Ah, The Russell Club, I'm sure it was originally spelt with one 'l' though. Maybe the ravages of time have mangled my memory.
I can talk at great length about this place as I was a regular all the time it was open as the Factory but I'll keep it short(ish). Scary neighbourhood, wonderful venue, just about sums it up. I was lucky in the fact that the bus stop going (from Urmston) was outside the Grant's Arms and coming back was outside the Church of Ascension, last all night bus was around 02:30 iirc, never did manage to climb up and ring that bloody bell though! Stretford Road now runs right over where the stop was.
Many, many great nights, Slaughter & the Dogs, Joy Division, Magazine, Gen X, Damned, PIL etc. The best night ever though just has to be the night Iggy played, it was mental and is the main memory I have of the place other than the goat curry up stairs and Tex the huge West Indian bouncer who I've read recent has died.
Met Joe Strummer here actually, top bloke, as the Clash were playing at the Apollo and the night before David Johansen (ex New York Dolls at the time) was playing the Russell, Topper spent most of the night in the big armchair that was on the left just as you walked in through the door from the kiosk.
It's just a shame I don't have many memories of the Electric Circus, only ever went 3 or 4 times as it was a pig to get to from Urmston on buses and practically impossible to get home from late at night. One of the visits though was for one of the Pistols "Anarchy tour" gigs.
I hated the Ranch with a passion. "Welcome to Manchester's Punk clique." Went a couple of times that I remember of, never went again, despised the place. The Oaks in Charlton was fun though.
Honorable mentions go out to..
Squat - First saw Warsaw here. [Joy Division]
Pips.
Rafters.
The Poly - Cavendish House, All Saints. Soon drove the hippies out
Mayflower - My god was this place a shithole! Made the squat seem posh
John The Postman.
We didn't exactly rip the rulebook up, as history seems to remember, but we did rip a few pages out and make people question things. It's a crying shame that the legacy we left seems to have been forgotten.
This very day, on my mp3 player, I'm listening to "Midnight Special At Screen On The Green 29th August 1976." Buzzcocks (With Devoto), Clash and the Pistols, wonderful stuff. It's a bootleg but If you know where to look.........