INTRO...
The building has vanished, but the pub is still present in the memory.
This wee Dundee pub suddenly sprang to life in the 1980's after being stuck in a coma for decades - and so the 80's was the era when a visit to the Seagate drinking den really caught you by surprise.
Prior to that, the Tayside Bar was old, old men drank there and the place was spartan and neglected. You wouldn't even give it a second glance passing it in the street. It was basically a dump compared to the new trendy pubs that were cropping up around town.
However, just as kids can turn wasteland and demolition sites into playgrounds for themselves, Dundee's youth too managed to transform this run-down old-style pub into their very own contemporary funhouse!
No refurbishment was needed, the place was kept as it was, but along with pub owner, Brian Sinclair, hip revellers took over the joint and it became a live venue for the underground music scene.
It was mostly local acts on stage, but plenty out-of-towners played there as well.
Sound-wise it put on alternative music in the main - new wave, synth pop, post punk, heavy metal, industrial funk, trash glam, trippy electronic, reggae, goth, experimental improv, that kind of sonic territory, even cabaret got in on the act!
Brian Sinclair declared back then - "there are no restrictions" - and true enough, this open-mindedness helped generate the wide variety of entertainment on offer.
It was still a dingy pub, not a glitzy nightclub, but it was all good fun and all for free!
So for those of you who were there part of it, or for those of you who missed out but would like to find out more, this website will give you a flavour of what 80's alternative youth culture was like in Dundee.
Like the Tayside Bar, you're all welcome, no dress code, no entry fee, just pop in and enjoy yourselves.
Click your year choice below and step inside...
and if you'd like even more after the visit, give US TOO a click for added extras.
The building has vanished, but the pub is still present in the memory.
This wee Dundee pub suddenly sprang to life in the 1980's after being stuck in a coma for decades - and so the 80's was the era when a visit to the Seagate drinking den really caught you by surprise.
Prior to that, the Tayside Bar was old, old men drank there and the place was spartan and neglected. You wouldn't even give it a second glance passing it in the street. It was basically a dump compared to the new trendy pubs that were cropping up around town.
However, just as kids can turn wasteland and demolition sites into playgrounds for themselves, Dundee's youth too managed to transform this run-down old-style pub into their very own contemporary funhouse!
No refurbishment was needed, the place was kept as it was, but along with pub owner, Brian Sinclair, hip revellers took over the joint and it became a live venue for the underground music scene.
It was mostly local acts on stage, but plenty out-of-towners played there as well.
Sound-wise it put on alternative music in the main - new wave, synth pop, post punk, heavy metal, industrial funk, trash glam, trippy electronic, reggae, goth, experimental improv, that kind of sonic territory, even cabaret got in on the act!
Brian Sinclair declared back then - "there are no restrictions" - and true enough, this open-mindedness helped generate the wide variety of entertainment on offer.
It was still a dingy pub, not a glitzy nightclub, but it was all good fun and all for free!
So for those of you who were there part of it, or for those of you who missed out but would like to find out more, this website will give you a flavour of what 80's alternative youth culture was like in Dundee.
Like the Tayside Bar, you're all welcome, no dress code, no entry fee, just pop in and enjoy yourselves.
Click your year choice below and step inside...
and if you'd like even more after the visit, give US TOO a click for added extras.