London Astoria Explained

London Astoria
Location:Charing Cross Road, Soho
London,
United Kingdom
Opened:1976
Closed:15 January 2009
Seating Capacity:1,600 – 2,000
Website:festivalrepublic.com (archived)

The London Astoria was a music venue at 157 Charing Cross Road, in London, England, that operated from 1976 to 2009.

Originally a warehouse during the 1920s, the building became a cinema and ballroom. It was converted for use as a theatre in the 1970s. After further development, the building re-opened in the mid-1980s, as a night club and live music venue for well-known musical acts. There are half a dozen clubs and smaller music venues in the adjacent buildings.

In 2009 the venue closed, and was demolished as part of the development plans of the Crossrail project. The venue is still seen today as having been an iconic music establishment, as it helped to launch the careers of many British rock bands and also played a part in the UK success of many international acts.

History

The Astoria was built on the site of a former Crosse & Blackwell warehouse[1] and opened in 1927 as a cinema. It was designed by Edward A. Stone, who also designed subsequent Astoria venues at Brixton (now the Brixton Academy), Old Kent Road, Finsbury Park and Streatham. When first constructed, the building was four storeys tall with a decorative frieze cornice surrounding its exterior. The original interior was styled as a square Proscenium theatre consisting of a panelled barrel-vault ceiling supported by large columns, a viewing balcony and had false viewing boxes, which actually contained the organ pipes. From 1928, the basement was used as a ballroom dancing salon.[2]

The venue's interior was re-designed with a plainer, modern style in 1968. In 1977 it was converted for theatrical use. The venue went through another period of conversion when the theatre closed in 1984. It reopened in 1985 as a nightclub and live music venue with a capacity for 2,000 people. A booklet was published called The History of the Astoria by Nigel Crewe to commemorate its evolving uses.[3]

At its closing in 2009 the record for the most consecutive sold-out shows at the Astoria was The Mission who performed seven straight nights between 21 and 27 March 1988 on their "Children Play" tour. The venue would host the famous night "The Trip" at the height of the acid house scene in 1988.[4]

Mean Fiddler acquired the lease for the London Astoria in May 2000, "securing the future of live music at one of London's most famous rock 'n' roll venues." It was also connected to Astoria 2 so that the two venues could function as a single venue when needed. The Astoria continued to operate in this format until its ultimate closure in 2009.

Recordings

Closure and redevelopment of site

In June 2006, the Astoria was sold by Compco Holdings to property group Derwent Valley Central, for £23.75m. It was rumoured that the buyers were planning to convert the site into a combination of shops, flats and offices to take advantage of an increase in property prices due to the forthcoming 2012 Olympics.[7]

On 13 August 2007, Festival Republic sold most of its venues, and the rights to the name Mean Fiddler, to the MAMA Group, but it retained The Astoria and Mean Fiddler, which reverted to its old name of The Astoria 2, generally known as the LA2 (London Astoria 2).

In 2008 it became known that the Astoria would be demolished to make way for Crossrail, a major railway development crossing London from west to east. Despite public opposition, London Mayor Ken Livingstone confirmed that the venue would have to go, saying "The construction of Crossrail means that the Astoria can't be saved".[8]

The nightclub G-A-Y left the Astoria in July 2008 and moved to the Heaven nightclub.

In January 2009, the Astoria closed its doors for the last time, having been subject to a compulsory purchase order for the Crossrail development.[9] Its final night of opening was 14 January, when a 'Demolition Ball' was held, co-organised by Get Cape Wear Cape Fly's Sam Duckworth in aid of Billy Bragg's Jail Guitar Doors charity and Love Music Hate Racism. Acts included The Automatic, My Vitriol and ex-Mansun singer Paul Draper, Frank Turner, ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead and The King Blues. London Astoria 2 also had a closing party, headlined by rock band Open The Skies, with support from Outcry Fire, F.A.T.E and Orakai.[10]

Demolition of the Astoria was completed by October 2009.

In 2012, plans by Nimax Theatres to build a new in-the-round theatre on the site adjacent to the Astoria were approved.[11] The site could not be built on at that time due to the construction of Crossrail. The venue was due to open in November 2021 but its opening was delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[12] [13] The new theatre, @sohoplace, the first newly built West End theatre for 50 years, opened in October 2022 and seats 602.[14]

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.practicallyedible.com/edible.nsf/pages/crosseblackwell!opendocument&startkey=Crosse%20&%20Blackwell
  2. Web site: Astoria (London) – The Theatres Trust. 19 January 2010.
  3. Web site: The Astoria Theatre, 157, Charing Cross Road, London, WC2 . Arthurlloyd.co.uk . 15 February 2016.
  4. News: Acid house and the dawn of a rave new world. Luke Bainbridge. 23 February 2014. The Guardian.
  5. Web site: The Darkness – Astoria Documentary part 3/4 . YouTube . 7 January 2010 . 20 June 2014.
  6. Web site: Metallica – The Secret Gig With New Songs (CD, Album) . Discogs.com . 23 August 1995 . 15 February 2016.
  7. http://www.allbusiness.com/operations/facilities-commercial-real-estate/4418164-1.html London's Astoria Theatre Bought by Derwent Valley | Europe > Western Europe from AllBusiness.com
  8. News: 'Astoria makes way for Crossrail . The Times . 14 March 2008 . 14 March 2008 . London . Ben . Hoyle.
  9. Web site: Historic Astoria closes its doors . . BBC . 14 January 2009 . BBC News . 27 January 2021.
  10. News: Ian Winwood . The Astoria: Share your beer-stained memories | Music . . 15 February 2016.
  11. Web site: New Theatre Approved For Astoria Site . Londonist . 20 April 2012 . 20 June 2014.
  12. Web site: New and refurbished theatre venues set to open soon . Wood . Alex . 24 August 2020 . WhatsOnStage . 27 January 2021.
  13. Web site: Nica Burns unveils new West End Theatre . Bosanquet . Theo . 21 July 2022 . WhatsOnStage . 21 July 2022.
  14. News: London’s West End gets first purpose-built theatre in 50 years . Wiegand, Chris. 21 July 2022. 22 July 2022 . The Guardian.

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