When it burst onto the Liverpool nightlife scene in the late nineties, the Baby Blue club on Albert Dock was "unlike anywhere else" in the city.
In 1998, Blue Bar & Grill first opened and its success later gave way to Baby Blue, a members club situated in the basement of the restaurant. The nightlife scene on Liverpool’s waterfront began to evolve, seeing people brave the cobbles for nights out there.
Occupying a large part of the Edward Pavilion at the Albert Dock, the affectionately known ‘Blue’ was a staple for famous faces and people who "loved to be seen" throughout the noughties. Members would dress to the nines for a night at the venue which boasted bare-brick walls and a "lounge club" feel.
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Baby Blue attracted big names, from local stars to international legends. And while a schedule of high profile DJs were regularly found behind the decks at the nightclub, it was perhaps best renowned for its comedy nights.
By the late 2000s, Baby Blue made the full time switch to becoming a comedy venue under its new guise of Liverpool Comedy Central. But it's still fondly remembered for the names it attracted and for its impact on the nightlife scene on the waterfront.
Rob Gutmann, 55, originally owned Blue Bar & Grill and when Hartley’s wine bar basement came up for grabs in 1999, he saw the potential for expansion. He told the ECHO: "I'd gone to the Albert Dock at a time when it felt a bit of a risk.
"A lot of people said to me there’s no circuit there for selling beer, there were no bars really at the Albert Dock then. There was a restaurant called Est Est Est which is now Gusto and there was a basement beneath Blue Bar called Hartley's Wine Bar.
"I opened Blue Bar and it surprised me as much as anyone how well it did - it really took off it and became a bit of a phenomenon in the city. It just had a hell of a lot of momentum, so when I found out Hartley's was available I took the opportunity to buy it and my idea was to create a spin-off nightclub of Blue Bar to build on the success of it.
"It did really well but it was a big ask in a way and people used to say it was a 'destination’ venue because people had to go out of their way. You couldn't do it as part of a crawl - you had to get a taxi to the docks, stay there all night and then get a taxi away from the dock."
At the time, Rob said places like London and New York were popular for having private members clubs with membership schemes and that he wanted to replicate that in Liverpool. He said the Baby Blue membership cost a few hundred pounds a year and that he was "surprised" at how many people signed up.
After its first two years of success, Rawhide Comedy Club began hosting comedy nights on Friday and Saturday evenings inside the Baby Blue nightclub. Local comedians and the likes of Johnny Vegas performed there.
Rob said: "I remember looking at these deposit cheques for membership that had come in on my desk in my office in the Albert Dock and they were from premiership footballers. People like Robbie Fowler and Dietmar Hamann and they were prepared to pay a membership and I thought this is really good as it hadn't even opened yet."
Rob said over the years many famous faces attended, such as Liverpool FC and Everton FC footballers. Regulars also included Coronation Street actors and Brookside stars such as Jennifer Ellison, Jamie and Louise Redknapp, Zara Phillips, Chris Martin from Coldplay and even Hollywood names.
He said: "One time this comedian was taking ages to get to the punchline and this voice shouted out from the back ‘tell the joke man.’ It was Samuel L Jackson just heckling this guy, it was very funny."
Rob described Baby Blue as a "small and intimate club" and that the venue was one of the first in the city to offer cocktails to customers. Today, former staff and members still remember and talk fondly about their nights at Baby Blue.
Rob said: "People talk to me about the great nights they had there and along with Korova Bar afterwards and Alma da Cuba, those are things I think I'm proudest of in my career. I know bars come and go, but it’s nice to make an impact on people’s lives.
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"People say I met my future wife or future husband there and that’s nice we wanted to be part of things like that. I'm not from Liverpool but I've been here since I was 18 when I was a student and I've always wanted to do something good for the city as much as to make myself a living - so for the city to appreciate it and for people to remember really enjoying going to those venues, that's really gratifying."
Joel Jelen, of Ubiquity PR said the Baby Blue was "unlike anywhere else." He told the ECHO: "My mobile phone was on fire on Sunday afternoons. I would have some very high profile people texting me and asking me if they could get on the guestlist for Baby Blue.
"As someone responsible for the PR of it, you got a thrill out of it. You got to meet people who inspired you and just chat with them and hear about their life.
"When you're standing at the bar and you look to the left and you’ve got Samuel L Jackson, then you look to your right and you've got an England footballer, you're thinking is this for real. My experience of Liverpool is that everyone has a conversation with you, everyone is really, really open.
"The celebs immediately bought into that. They liked the fact that you weren't affected by them, you could just have a conversation with them and you got an insight into what their life was like."
Joel described Baby Blue as very laid back, friendly, diverse and inclusive. He said: "People like Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, it was very famous footballers in England and internationally.
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"After a match here, teams like Milan would pop down after a game to see what was going on. What was amazing to me was if that was in London you’d have people shouting from the rooftops going absolutely crazy and you could see that wasn't the case here.
"It was just Scousers being Scousers, being a bit cheeky and totally unaffected by anybody who was there. They were just having a chat and the celebrities were really appreciative and would just have a chat back."
Rob said the venue was a "labour of love" for him, but that in 2005 he was made an offer by a hospitality industry group who saw it as a good investment to buy Blue Bar & Grill, Baby Blue and the Pan American Club. Blue continued running under that name for a number of years and still hosted popular comedy nights.
But in January 2016, the ECHO reported how Blue Bar & Grill had closed after almost 20 years. The bar, which bosses credited with surviving the recession and competition from other entertainment hotspots, held a farewell celebration on New Year’s Eve that year and did not reopen.
A customer notice placed on the doors of Blue at the time confirmed its closure. It also explained the reasons behind the decision.
The message said: "Despite the challenges of the recession(s), the creation of new dining and drinking circuits within the city, and the closure of countless other competitors, Blue Bar has stood the test of time and leaves the hospitality scene on a high after another extremely successful trading year. This iconic business has been purchased by another company, which will completely re-brand the business and reopen during 2016.
"We would also like to reassure our customers that we will continue to trade at the Albert Dock at Blue Bar’s sister venue, Panam Restaurant and Bar, which will undergo a significant refurbishment in January 2016 to its lunch and private function space. So whilst we leave Blue Bar with great sadness, and many happy memories, there’s much to look forward to at the Albert Dock, with Panam and Liverpool Comedy Central looking to 2016 with great anticipation and excitement."
Over the years, Comedy Central attracted stars such as John Bishop, Sarah Millican and Russell Howard, along with many local comedians. But by January 2019, the popular comedy clubs closed.
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A Liverpool favourite for many years, Liverpool Comedy Central closed with immediate effect, according to a Facebook statement released at the time by Liverpool Comedy Central. The Facebook post read: "It is with sincere and deep-felt regret that the pressures of running a high-quality comedy club, at a premium location, during a sustained period of turbulent local and nationwide economic uncertainty, have finally taken their toll.
"This has resulted in us having to regrettably close our doors with immediate effect, with all subsequent shows being cancelled. We would like thank all comedians, past and present, for their contributions over the years, and wish every one of them a happy, healthy and productive 2019 and beyond. Best wishes, Liverpool Comedy Central."
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