Ron Blunden, the man who helped create and run the original Tache nightclub in Cookson Street in the early 1980s, has died after a short illness. The venue he founded became a focal point for Blackpool’s alternative and rock scene and his passing has prompted heartfelt messages from friends, former staff and venue operators.
Local venue announces loss
The current Tache Rock Venue confirmed the news in a statement, saying it was with great sadness that they had learned of Ron’s death. The announcement described him affectionately as the “big man” and urged people to share photographs and memories ahead of a planned toast at an upcoming club night at West Coast Rock Cafe.
“Ron ran the OG Tache and provided a safe and fun place for all of Blackpool’s rock scene and young weirdos like myself… You will be greatly missed and we shall be raising quite a few glasses in his honour.”
Longstanding figure in Blackpool’s nightlife
Blunden pioneered the original Tache on Cookson Street in the early 1980s. Although he later returned to Scotland, his influence on the town’s club scene endured. The original premises were demolished to make way for the Blackpool Gateway development in 2012, but the Tache name survived through moves to other premises in the town, including a relocation above the Rose and Crown where the brand continued under the stewardship of former colleagues.
Rob Wynne, manager of West Coast Rock Cafe in Abingdon Street, who knew Blunden for decades, recalled how Ron had helped ensure the Tache could keep operating when its first home was lost. Wynne said they kept the staff, DJs and door team, secured the name and reopened the night at a new venue, with Blunden present both on the final night at Cookson Street and at the first event at the new location.
- Founded: original Tache launched on Cookson Street in the early 1980s
- Landmark event: 20-year ownership celebration held in 2009
- Change: original building demolished in 2012 during Blackpool Gateway development
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| Early 1980s | Original Tache opened in Cookson Street |
| 2009 | 20-year ownership party hosted by Ron Blunden |
| 2012 | Original venue demolished for Blackpool Gateway; Tache relocated |
Remembering a ‘down-to-earth’ host
Wynne described Blunden as “laid back, nice, genuine” and said customers had always taken to him because of his unpretentious manner. A large portrait of Blunden remains on display at the West Coast Rock Cafe, a reminder of his long association with the town’s rock and alternative communities.
Friends and former patrons are expected to mark his memory at the club’s forthcoming night, where organisers have invited people to bring photographs and reminiscences. Details of funeral arrangements have not been made public by the venue.
This is a loss felt across a slice of Blackpool’s cultural life: the Tache was not just a club, but a meeting place for musicians, regulars and younger people seeking an alternative scene. Its founding manager’s death brings to a close the chapter of a figure who helped shape that local identity.
