Review
"When it closed it was like a part of Sheffield's cultural history had been wiped out. It's good to see it brought back to life once more."
--John Quinn, The Star
Product Description
It was Sheffield's Hacienda but, while its Lancashire counterpart famously lost a fortune, this place became a licence to print money with its management living the lives of rock stars.
The Limit was pivotal to Sheffield's electro revolution of the early '80s staging seminal gigs of Human League, Cabaret Voltaire, Comsat Angels and others.
The venue helped break bands that went on to national and international domination - everyone from U2 to B-52s played landmark shows there.
It was the subject of one of UK nightlife's biggest ever Customs and Excise raids, with every member of its senior management team arrested in a bid to find evidence of a missing £250,000.
The `efficiency' of Limit bouncers became the stuff of legend - club staff became targets for attack: many of them took up bodybuilding alongside the bouncers to be ready for the worst.
The Limit machine was untouched by the Winter of Discontent, the early '80s recession and the miners' strike.
It hosted 13 years of club nights from early punk, to mid-eighties goth to the early rave and dance.
It was so successful that it bankrolled the transformation of Sheffield Lyceum from derelict eyesore to state-of-the-art entertainment venue staging everything from Joe Cocker's Sheffield homecoming to shows spanning The Clash and Simple Minds.
About the Author
He was a Sheffield Telegraph columnist for over a decade and wrote the city's renowned Dirty Stop Out's Guide.
Neil Anderson started life as a hairdresser but saw the light when he landed a job in Sheffield City Hall's publicity office.
He unwittingly started researching this book in the mid-eighties as part of a mis-spent youth project that demanded regular attendance at The Limit.
When he's not writing books about long-gone dens of iniquity he's running a successful media relations agency (All Credit Media) or finding other excuses for not getting a proper job.
He also spent a few years as the regular Saturday night DJ at Sheffield's Casbah venue (formerly Wapentake) - the only venue to get anywhere near re-creating The Limit vibe in Sheffield.
