Hello again, back on the work treadmill are we then? Me too…but that’s alright gives you a sense of moving forward at least. I get really annoyed with people moaning about their jobs especially when so many people right now would kill for any sort of employment. Right, so where we then?….on January 1st I wrote part one of the look back at The Roxy Club in Covent Garden. The short lived venue holds a unique place in music history in London as it not only was the first club purely for ‘punk’ but it brought Don Letts to the Clash fold and the list of bands that played on that stage is something else. Tonight I wanted to write about those bands and close with details of the Clash concert that took place there on Jan 1, 1977. Prior to that (and I’m hoping he won’t mind) but in the first post I asked if anyone had attended the Roxy during the all too brief existence of the club. Age precluded me from ever going when it was open(excuses excuses) but Karl, a good friend of the Clash Blog wrote in with some memories that I’d like to share beneath:

“Cheers for the write up on the Roxy, Tim. Many memories brought back. I went there probably a dozen or so times while Andrew had it. Saw the Damned, Johnny Moped, Banshees, the Slits, the Adverts and several others (Though sadly, not the Clash) in the first 100 night period. I’d have made it to a lot more had I not lived so far away. Went a few times in the second period but it was never the same. It was tiny, probably took no more than 200/250, maybe even less but couldn’t say for sure. You went up 2/3 steps and on the right there was a small ticket office. Then you came to the upstairs section where I seem to remember a bar before you got to the staircase down to the main room. There was an 18″ or so stage at the end where the stairs were and not much else. I think everything was hand painted black matt emulsion apart from the mirrors and (I think) red upholstery. The shape of the room, as far as I can remember was almost square with a small bar not too far from the stairs or stage. I don’t remember any draught beer/lager or spirits/wines, just cans of lager, usually Fosters. It was a bit of a dive really but it was our dive and I loved it. As I said earlier, living in North Oxfordshire we didn’t get down there as often as we’d have liked, but I never had a bad night there in that first period”

Thanks so much for that Karl!! As with so many things from 1977/8 there were very few photographs taken of the venue, I guess your average punk fan was hardly shuffling around central London with a Kodak instamatic and then doing the speedy hand shake to develop the image. Of the hundreds of concerts I’ve been to I’ve never taken a photograph either, now when you go it’s a bloody nightmare with every tosser holding their phone up above their head to capture images or video from the first song to the last. Rant over…Karl you did a great job of helping me picture the Roxy in its prime. Love the cans of lager aspect only, those were the days at probably 40 pence a tin?

Now as for that opening spell at the club which has picked up the moniker of 100 nights of magic over the years. In truth when you see the

Opening night at the Roxy, courtesy Erica Echenberg

diversity of punk acts that performed during the opening months of the club it spells out not only the unique upstart of the movement but look at how many acts remained viable after the scene fragmented and grew (in some cases to global stature) by the time the 1980′s rolled round. In addition to The Clash these acts also played in those opening few months; Buzzcocks, Chelsea, Eater, Sham 69, The Damned, The Jam, The Lurkers, The Only Ones, The Police, The Slits, The Stranglers, Wire and XTC. Just an amazing list. One of the rare images captured in the venue was taken on Dec 21, 1977 at the first night of live music at the club. The picture to the right was taken by Erica Echenberg and (with thanks to The Guardian) shows Nick Kent the Journalist, Brian James, John Lydon and Mark P the editor of Sniffin’ Glue. (Sniffin’ Glue needs a feature or two…who can help?). What a brilliant photo though. I’ll wrap up the Roxy review with details on the only appearance The Clash made at the venue and how ties with Don Letts were formed plus a link to a great interview I think you’ll enjoy.

Cheers – I hope you also may enjoy the video below.