A former Liverpool nightclub that burst onto the city centre scene in the 1990s saw clubbers have "the best nights."
It's been over 30 years since the Krazyhouse on Wood Street became famous for its indie, rock and alternative scene. Affectionately known as the K! to loyal clubbers, over time it also became synonymous with Liverpool students.
Boasting three floors with different genres of music on each one, it was also loved for its quirky feature pieces and drink deals. Clubbers often experienced sticky floors, drank the money saving Red Stripe deal or a bottle of Faustini and could order pot noodles and pickled eggs from the first floor kitchen.
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It was known and loved for its many quirks, from playing old cartoons on the TV screen to the massive rhino on the third floor. But in 2018, the closure of the nightclub was lamented by many as the end of an era and the same year, the venue reopened as Electrik - but the spirit of Krazyhouse lives on.
The ECHO recently took a look back at the popular venue which was like an "adult funhouse" and "second home" to clubbers. And here are just a few memories shared by ECHO readers of the Krazyhouse.
Linda O'Reilly said: "The toilet seats was the best they was glued down you had to make sure you took some toilet roll haha. You couldn't beat the Krazyhouse especially K1 you always had a good night never any trouble and you never got judged in how you dressed, looked or danced. Will never be another club like it."
Jen Denman commented: "The best of times." Jo Taylor posted: "Had many mad times there."
Vicky Burrows wrote: "Absolutely loved the Krazyhouse … many fab nights … can’t remember some of them but it was one of the only places that would play alternative rock, grunge etc … loved it … unfortunately I got tinnitus from the place as it was sooooo loud!"
Joe Florek wrote: "I went a few times on the Thursday indie night to see bands play, saw PJ Harvey there on her first tour. Years later I was talking to Tanya Donnelly from American band Belly, and I said I was from Liverpool she said "the Krazyhouse! We played there and the stage was covered with fake blood because GWAR played there the night before".... So it obviously made an impression on her."
Stuart Rastall commented: "Absolutely loved it, the first floor was scary so I always stuck to the second and third floors, one of the best clubs when I was in my 20’s."
Jo M Hughes SB said: "Some great memories from here 30yrs goes by so fast." Daniel Kinsey posted: "Missed this place. Found it back in 04 when at uni."
Paul French posted: "Dancefloor when Smells Like Teen Spirit came on.. The sausage and chips in a basket. Great times!!!" Daisy Oquigley said: I can still feel my shoes on the floor now."
Amanda Hoose said: "Had the best times ever here!" Louise Street wrote: "Best nights out ever!"
John Baden commented: "The all nighters where some of the best nights I’ve ever had - 2 drinks for £3 meant some memories may be slightly fuzzy." And Sandy Gill wrote: "Krazyhouse was the best! Especially the chips from the food hatch!"
JJ Haggar, originally from Wrexham in North Wales, was resident DJ at Krazyhouse from the early 1990s up until its closure. Whilst promoting shows, JJ went to a venue called Tivoli in Buckley where be met owner Howard Croft, who was also one of the owners of Krazyhouse.
After seeing bands Love/Hate and The Wildhearts at the Krazyhouse, JJ was later asked to get involved in the business in Liverpool. He recently told the ECHO: "To be honest it was a dream come true because growing up in North Wales, Mersey lights shine in the distance as we say.
"I came over and that would have been in 1992/1993 and that's when I stared being the resident DJ. At that point, we only had one room, it was one floor, a rickety cash tin and a couple of hundred people and that was it."
JJ said Krazyhouse "felt like home" and the people who went there made it feel like that. He said it wasn't "one dimensional" as the music played there was across the "alternative, indie, rock and metal spectrum."
The business later expanded to two floors and then three and among those to play there through the years were Oasis, The Verve, Carcass, The Wildhearts, Love/Hate, Thunder, Stone Temple Pilots, Ocean Colour Scene, Space, Stereophonics, Placebo and Bush. JJ said: "It was incredible to be a part of and for me to be in there as the resident DJ and also involved with booking the bands and working closely with Howard and his daughter Paula and Steve Jones the manager - it was incredible.
"It was a great time to be part of Liverpool's music scene for what it was. It’s tribal - people went there because everybody looked after each other.
"It didn't matter about anything to do with the way you were, the type of music you liked, the way you looked, your sexuality. It was just come on in and have a great time."
JJ said one of his favourite memories of Krazyhouse was when Placebo - then an unsigned band - played at the venue. He said it was a place where people met partners and made lifelong friends, who still talk about Krazyhouse today.
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He said: "People do say do you remember the seating and stuff. The seating had carpet on.
"There was a film called Letter to Brezhnev and the carpet was used in that film, then it was taken and put on the seats. And it was there for so long that all the beer had been spilt on it and you stuck to the seats when you sat down and the floors were sticky because we did two for one.
"I love the fact that we made a difference. It was the kind of place that you could go to and feel safe. You could meet people who liked what you like and that for me was incredible and I think that’s its legacy, people who still talk about it to this day."
Photos of Krazyhouse nights below
Adam Coffey, 33, from Runcorn worked as a promotions manager at Krazyhouse in 2011, but first experienced the club as a student in the city. He told the ECHO: "During freshers week, I remember it being really really busy and I thought I'm not going to come back here again, it's just too busy.
"My first year I went once and it took me a while to eventually go back and then I was gutted that’d I'd gone a year not going every week because I didn't realise how good it was. I was missing out on all the music I like. It was the only place really without sounding too cliché where a lot of people thought of as a second home.
"Every week you’d have the same people coming in, the same people dancing in the same spot. It had a big social feel to it, it was like an alternative members club because you’d always got the same people coming in."
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Adam said the venue was always very busy and has often been described as an "adult funhouse." Also known for its quirky feature pieces, Adam said on Krazyhouse's last night, clubbers left with a number of mementos of the iconic venue.
He said: "There was the famous rhino statue on the top floor that people always remember, there were the massive Lego bricks, there were quite a few iconic pieces. There was the man in the box on the first floor who was like a Halloween horror figure coming out of the wall. There was the massive Jack Nicholson photo as you came up the stairs.
"When it was closing down we got quite a lot of messages asking where is this going, can I get this. People were wanting to come down and get some of that stuff.
"By the time it was the final night, we had already started renovating the first floor because we didn't have very long until we were reopening again. We tried to give away little pieces from the DJ box or the floor to customers when they were leaving."
What are your memories of The Krazyhouse? Let us know in the comments section below.
In July 2018, it was announced that the Krazyhouse was to close that summer. Promising a "new era," at the time clubbers were told it would re-open in September that year, potentially under a new name.
In a cryptic message, the club said: "I'm sorry that we have taken so long to finalise this. Hopefully we can make the last weekend something special.
"The venue will be closed from the end of July until September (can't tell you the exact date just yet!)." A week prior, Krazyhouse also announced some sad news.
In a statement on Facebook, the Croft family said: "Sorry it has taken us so long to speak to you all but it has been a hard couple of months. For those of you that don't know, Howard Croft, the man behind all that was The Krazyhouse passed away in February, he loved Rock Music, Liverpool and its people, he wanted to bring the best bands to his city and help the local acts, which he did for nearly 30 years.
"We know he would like to thank the staff, customers and everyone who supported the Krazyhouse over the years and made is what is was, a very special place, even if the floors were sticky." The Krazyhouse hosted one last rave before closing.
In August 2018, new club Electrik announced it was to takeover the former Krazyhouse on Wood Street. Spelt with a K on the end in homage to The Krazyhouse, the venue opened on Saturday, September 15 that year.
In a huge refurbishment, the club saw a brand new light and sound systems across all floors - playing rock, metal, punk, pop punk, indie and alternative music. The new venue team also promised there would no longer be sticky floors. Although the new club team promised the venue would bring a few "good surprises," they said they were also passionate about making sure they bottled the "magical essence" of the K.
JJ said: "Regardless of anything, the fact that Electirk and that building is still there the Krazyhouse spirit continues. I think Howard Croft deserves his name to be mentioned as someone who created something that has a legacy because it’s still standing. I think there’s a lot of celebration of venues and nightclubs in this city and I think the Krazyhouse deserves its place."
Although the Krazyhouse itself has now shut its doors - it was not to be lost forever. Last summer, Electrik transformed into the Krazyhouse once again for a big reunion night. Now all covid restrictions have eased, another event took place over the last Bank Holiday weekend.
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