When former DJ Maurice Jones heard the bar-nightclub he used to work at in Swansea city centre in the 1980s had been rediscovered frozen-in-time more than 40 years later, he just couldn't believe it. Mr Jones, known back then as 'DJ Mo,' was well-known locally for playing classic floor-fillers at the Cavalier bar in Princess Way - and cheering at clubbers to: "Get on the floor and do it some more"!
Earlier this month, we reported how an old bar which had not seen any patrons since its heyday in the 1980s had been rediscovered, practically untouched, by construction workers ahead of work at the huge former BHS building in the city centre. The former department store, and the old bar above, are set to be transformed into a community hub for the city and a new library. For a recap of what's happening with the development works, and to see design images of the proposed appearance for the site, go here.
Back in the 1980s, people would dress up in their glad-rags - jeans weren't allowed, DJ Mo recalls - and head through a large door in Princess Way and up a set of stairs to the Cavalier bar to meet and mingle with new friends and old, while dancing to their favourite songs, aided by affordable drinks and £1.50 bar meals. Get Swansea stories straight to your inbox with our newsletter.
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It was the place dozens of couples first met, first danced or shared their first kiss - and one Swansea local even remembers seeing their "first stripper" in the bar. Lovely. But for DJ Mo, it was his second home.
Mo, originally from Aberystwyth, said Swansea would "always have a special place" in his heart. Now aged 70, he fondly remembers working at the Cavalier for three nights a week, usually Thursday to Saturday, from 9pm to 2am, as well entertaining groups at the occasional private event or party on a weekday. He said he loved playing the music that would get people onto the dancefloor and enjoy themselves.
"Coverage of the Cavalier on news websites brought back happy memories for me. It was lovely to see those wonderful photos of it frozen in time. Happy days!" he said. "I have great memories of that time. The music I played was mainly 80s classics mixed with 50s rock 'n' roll plus 60s and 70s hits, depending on the people in the club at the time.
"I have many favourite hits from all those eras and was especially into the likes of Tamla Motown, soul and acts like Earth, Wind and Fire, Shalamar and George Benson." You can read more stories about Swansea here.
When Mo first started working in the Cavalier in 1980, the venue had just started offering something new. Newspaper adverts from the time, which Mo has kept all these years, called on people to "let your body roll to boogie, funk and soul" and stated that the bar was set to offer the "new smooth scene" to clubbers, for just a £2 entry fee.
Mo's own call to arms from the DJ booth would begin: "Let's get on the floor and do it some more!" and he loved playing the big tunes to get people on their feet and dancing, while also working a second job at Boots The Chemist, then in Princess Way, and later in the Quadrant.
After DJ-ing at the Cavalier for around a year, he moved to legendary club Barons in College Street, before switching back to his home town of Aberystwyth a few years later. He then went on to join the ambulance service, where his roles included being an ambulance technician and a paramedic technician.
"Even though I’m an Aberystwyth boy born and bred, Swansea will always have a special place in my heart - they were good years for me when I lived there," he said. Sadly, he no longer has his treasured collection of vinyl records as they were lost in a flood at his home 10 years ago. But he said his wealth of memories would live-on.
Mo shared his memories with Swansea Council after reading that the Cavalier Bar had been found undisturbed earlier this month. In response to his memories, Swansea Council's Elliott King said: "I'm so glad that our work to deliver a great future for this large building has brought back lovely memories for this small part of it.
"Maurice’s warm recollections offer a real flavour of the 80s and I’d be really interested for others to let us have their memories using #SwanseaCavalier on social media." You can also share your memories in the comments section below this article.
'We don't know why the bar closed down'
One rock band who performed at the Cavalier Bar in the 1990s returned to the venue earlier this month - and thought it had barely changed. Swansea band, By Appointment, told the BBC News of playing the iconic venue countless times during the 80s, until bookings unfortunately stopped coming.
Drummer Nigel 'Mugs' Mogan explained: "Obviously we found out eventually that it had closed down, but we had plenty of other gigs so we never really looked into the details. I heard something from my agent that the two brothers who owned it might have had licensing issues around exits and fire regulations. But that doesn't explain why it was left exactly as it must have been when they closed up on their last night!
"To me that suggests they must have left in one hell of a hurry - it's all a bit spooky really," added the band's bassist Craig 'Lewi' Lewis.
"It was rough [there] - even the rats used to wear overalls in there - and the bouncers were brutal. The first time we played there in 1984 we had a guitarist - he could only have been around 15 and his guitar case was almost the same height as him! The doormen threatened to chuck him back down the stairs unless we got him out of there."
Recalling another strange tale, he said: "We'd done a pretty good set - Bowie, The Cult, Lou Reed and some of our own stuff - and we were having a beer in the office, laughing at the band after [who] got pelted with bottles… until we realised our own guitars were still out on the stage.
"We had to dodge the missiles while we crawled back out there to retrieve them… it was like something out of The Blues Brothers."
Update on the transformation of BHS and Cavalier bar into community hub
Swansea Council has confirmed the former Cavalier bar and the rest of the building have been "secured" for safety reasons. Main construction work to convert the building into a community hub and library is set to start in the coming weeks, with the hub due to open in 2024. The hub is part of Swansea Council's £1-billion regeneration programme and will be located next to the new Castle Square Gardens, which is currently in the consultation stages. To read about what's planned there, read our previous coverage here.
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