GREAT lOST VENUES – THE ONES WE MISSED!
Plus the Uncut crossword
I loved the Great Lost Venues piece in last month’s Uncut [Feb issue, Take 249], but would like to suggest one that managed to slide through your hands. The Starlight Rooms in Montpelier Road, Brighton in the early ’60s was a favourite hangout for local mods and a few visiting Swedish girls – an odd combo but it seemed to work. Gary Farr And The T-Bones were the resident band playing a great mix of Chuck Berry, Jimmy Reed, Muddy and Wolf, etc.
No alcohol served, but cold Cokes and Smith’s Crisps seemed to keep the party going. The odd mod stimulant of choice – Purple Hearts and Black Bombers – helped to keep it going longer of course.
The club consisted of a series of basement rooms, one leading into the other, with band and dancefloor occupying the largest and nooks and corners with sofas for time out and snogging. The whole place was damp and run down, but a terrific atmosphere and a good acoustic for the music. With my gold Vespa parked on the seafront and my mod girlfriend Rita by my side, I spent many a blissful sweaty evening in The Starlight Rooms dancing whatever mod dance was in on that particular night. I seem to recall that it cost about half a crown to get in. Michael Feast, via email …In the Canterbury area of Kent during the early ’70s, my mate Pete Murph and I saw a band most Saturday nights. The bigger bands played at the Uni, Led Zep, The Who, Edgar Broughton, Fairport; but we enjoyed the intimate surroundings of St Thomas’ Church Hall in Canterbury where bands were promoted by “Electric Mother’s Earth” and “Haxmaddy”. For 50p (for the lesser known turns) and 60p (for the bigger names) we saw the Graham Bond Organisation, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Vinegar Joe, Stackridge, Stone The Crows, Pink Fairies, and local heroes Soft Machine. Happy days! Mark Millin, via email …Lovely feature on Great Lost Venues – thank you. I have one to add: The Luminaire in Kilburn. Short-lived by comparison to some on your list, but much loved. Treated players and payers well, lovely staff and a “no talking while the band is playing policy”. Which Howe Gelb found strange when he played there – so he played some lounge-style piano as a “bed for conversation” and encouraged people to chat to each other for a few minutes before the respectful silence resumed. I saw any number of great gigs there, including a James Yorkston Christmas show immortalised in his book, It’s Lovely To Be Here. I was at the second to last show with Johnny Flynn in fine form and praising Andy Inglis (co-founder) for giving him and many others their earliest gigs. Best show of all was an evening of music and storytelling with the late, great Jackie Leven. JP Potter, via email …The Pavilion in West Runton, Norfolk, had a few bands play back in the day... Gary James, via email …The fabulous Bull & Gate, Kentish Town… Sid Stovold, via email …The Star Pub in Croydon. My mate and I used to go and see the Stones at Eel Pie Island, but when that ended we looked for alternatives and went to see a new band to us, The Yardbirds at the Star. We thought not as good as the Stones, but the guitarist was a bit tasty – Clapton! They got better every week. Mary Bailey, via email …The Hammersmith Clarendon. I lived right at the other end of the tube line from it, well over an hour’s journey, but often made the trip up in the late ’80s and early ’90s to catch the cream of the alt.rock and metal underground. It was a large, dilapidated room with a high stage and a truly rubbish bar out the door stage right, which only seemed to sell room-temperature cans of Red Stripe, but boy, did a lot of great bands play there.
I did seem to spend a lot of time waiting for Napalm Death to stop playing, but we got insane gigs by Gaye Bykers On Acid, Suicidal Tendencies, an early psychedelic Chili Peppers show, a rare but amazing set by Budgie and a closing night show by Ghostdance that was the soundtrack to regulars dismantling the building to take bits home as souvenirs. I couldn’t even point out where it stood now thanks to redevelopment, but the memories remain! Chris Ball, Southend …Great article on great lost music venues. So many memories, from the all dayers at the George Robey to seeing The Sisters Of Mercy cover Gary Glitter at the Astoria. I still miss the Astoria as much as some of the people I’ve lost over the years. How about a sister article detailing some of the great venues that are still around? A use them or lose them kind of thing. From heritage venues such as the Hammersmith Odeon to newer venues such as Neil’s Jazz & Blues, just down the road from the old Nashville rooms. In today’s climate, they deserve celebrating for keeping the music live. James McConnon, via email …14 pages dedicated to no longer existing venues was a little odd, but Ray Davies proclaiming that there is “nowhere” for bands to learn their trade these days is bizarre! In 2017, I visited a fair few venues along the south coast from Brighton to Bournemouth and there are plenty of places for bands to be “bad” – from the Wedgewood Rooms in Portsmouth, to tiny cafés in the same street (The Shack Bar), Green Door Store, Patterns (Brighton), the fab Joiners in Southampton... OK, so there are venues closing all over, but that doesn’t mean there’s nowhere for small bands to play. Dez Brewser, via email