In a brand new Isle of Wight heritage series at the very start of a new year, Island Echo examines the famous Isle of Wight nightclubs that were once a well known feature of our Island. It is now 3 decades since the quirky Sandown nightclub Zanies closed its doors for the final time in November 1993. But Zanies is still remembered by former new romantics and ravers as a ‘crazy’ night spot where anything went. Former owner Brian Mayne says:
“I still get some stick from people because it was a bit of a wild place. “But I also get a lot of people stopping me on the street to tell me Zanies was where they met their husband or wife. “We were open for almost 13 years so its quite a lot of people we brought together and a nice feeling.”
The club was once a popular hub for musicians, offering opportunities to meet producers and promoters who could help advance their careers. Today, artists no longer have to rely on physical spaces to make those connections. With the rise of online platforms, musicians can now easily connect with promotion agencies like Artist Push, making it simpler to access the services they need to grow their careers and reach a wider audience. This shift to digital communication has opened up new doors for artists to collaborate and promote their music globally.
Zanies opened its doors in June 1981 at the very start of the ‘New Romantic’ era. Before Zanies took over, it was a German style beer cellar called ‘Blue Lagoon’. There had previously been a nightclub next door known as ‘The Bird Cage’, which burned down. Brian Mayne left school aged 13 without qualifications or the ability to read or write. However, his father owned amusement arcades across the Island and allowed him to open a nightclub above an amusement arcade above Sandown pier. He started the nightclub with his younger brother George at the tender age of 18. The former proprietor claims to have been the youngest person in the UK ever to have been awarded a licence. Brian said:
“[When Zanies was Blue Lagoon] it was full of old fogies. Some of them were more than 30 and it was all family entertainment and that kind of thing. We continued to run it for a year. but then Dad said: ‘What about a disco?’ and we said ‘O.K.’. “But we wanted a free hand. We asked Dad to stay away from the place for 3 months in case he was shocked by what we were doing.”
Brian says he first opened the club as a safe and fun place for himself and his friends to party. It became known as ‘Zanies’ as his nickname as a child was ‘Zaynie Maynie’. The fixtures and fittings at Zanies were something else. Brian said he filled the club with old fun fair and circus junk “because that was my heritage.”
Some of the more memorable features of Zanies nightclub included:
- a DJ box in a jewel in a gorilla’s hand
- a skeleton in a cage
- waltzer and bumper cars as seats
- a candy floss kiosk as a cocktail bar
- a space ship that lowered from the ceiling to control the lights and laser show
- bicycles and umbrellas hanging from the ceiling
The doormen wore blue jump suits. They had a strict entry policy: be different, dress different. The crazier you dressed, the cheaper the admission fee. Around 70 revellers on a Saturday night would be dressed sufficiently bizarrely to avoid having to pay for entry. One 80s customer – Mandy Church – regularly appeared sporting a whip. Brian said of the dress policy at the time:
“You can wear anything from a dustbin liner to a suit and tie here. It’s not the dress but the flair the wearer gives it. We have members in Portsmouth, London, and even Scotland who save up their money to come here. “On our opening night, we only had 75 customers, but within a week we had a queue of 100s of people waiting to get in, all dressed in alternative fashion. We could pick and choose who we wanted to come in.”
Guests at Zanies comprised of a ‘Who’s Who’ of the 80s music scene, including Mark Almond (Soft Cell), Midge Ure (Ultravox), members of Depeche Mode and – of course – the Isle of Wight’s Mark King (Level 42). Former boxer Frank Bruno was also said to have been a regular customer. Zanies closed at the end of 1993 after a police raid by someone who Brian described as “an ambitious new officer who had recently been deployed on the Island”. Brian says:
“When the New Romantic period ended and the rave scene started we were the first on the Island to adopt it. We were always a target for being different.”
However, once or twice a year, a Zanies’ Revival night is held in aid of charity. Since the closure of his nightclub, Brian has worked around the world teaching positive thinking.
The building housing Zanies nightclub was sadly demolished in 2015. Plans for building 5 townhouses on the former site were submitted in 2023. There are (unfortunately) few sharp images of Zanies in its 80s heyday. If you were a regular and happened to take a snap, please post in the comments. In our next edition of Isle of Wight Nightclubs, we shall look at the famous paddle steamer and nightclub – now sadly in a state of irreparable decay – the Ryde Queen.
Will the Beehive in Seaview be included in this series?
Old farts all off you
Yes, but we grew up with great music. I loved Keats Inn in Shanklin.
You spelt *of* wrong. Good effort though, it’s a difficult word to spell.
Dont worry kev,one day,you will be an old fart too,just jealous we grew up in the best era with the best music,unlike the shite of today
At least we had somewhere to go to that was worth its weight and can look back on what have kids on Island got now? Oh I know the baby disco on Coppins Bridge “FABULOUS” not.
zanies raves in 1992 were banging.
Are there any good nightclubs left? All seemed to fall apart in the early 2000’s.
no old hat now..
I knew their father quite well back in the day. He ran the slot machines on Ventnor and Shanklin piers. I’m a few years older that Brian, but let’s forget they both had everything in the palm of their hands in the late 80’s but lost it all through mis financial management in the early 90’s. I’m sure Sammy put most of the capital up for them back in the day. These things happen though sadly. I wish them both well.
Ah, when the Isle of Wight was a great place to be young.
Little left for the young any more. Rapidly becoming a geriatric ghetto.
Just be a sad man with dogs
The worst door thugs too.
The blue lagoon was great …. different band every night.. level 42 played as. Jo bear Martin Bellamy oh yes those were the days ! … nothing now…the island has become a graveyard.. such a shame for the youngsters..
what was the history of that building before all the fun of Zanues?
It’s was for sad lonely men who play with dogs