{"id":63681,"date":"2020-07-13T10:36:34","date_gmt":"2020-07-13T09:36:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=63681"},"modified":"2020-07-15T21:46:38","modified_gmt":"2020-07-15T20:46:38","slug":"gone-but-not-forgotten-review-of-londons-lost-music-venues-by-paul-talling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2020\/07\/gone-but-not-forgotten-review-of-londons-lost-music-venues-by-paul-talling\/","title":{"rendered":"GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN – Review of ‘London’s Lost Music Venues’ by Paul Talling"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re the sort of person who treasures ticket stubs and T-shirts from precious gigs, then Paul Talling<\/strong>\u2019s London\u2019s Lost Music Venues <\/em><\/strong>could be the book for you.<\/h4>\n

Meticulously researched and illustrated with photographs and contemporary flyers, Talling\u2019s book focusses on the capital\u2019s much missed small clubs, jazz joints, and drinking dens.<\/h4>\n

Dividing London into Central, East, North, West & South West and South East regions, it\u2019s the kind of book you can read in one go, or leave by the loo to dip into at your leisure.<\/p>\n

Chock-full of fascinating factoids, it\u2019s a testament to the power of live venues to create indelible and unrepeatable moments.<\/p>\n

Old punks might remember the night at Soho\u2019s Vortex<\/strong> when Danny Baker <\/strong>took to the stage to lambast the crowd for cheering the passing of Elvis Presley<\/strong>, only to receive a hail of bottles in response.<\/p>\n

Or they may have caught the 1974 show by a little known support band at The Nashville Rooms <\/strong>called The Sex Pistols.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Their performance convinced the lead singer of headliners The<\/strong> 101\u2019ers<\/strong>, one Joe Strummer<\/strong>, that he needed an urgent change of musical direction.<\/p>\n

\"Stomping
Psychobilly at the Clarendon: The cover of Volume 3 of The Stomping at the Klub Foot series<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hammersmith’s Clarendon Ballroom\u00a0<\/strong>will surely trigger fond memories for fans of bands like The Meteors<\/strong>, Guana Batz <\/strong>and King Kurt<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Known as the Klub Foot<\/strong>, the venue became a Mecca for the early ’80s Psychobilly movement, spawning six live\u00a0Stomping at the Klub Foot<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0albums.<\/p>\n

Talling notes that the venue also played host to one of Madness\u2019 <\/strong>first ever shows at the wedding reception of Stiff Records <\/strong>boss Dave Robinson.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many venues like the Ealing Club<\/a> <\/strong><\/span>and Eel Pie Island<\/strong>, which started out as jazz venues, became cradles for the burgeoning R&B scene <\/strong>in the \u201860s.<\/p>\n

The likes of Eric Clapton<\/strong>, The Yardbirds <\/strong>and The Who <\/strong>got their earliest gigs in these packed, sweaty halls.<\/p>\n

The Rolling Stones<\/strong>, Talling notes, played their first ever show in February 1963 in a back room of The Station Hotel<\/strong> in Richmond.<\/p>\n

The Stones would go on to take over as the house band at the venue, known as the Crawdaddy<\/strong>, in homage to Bo Diddley<\/strong>\u2019s Doing The Crawdaddy<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Indie fans might remember queuing up at The Ambulance Station <\/strong>on Old Kent Road in Southwark to see the likes of Chumbawumba<\/strong>, The Wedding Present <\/strong>and Pulp.<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to Talling, Johnny Marr <\/strong>and the usually reclusive Morrissey <\/strong>were tempted to attend a performance by emerging Scottish act The Jesus and Mary Chain <\/strong>at the venue.<\/p>\n

The chaotic show convinced Geoff Travis<\/strong> to sign the band to Blanco Y Negro<\/strong>, despite having his car smashed up after the gig.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s sad about this book, particularly when COVID-19 <\/strong>is casting a deathly shadow over the whole future of live music, is that all these venues, which brought such joy to so many people are no more.<\/p>\n

Talling’s book shows us that iconic clubs like the original Marquee<\/strong>,\u00a0Ronnie Scott’s<\/strong>, or\u00a0The Limelight <\/strong>serve as time capsules, releasing little dopamine hits of pleasure at great nights out.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important that books like this serve to remind us of what we\u2019ve been missing since the virus outbreak and the essential role of live music to the human experience.<\/p>\n