WHQ Club's chrysalis
Back in 1984, we began work in a little Bar next to NUFC football ground. For the next 25 years, we built it into a musical institution, exposing a mainly white city to the wonders of rare Black music, challenging racist attitudes & bringing generations of diverse kids together
VIntage Trent House framed magazine ad (1991) by Tom CaulkerWorld Headquarters Club
Standing up against racism
1980s Newcastle wasn't ready for young Black Bar management & we had to fight like hell, pushing back against racists, as they regularly smashed all its windows, night after night. But we stood firm, eventually won out & set off to change the city's culture with music
Old Skool Trent House poster (1993) by Tom CaulkerWorld Headquarters Club
An independent state
In the midst of the 80s greed fest, The Trent actually stood for something & offered hope of an alternative future. The opposite of Thatcher's Britain that existed beyond our front step. It turned kids on to a diverse & inclusive view of society & was loved for its vibe
Exterior, brass, house rules sign at the Trent House (1990) by Tom CaulkerWorld Headquarters Club
Cultural difference
We drew a high bar & excluded anyone who couldn't get with & accept our quest to build a progressive, multiracial Newcastle. The Trent became the cutting-edge market leader at the cooler end of the city's bar landscape, pioneering a music led, influential underground scene
Augustine Cameron Gill - Trent House Legend (1995) by Tom CaulkerWorld Headquarters Club
Gus Gill
Augustine Cameron Mackenzie Gill was our Trinidadian friend & mentor who worked with us. The whole city knew Gus & he was the funniest & most engaging of characters. He brought so much joy to the Bar & did more for race relations in the city than any politician ever could
The best seat in the house (2000) by Tom CaulkerWorld Headquarters Club
The finest Jukebox in the UK
Northern Soul, Studio#1, Rare Groove, Jazz & all other forms of quality Black music were championed here. At first all on 7' vinyl & once computers arrived, we burned our finest album tracks too, creating an insane CD Jukebox, the like of which was unmatched anywhere in the UK
Greetings from Norway (2004) by UnknownWorld Headquarters Club
Praise of a Black planet
Back in 2003, the Lonely Planet Travel Guide visited the Trent House, giving it a fab write up that drove even more people, many from countries outside the UK to visit us. Clearly what we were doing was hitting home & the Bar's reputation soared internationally now too
Original Trent House T Shirt (1984) by Chris DonaldWorld Headquarters Club
Trent T-shirts
We shifted hundreds over the years, as everyone seemed to want a little slice of the Bar's vibe to take away
Various media clippings reporting the end of the Trent days (2009) by Tom CaulkerWorld Headquarters Club
25 magical years end
By 2009, after 25 years of amazing success with the Trent, we'd also bought & fully established WHQ Club. Time to move on, focus on WHQ full time & kiss the Trent goodbye. No one could ever quite get why we chose to leave it behind & local the media went bananas...
Clive & Ayeesha in the Trent (1993) by Tom CaulkerWorld Headquarters Club
Move on up
The Trent House touched & gave many young lives in Newcastle a sense of belonging. Musically & socially light years ahead of the curve, it fuelled both musical diversity & racial cohesion in the city. Challenging those racist 80s attitudes & leading the way into the 21st century
‘The wall has a simple message: ‘Drink Beer. Be Sincere.’
This unique place is the best bar in town as it is all about an ethos rather than a look. Totally relaxed & utterly devoid of pretentiousness, it is an old-skool boozer that out-cools every other bar because it isn’t trying to…
It also has the best jukebox in all of England – you could spend years listening to the extraordinary collection of songs it contains. It is run by the same folks behind the superb WHQ Club’ - Lonely Planet, 2003
Trent House Soul Bar was the blueprint... Without us having it as a powerhouse, paving the way back in the day, there would be no WHQ Club. It was the place the inclusive, friendly, multiracial culture we represent today was born & first nurtured. That magical place, where we first set off to try to change the world, one record at a time...
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The Trent House, as it looks today. Sometimes you need to let go of things you love - to realise even greater ones
Tom Caulker, with thanks for support, inspiration & guidance from Clive Taylor, Louise Afanasieva, Bobby Greenland, Gus Gill, Deborah Wilkinson, Michael McCoy, Clive Caulker, Chris Donald, Fred & Dee Plater, David Barker & family, our staff crew & all the true Soul heads who always turned out.
