'Spectacular' Dome nightclub remembered 40 years on

The Dome is now the location of the O2 Academy

Forty years ago today, one of Birmingham's most famous nightclubs threw open its doors for the very first time.

The Dome, once billed as "the most spectacular discotheque in the world", became a rite of passage for Brummies in their late teens and early twenties.

John Bunce, who ran the club for periods from 1985 until the early 2000s, said it was "very much Birmingham's version of the Hippodrome [nightclub]" in London.

With an initial capacity of 1,725, Mr Bunce said the venue attracted crowds from across the country and it even ran its own coach service for clubgoers from Coventry, Kidderminster and Tamworth.

"It was a big building," he said. "Many times you'd be searching for people's friends."

"It was kind of symmetrical as well, so you'd think you'd be in the left-hand bar but in fact you'd be on the right-hand bar."

He recalled "errant punters" attempting to climb up the Dome, which he said was "like a big climbing frame", and door staff clambering up after them.

John Bunce, right, pictured with Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant

DJ Pete Sherriff, known as "Johnny V Bad" on 70s-themed nights that included wearing a cape, platform shoes and a wig, said: "It was the people who made the building what it was."

Bunce said the 70s nights were "cool, but tongue-in-cheek cool".

The Dome held 70s nights on Fridays

The Dome opened on 16 October 1985 and was closed in 2003. It reopened as the 02 Academy in 2009 and continued to be a venue for entertainment and events.

But its legacy as the Dome lives on in the memories of former clubgoers who have been sharing them on social media - among them the Tuesday student nights and the parties that drew crowds from Bristol, Manchester and beyond.