Soaking up the vibe in city's much-loved bar The Salsa Club

It was a place for conversation, cosying-up and chilling out. The Salsa Club in Newcastle, now long-gone, was a great place to meet friends and once inside, soaking up the vibe - it always had a vibe - it was difficult to leave.

- By BARBARA HODGSON

Over bottled beers and Spanish tapas, it was common to get chatting to people at the next table, often about the cracking music playlist. And everyone there seemed to be interesting.

Granted, those beers could have something to do with it, but you were just as likely to see customers having a coffee at the Westgate Road bar-restaurant which attracted everyone from shoppers to students. As the day progressed however and The Salsa Club seamlessly morphed into a nightspot it tended to be all about the beer and wine.

And music. The city's much-loved Salsa Club, which later became The Salsa Cafe, was colourful too, with artwork and posters which extended up a staircase to the room upstairs, and it took on a rather dark and mysterious feel by night. It was also a great venue - not too big - to hire for a party.

But like all good things, those Salsa days were to come to an end - and suddenly. The Salsa Cafe closed its doors without warning on July 8, 2014 after 18 years of trading.