Opened in 1920 as the King’s Cross Cinema, Scala has quite an important place in rock history, having hosted the one and only UK concert of Iggy Pop & The Stooges (on the 15th of July 1972), who were in London recording the album Raw Power at the time. All photographs later featured in the album sleeve – including the cover shot – were actually taken that night during the show. The cover shot of Lou Reed‘s Transformer was also taken the same summer at the Scala by the same (legendary) photographer, Mick Rock. (Check out the 2016 documentary SHOT! The Psycho-Spiritual Mantra of Rock you haven’t yet).
The venue has over the years featured many glorious acts, including The Libertines, Deftones, Foo Fighters, The Killers, Moby, Adam Ant, Super Furry Animals, The Chemical Brothers, and many others.
Address: 275 Pentonville Rd, London N1 9NL
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