End of an Era: Iconic Astoria Closes for Good
They say everything comes at a price, and the development of the capital’s new Crossrail Link is no exception. But it’s not the £16billion budget I’m talking about; it’s the loss of one of London’s best loved, legendary live music venues: The Astoria.
Despite a petition reportedly signed by 35,000 people, including many of the bands who have played there, in the early hours of Thursday morning it closed its doors for the last time. PUSH hosted The Astoria’s last ever club night downstairs in Astoria 2, with the likes of Cajun Dance Party and Light Speed Champion giving it a final send off. And according to reports demolition begins this weekend.
So why was The Astoria so special? Originally a Crosse and Blackwell pickles warehouse, the building was converted into a cinema in 1927. Then in 1976 The Astoria was converted into a unique live music venue. With the 2000 capacity Astoria upstairs and the smaller 1000 capacity Astoria 2 in the underbelly, it could host two gigs or be one huge club depending on the night – genius!
You couldn’t beat the atmosphere either; the buzzing balcony, the Keith Moon Bar (named after The Who drummer who died in 1978). The view was brilliant wherever you stood, sound and lighting were excellent, and the crowd was generally friendly and always passionate! It might have been a bit battered and grimy, and yes, you often got stuck to the floor, soaked in beer or had to hold up a fellow crowd-surfer, but it never failed to provide a great night.
Over the years The Astoria became the venue to play, whether you were an up-and-coming band or an international legend. Performers read like a who’s who of rock aristocrats: The Rolling Stones, The Who, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, U2 and many more. Backstage, years of memorabilia built up and set lists on the wall told the building’s story. Oasis played the first gig of their 2005 tour there, and it was the last venue that Richey Edwards of The Manic Street Preachers played before his disappearance in 1995. More recently it had seen the likes of the Arctic Monkeys, The Libertines, Radiohead, The Kaiser Chiefs and Amy Winehouse.
So what does the future hold? Ken Livingstone promised progress, saying The Astoria would be replaced by a larger live venue in the new Tottenham Court Road development. Is that really what London wants? Is bigger necessarily better? The beauty of The Astoria was that it had an intimate feel to it. I’m sure it will be replaced with a shiny new soulless venue with clean toilets and expensive drinks, but that’s not what we need.
Of course the Crossrail will benefit Londoners; it will cut congestion on the tube and make crossing the capital easier. But should progress erase history or should we be fighting to save the city’s musical heritage?
The Astoria
157 Charing Cross Road
WC2H 0EN
Image courtesy of the BBC
[poll id=”1″]
You may also like
About Post Author
The Crossrail Coalition, London wide residents groups, opposed the £16bn Crossrail scheme as it benefits the City and Canary Wharf but uses a route that destroys London’s rich cultural, community and architectural heritage. The Astoria is one of the great losses. To add insult to injury, this Government including Boris Johnson allowed Crossrail to nominate Londoners, UK taxpayers and farepayers to pay for the destructive £16bn Crossrail. On
May 10, 2007, the times editor, Graham Searjeant described as Crossrail as a bottomless pit for with no real benefits.
Crossrail promoters call the scheme an east west link but rail line already exists but the reality is that it is the central line minus the Whitechapel, Canary Wharf and Heathrow link so we have paid £16bn for this. All the major residents groups in the East and West End did not want Crossrail, which replicates the central line but tunnels under the most fragile residential properties while avoiding development sites. One residents group has a report saying that Crossrail will be used as a vehicle for development but it was never investigated. Londoners never wanted Crossrail but the sham consultation approved of by the Department for Transport and then Mayor Livingstone did not ask if London wanted Crossrail. The surveys conducted showed that London did not want Crossrail despite the lobbying from the City interests.
A YouGovStone Poll for the Evening Standard on 21 January 2008 prior to the London Mayoral elections revealed 47 per cent of Londoners were concerned about the tube. Only 3 per cent mentioned Crossrail, which was the main thrust of the defeated ex-Mayor’s public transport campaign. Crossrail menas London loses out on vital upgrades such as the Northern Line to bankroll various interests. The City, Canary Wharf and construction developers who lobbied for Crossrail are paying the smallest contribution thanks to Ruth Kelly and Mr Bean aka Brown.
The final straw was that Crossrail were allowed to depart from good practice and policies adopted on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and the Jubilee Line Extension by refusing to consider viable alternatives and the Commons and Lords Committees actively prevented scrutiny of the routes chosen by Crossrail. Please see the minutes of the Commons and Lords Committees to see how hearings are heard in the UK.
In the end, the Coalition spent large sums of money challenging the Crossrail Bill which endured a Huttonesque whitewash enquiry paid for by London’s communities.
The result is that Crossrail means the cultural heritage of London will be lost in the east and West End where lots of historic and cultural buildings are at risk so that this private company Crossrail can assist developers to make profits. We are already hearing how developer – Great Portland Estates will make £100million but at what cost to London?
It is time for the politicians such as Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson to start answering some questions about Crossrail. Maybe they can start by paying for Crossrail personally rather than leaving taxpayers to pay for their mistakes.