Le Phonographique
{{short description|Gothic nightclub in Leeds, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox venue
| name = Le Phonographique
| nickname = The Phono
| image =
| image_caption =
| address = Merrion Centre, Leeds, U.K.
| coordinates = {{Coord|53|48|07|N|1|32|40|W|display=inline,title}}
| type = Nightclub
| genre = {{flatlist|
}}
| built =
| opened = 1979
| renovated =
| expanded =
| closed = 2005
| demolished =
| capacity = 180{{cite web |last1=Hutchinson |first1=Andrew |title=42 places you probably visited in Leeds during a night out in the 2000s |url=https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/42-places-you-probably-visited-leeds-during-night-out-2000s-479669 |website=Yorkshire Evening Post |accessdate=1 December 2019}}
| owner =
| construction_cost =
| former_names =
| seating_type =
| seating_capacity =
| website = {{url|https://thephono.org/}}
}}
Le Phonographique (often called the Phono) was a gothic nightclub located underneath the Merrion Centre in Leeds. Founded under the name the WigWam club, the venue's 1979 rebranding led to it becoming a location frequented by members of both the local post-punk and New Romantic scenes. Here, the two scenes collided and created the earliest phase of the goth subculture, becoming the first goth club in the world. Playing gothic rock and dark wave music, the club hosted DJs including Marc Almond and Anni Hogan, as well performances by bands including the Clash. The club experienced various owners during its runtime, having its name changed to Rio's between 1994 and 1995, and being known as Bar Phono from 1998 until its 2005 closure.
History
The WigWam Club was renamed to Le Phonographique in 1979,{{cite web |last1=Stewart |first1=Ethan |title=How Leeds Led the Goth Scene |url=https://www.popmatters.com/leeds-goth-2649733682.html |access-date=4 April 2021}} located underneath the Merrion Centre in Leeds.{{cite web |last1=Walsh |first1=Tina |title=Ten things you might not know about Leeds |url=https://www.timeout.com/leeds/blog/ten-things-you-might-not-know-about-leeds |accessdate=1 December 2019}} Soon after this name change, it was bought by twins John and Alan Baker, who, along with DJs Jim Bates and Anni Hogan, began catering it to a subcultural audience. In 1985, the Clash played an impromptu gig at the venue while attending.{{cite web |title=Sounds of the underground! Night of nostalgia for former regulars at Leeds's legendary Phono club |url=https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/sounds-underground-night-nostalgia-former-regulars-leedss-legendary-phono-club-585180 |website=Yorkshire Evening Post |accessdate=1 December 2019}} Disc jockeys at the club during this time, such as Marc Almond (a member of Soft Cell),{{cite web |title=SUBCULTURE LOST & FOUND: LEEDS |url=https://www.fredperry.com/subculture/article-subculture-lost-found-leeds |accessdate=1 December 2019}} Anni Hogan (a member of Marc and the Mambas){{cite web |last1=Robb |first1=John |title=A Goth life – from Bowie kid to leading Goth DJ – DJ Mark M on his life |url=https://louderthanwar.com/a-goth-life-from-bowie-kid-to-leading-goth-dj-dj-mark-m-on-his-life/ |accessdate=1 December 2019}} and Claire Shearsby (previously of the F Club),{{cite book |last1=Haslam |first1=Dave |title=Life After Dark: A History of British Nightclubs & Music Venues}} would play gothic rock and dark wave music.{{cite book |last1=Spracklen |first1=Karl |last2=Spracklen |first2=Beverley |title=The Evolution of Goth Culture: The Origins and Deeds of the New Goths |pages=49}}
In 1987, it was sold to Geoff Lawrence, however after financial difficulties, the club was closed in 1991. During this time, its major club nights were moved to Ricky’s nightclub on Merrion Street, while a number of its other nights began taking place in various venues across the city. The club reopened in 1993, now marketing itself towards a mainstream audience under the name Ashfields. Here, DJ Mixmaster Stilton and promoter Rich K began an indie rock and alternative rock night called Melt on Tuesdays, which recaptured the venue's subcultural clientele, soon becoming its most frequented night. The club was sold again 1994, changing its name to Rio's, with its alternative night continuing on Saturdays. DJ Mixmaster Stilton, Rich K and a number of others purchased the club the following year, returning its name to Le Phonographique and reorganising to the way it had been in the 1980s In December 1998 it was bought by DJ Geoff, who renamed it to Bar Phono.{{cite web |title=A history of the Phono. |url=https://thephono.org/about-2/a-brief-history-of-the-phono/ |access-date=8 May 2023}} While under this name, there began a rivalry between it and the Bassment, another goth club, which was location around the corner in the Merrion Centre.{{cite web |last1=Davies |first1=Jonathan |title=Mourning the loss |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/leeds/content/articles/2006/01/16/student_diaries_jonathan_200601_feature.shtml |website=BBC |accessdate=1 December 2019}}{{cite book |last1=Ladouceur |first1=Liisa |title=Encyclopedia Gothica}} Bar Phono closed in 2005, claiming "redevelopment".{{cite web |title=Tuesday Ten: 220: Nightclubbing |url=http://www.amodelofcontrol.com/tuesday-ten/1040/ |accessdate=1 December 2019}}{{cite web |title=5 Place That Made Leeds a Goth Culture Hub in the 1980s |url=https://www.spookyisles.com/goth-leeds/ |accessdate=1 December 2019}} The site is now a retail storage unit.
Legacy
The club was foundational to the emergence of the goth subculture{{cite web |last1=Fryer |first1=George |title=The History Of Music Venues In Leeds |url=https://www.welcometoleeds.co.uk/channel/music/article/history-music-venues-leeds/ |accessdate=1 December 2019}} by helping it differentiate itself from the conventions of punk.{{cite AV media |date=1987 |title=Goth in Leeds |publisher=BBC}} The Sisters of Mercy song "Floorshow" was inspired by dances that were commonplace at the club. In an article for Dazed, it was stated that the "two steps forward, two steps back" style of dancing originated at the club, due to the pillar in the centre of its dancefloor. The same article also credits the club as invented the snakebite drink.
Various publications and music historians have credited the club as being the first goth club in the world.{{cite web |last1=Dawson |first1=James |title=Life as a goth in 1980s Yorkshire |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/30658/1/what-was-it-like-to-be-a-goth-in-80s-yorkshire |website=Dazed |accessdate=1 December 2019}}{{cite web |last1=Stewart |first1=Ethan |title=How Leeds Led the Goth Scene |url=https://www.popmatters.com/leeds-goth-2649733682.html |access-date=4 April 2021}}{{cite book |last1=Robb |first1=John |title=The Art of Darkness: The History Of Goth |date=23 March 2023 |publisher=Louder Than War Books |pages=250 |quote=While The Batcave in London is arguably more famous, the first and equally influential club was Le Phonographique (or 'the Phono') in Leeds.}} The club's 1979 founding meant it operated three years prior to London's the Batcave, a club also often credited as the first goth club. Journalist John Robb credited the two club's relationship as a social form of convergent evolution: the independent evolution of similar features in different periods in time.{{cite web |title=Interview with John Robb – Part 1 |url=https://nomoreworkhorse.com/2023/03/23/interview-with-john-robb-part-1/ |access-date=19 January 2025}} Similarly, journalist Michael Johnson stated that the two evolved independently, with Le Phonographique establish gothic rock music, while the Batcave established goth fashion. However, Johnson also stated that "If the Batcave had not existed, goth would still have happened – maybe without the camp, glammy elements, but it would have happened. Without the Phono, I'm not so sure."{{cite book |last1=Robb |first1=John |title=The Art of Darkness: The History Of Goth |date=23 March 2023 |publisher=Louder Than War Books |pages=251 |quote=If the Batcave had not existed, goth would still have happened – maybe without the camp, glammy elements, but it would have happened. Without the Phono, I’m not so sure. Certainly, it played a much bigger part in the creation of a distinctly goth style of music, while The Batcave probably helped the look to evolve, not least because it got itself on television.}}