Remember Martine's? Nine brilliantly nineties photos from Basingstoke's infamous nightclub

As these brilliant photographs from the nineties show, the town's after-hours venue of choice was swamped with revellers on Friday and Saturday nights.

Hearts were broken when the venue closed its doors 20 years ago but it's memories have stayed on in the hearts of former workers.

And it's one ex-employee DJ Leroy Wilson who is reigniting the Martine's flame this weekend as he hosts a one-off reunion event at Plush Lounge Bar on Wote Street.

Ahead of the event tomorrow night, the Gazette has caught up with Leroy who has shared some of his favourite memories.

"It was the place to be on a Friday and Saturday night."

It was a 'typical, local club'. That is. how Leroy has described Martine's, a town centre venue that saw the likes of Tony Blackburn and Grange Hill stars regularly turn out for a dance and a drink at its peak during the 1990s. 

Clubbers would regularly queue in droves for a chance to get into the hotspot at the weekeends. 

“Everybody went there. It was the main club young people went to in their early 20s,” he told the Gazette. “Even if they visited other clubs they would always come back to Martine’s.

“We used to play all the hits of the ‘90s from every genre, Jazz funk, Pop, Hip Hop, you name it we played it.”

Leroy said he was inspired to create a reunion event last year to mark what would have been the club's 40th birthday. 

Martine's holds many special memories for him as it is one of the places that helped launch his career as a successful DJ. 

Leroy has been on the decks since the age of 17, when a DJ competition ignited his passion for music. 

The event has sold nearly 700 tickets with 2000 likes on Facebook page for the exclusive evening which has now added another night to event to house all the revellers.

Leroy said: "It got to the point where every time I would bump into my old peers from my younger years and we would always say, 'We should do a big get-together and really catch up properly' - but by the end of the week, we'd gone back to our nomral lives again."

He added: "So last year, I decided enough was enough. I really put my heart and soul into organising tomorrow night. It'll be nice being able to talk to each other again without it being at a funeral." 

20 years later, Leroy has continued to follow his passion with his well honed DJ skills.

The peak of 80s fashion was on display in the club pictures including denim on denim and crimped hair.

Now the DJs meet up once a year to reminisce about the good old days.

Leroy said he has been taken aback by the positive reaction to the event - so much so that he will now be hosting another reunion later in the summer.

He said: “I thought it would do well but I never expected this sort of response, I was completely blown away.” 

Now 53, Leroy continues to work as a DJ and has a regular slot at Plush Lounge Bar where tomorrow's event is taking place. 

He said the reunion will be 'more like a festival', with guests told to expect all the classics from the '90s.

Young people from all over the borough would come to the popular nightclub to dance the night away.