’, which would trigger a last desperate effort from the aforementioned socially challenged students

In my second year, Phil Coverdale and I were offered the opportunity to run the bar. This involved going down to the local cash and carry on Friday afternoons and buying two barrels of beer and several bottles of spirits and mixers. Skiffs were provided at Lindsay. We’d set up around 9, sample the beverages on offer, and wait for the fun to begin. Phil’s girlfriend (now wife) Jo would usually be on hand to help out. It was hard work for a couple of hours but we’d usually sell out just about on time and made a fair bit of money in the process. We’d always have a couple of cans tucked away for a ‘winding down’ session once it was all over

We did this for a couple of years. In 1974, when he was leaving, Stu Ross offered me the disco – double decks and all the singles he had (I’ve still got the singles today!). He must have known something I didn’t because Lindsay Disco promptly shut down! I did a few gigs around campus for the next few years, but it was never the same

Happy Days!