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Eric's - The Story Of A Liverpool Club
As BBC Radio 2 marks Liverpool's status as European City Of Culture, Steve Lamacq celebrates one of the city's musical landmarks – a club called Eric's.

Eric's opened in Liverpool city centre on 1 October 1976 on the same street as the legendary Cavern Club. Even though the club closed just four years later, and its reputation has been overshadowed by The Cavern, Eric's impact on the Merseyside music scene was significant. Just as The Cavern played party host to the rock 'n' roll explosion of the Sixties, Eric's championed the music of the late Seventies, embracing jazz, reggae, folk music, performance poetry and punk along the way. The list of performing alumni includes Blondie, The Clash, The Jam and Ultravox, as well as then little-known groups such as The Police and the Sex Pistols, who played Eric's on their way to stardom.

The club was run by Roger Eagle, Ken Testi and Pete Fulwell, who had strong local music ties and whose open-door policy encouraged bands to form and perform. OMD initially formed for a one-off show at Eric's, while Echo & The Bunnymen and The Teardrop Explodes played their first gigs there.

A host of contributors, including Echo & The Bunnymen's Ian McCulloch, remember the birth of a whole new Liverpool music scene that would travel far beyond the city centre.

BBC Radio 2
31 May 2008