Fusion nightclub occupied what was previously and is again now the grand ballroom in Chesterfield's Winding Wheel civic centre. In 1979 Stuart Smith who ran independent record shop Some Kinda Mushroom started a Thursday futurist night there and decided to put some bands on and for seven glorious months, Fusion hosted some of the UK's most important and influential bands just as they were breaking into the big time, including The Cure, Simple Minds and The Specials. These nights have rightly gone down in Chesterfield music history.

Inspired by these legendary gigs and bored with Chesterfield night life in the 80s, Myself, Rat and Pat started a similar alternative night on Tuesdays at the nearby Fascination night club on Stephensons Place and called it Gotham City. Running for just over a year we played host to Pulp, The Membranes, The Bomb Party and other local bands. The unique posters for each night were designed by Androo Wobble.

Chesterfield had other night clubs through the 80s that sporadically put on live acts, The Adam & Eve on Lordsmill Street put on Pulp, Engine and Lawnmower Deth amongst others, the Aquarius on Sheffield Road hosted Def Leppard and The Moulin Rouge under the Vic Veranda played host to Ozric Tentacles and Broken Bones if I remember correctly. Finally Chesterfield's Noize Ain't Dead Promotions put on Conflict, Peter and the Test Tube Babies and other punk and oi bands at the Chesterfield Conservative Cub of all places.

David Hayes