Cult discos
London clubs: RIP Poorboy
Discos in the mid-seventies could be quite good places for getting your head kicked in, usually on account of supporting the wrong football team. So looking back, it was obvious that something was wrong at Poorboy. When you walked in people smiled at you. They made pleasant conversation. Strangely, in the middle of north west London, they all seemed to be Americans.
This haven of niceness could be found on the Finchley Road, near where the O2 centre stands now. Poorboy suddenly appeared in around 1976 and right from the start it wasn't your run of the mill disco, not just because of the attentive clientele, but because they didn't serve alcohol. That didn't stop us teenies going there though, especially since the friendly American guys were so intriguing. We weren't even put off when we realised that they had an ulterior motive. God. Yes, Poorboy was an offshoot of a religious movement - the notorious Children of God cult, I believe.
Contrary to what's been said about this particular group, after a few visits and exposure to a shedload of cartoon pamphlets featuring the exploits of founder Dave Berg, it became abundantly clear that the Poorboy folk had little interest in our bodies (mine at any rate). They wanted our souls. And my mates were happy to oblige, declaring us eager to 'Let Jesus into our Hearts' In order to do this, we all sat around a table in a circle, holding hands with the Poorboy folk. I felt a bit guilty about it, being Jewish and all, but I didn't want to be left out, so I thought 'what the hell' and shut my eyes, tightly grasping the hand of the Poorboy-ite next to me and waiting for a revelation. And then... absolutely nothing happened. Was I immune to Jesus? I never knew. Poorboy closed down as suddenly as it had appeared and as for my friends' newly-found religious fervour... well, it soon wore off.
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