A lost Liverpool nightclub loved in the 90s and 00s hosted Top Of The Pops and was the venue where pop group Atomic Kitten began.
Many clubbers of the nineties with remember The Lomax club on Cumberland Street in Liverpool city centre. The venue opened in 1993 and during its time, some of the UK's biggest bands played gigs there, including Oasis and Radiohead.
But in 1998, the team behind the Lomax opened their larger sister venue, the L2 club in Hotham Street, which later became known for the likes of its 70s Club Tropicana nights. After opening, the L2 soon started attracting a crowd of its own for its events and live performances - and was soon introduced to TV viewers across the UK.
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Only a year after opening, the venue hosted the legendary BBC music show Top Of The Pops whilst it was on a mini tour in 1999, as the show had recently made a decision to end its purely London-based recording and to head out to the regions. Launched in 1964 at Manchester’s Dickensian Road Studios, Top Of The Pops spent decades as the UK’s most popular TV music show.
In August 1999, the Liverpool ECHO reported how Top Of The Pops had chosen Liverpool for one of its first broadcasts outside of London, with recording to take place on Wednesday, September 22 that year. The recording also coincided with the In The City music biz event, which was organised by Tony Wilson.
At the time, Mike Hindley, who ran L2 and its smaller sister club The Lomax, said: "We are delighted. We have worked hard over the past six years to promote live music in the city, and now it is paying off.
"People in London are starting to realise that we can trust us, and events like this can be a big success in Liverpool. Now we are hoping that the charts that week are full of the likes of Madonna, George Michael and the Rolling Stones."
In September 1999, Top Of The Pops relocated to Liverpool for one night only. Numerous fans waited outside the L2 to catch a glimpse of some of the stars currently topping the charts, whereas others were inside for filming with presenter Jamie Theakston.
The roadshow also went to Brighton, Nottingham, Sheffield, Newcastle, Swansea, Birmingham and Edinburgh before the end of the year. The episode featured the usual blend of live performances, videos, the current top 20 and the best selling single of the week.
Opening the show, presenter Jamie Theakston said: "Echo and the Bunnymen, the Beatles, and Sonia. It's the spiritual home of popular music - we're here at the L2 in Liverpool." Performances filmed in the L2 included Vengaboys - We’re Going To Ibiza!, Everything But The Girl - Five Fathoms, Paul Johnson - Get Get Down, Tom Jones & The Cardigans - Burning Down The House, and Eiffel 65 - Blue (Da Ba Dee).
Other performances on the episode but filmed elsewhere included Sting - Brand New Day, Wyclef Jean & Bono - New Day, and David Bowie - Thursday’s Child. At the time, ECHO pop writer Debbie Johnson went behind the scenes of the nation's most popular music show.
Outside the L2 nightclub on Hotham Street, along with 200 excited ticket holders, and almost as many security staff everybody was keen for the night to start. The celebrity count was also high, with members of Space, China Crisis, and most of Brookside Close adding to the glamour of the occasion.
The stage was dressed up for the night with the instantly recognisable TOTPs logo, and although the place was only about a third full, the rest of the space was needed for the vanloads of cameras, cranes and other technological devices. At the bar, guests also discovered the rule of soft drinks only.
Mike Hindley, who ran the L2 and its smaller sister venue the Lomax, said: "This is like all my Christmases come at once. Who'd have thought, when we opened the Lomax seven years ago, that it would come to this."
ECHO reporter Debbie Johnson was later invited to have a chat with TOTP presenter Jamie Theakston, downstairs in the backstage area. He said: "It's a really good thing. Everyone is having a good time and it's a great idea.
"The Liverpool crowd are fantastic, and afterwards I'm going to go and thank every single one of them personally. I haven't had time to look around the city yet but I might go out afterwards - where's good in Liverpool on a Wednesday night?"
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That night, Chris Cowey, the man behind TOTPs, said: "I used to work on The Tube and came to Liverpool to film whenever we got an excuse to do it. It's a great city.
"L2 has been perfect for us - a great venue, and the staff are helpful and accommodating. Even the security men smile."
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Over the years, the L2 boasted many a great night and live performances from huge stars. In 2000, many will remember when Paul Weller played to a packed-out house.
But it also meant a lot to local performers, some who got their big break at the venue. In 2002, the ECHO reported how the L2 played a pivotal role in the early years of girl band Atomic Kitten.
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At the time, bandmember Liz McLarnon, from Garston, said: "I turned up at this club called L2 in Liverpool, where the audition was, and there was a girl standing at the door who turned out to be Kerry. I remember she had black combat pants and massive white Spice Girls-style boots on.
"I asked her if she was here for the dancing and we got talking, and she turned out to be really nice. Heidi, (of Sugababes fame) who was the other original member of the band before Natasha, was at the same auditions too."
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In 2000, The Lomax in Cumberland Street closed its doors and moved into a new setting within the L2 nightclub in Hotham Street. L2, itself, existed between 1998 and 2002 and the building later became home to the Carling Academy.
The Carling Academy on Hotham Street launched with legendary Liverpool band Shack, plus local success story The Bandits in 2003. Now, music lovers will know the venue as the O2 Academy Liverpool.
Many of the performances from the Liverpool TOTP show are available to watch online on YouTube and via the BBC Archive social media accounts. As for the L2, it is still remembered in the city today by those who loved to go there and made history.
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