Studio 51

Behind this unassuming door at 10 Great Newport Street, once was the glorious Studio 51, famous for its Ken Colyer Club. It’s here where, when Rhythm and Blues took over in the ‘60s, Eric Clapton played his first gig with The Yardbirds and where The Beatles gifted The Rolling Stones with their first big hit, I Wanna Be Your Man.

The 100 Club

In September 1976, the 100 Club (which had operated since 1942 as Feldman Swing Club) played host to the first international punk festival, which helped push the new punk movement into the mainstream. The Sex Pistols, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Clash, Buzzcocks, The Jam, The Stranglers, and The Damned all played at this event.

Ealing Jazz Club

The Ealing Jazz Club was a music venue on The Broadway, Ealing, in the west of London. The club is noteworthy as the place where on 24 March 1962 Charlie Watts first met Brian Jones and then, on 7 April 1962, Alexis Korner introduced Mick Jagger and Keith Richards to Brian Jones.

Speakeasy

Opened on 15 December 1966, the Speakeasy Club hosted the likes of The Rolling Stones, The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, Pink Floyd (who first appeared on 19 September 1967), Love, King Crimson, Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention (October 1967), Yes, Jimi Hendrix (1966), The Beatles, David Bowie, Deep Purple (10 July 1969), and Bob Marley (May 1973, Catch a Fire Tour). Thin Lizzy made their England debut here.

The Flamingo Club

Acts who played at the Flamingo’s in the 1960’s included John Mayall, Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, Cream, Pink Floyd, The Small Faces, and many others.

Wessex Sound Studios

Many renowned popular music artists recorded at the former Wessex Sound Studios, including Sex Pistols (Never Mind the Bollocks), King Crimson, The Clash (London Calling), Theatre of Hate, XTC, Queen (We Will Rock You), Talk Talk, The Rolling Stones, Pete Townshend, and The Damned. Here’s where Johnny Rotten threw up into the piano…

The Scotch of St. James

On the 24th of September 1966 Jimi Hendrix arrived in England for the first time and joined the house band for an impromptu session on stage at The Scotch of St. James. At the the height of 1960s swinging London the venue served as a historically significant meeting place for London’s rock elite.

De Lane Lea Studios

Major artists such as The Animals, The Beatles, Soft Machine, Queen, The Rolling Stones, Bee Gees, The Who, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, and Deep Purple recorded songs at the De Lane Lea Studios, but not here in their current location in Soho!

Keith Richard’s Chelsea Flat

Keith Richards lived in this Chelsea flat, on beautiful Cheyne Walk, when – legend has it – his home was burgled in 1974 by teenage Sex shop customers Steve Jones and Wally Nightingale, who were trying to gather some equipment for their pre-Sex Pistols band The Swankers.

Marquee Club – Part #2

In March 1964 the Marquee Club moved to its most famous venue at 90 Wardour Street, possibly becoming the most important venue in the history of pop music.