Catalogue Number
NMLH.2020.5.51
Object Name
Badge
Title
ROCKIES MANCHESTER - SHEFFIELD
Place
Sheffield; Manchester
People
Ernest Hole
Description
Medium-sized white badge with the drawing of a muscular man lifting up the sign "ROCKIES" under his shoulders. Underneath the drawing text reads "MANCHESTER - SHEFFIELD".
Rockies were gay nightclubs in Manchester and Sheffield in the 1980s and 90s, owned by Michael Snailham. They were particularly popular with alternative LGBTQIA crowds such as the leather and bear scenes, who sometimes felt less welcome in other gay bars and clubs.
In Manchester, Rockies had a large dance area, a quiet 'Dorothy's Bar', and basement called 'the Mineshaft', which was raided by police several times. In 1994, the club changed its name to Legends and continued to host famous gay club nights until New Year's Eve 2012 when it was closed despite a community campaign to save it. Some comments by the planning committee seemed to suggest that the associated LGBTQIA history made it less worthy of saving, and the building was demolished in 2013.
In Sheffield, the club on Attercliffe Road was a gay club under various names before becoming another Rockies. It hosted many LGBTQIA acts including Paul O'Grady's drag queen Lily Savage twice a month throughout the 1980s.
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