More Venues

The Nashville, The Moonlight...more London music venues we've loved

The loss of some of London's more famous smaller venues has meant that there are fewer places for bands to launch their careers. Two former venues that were particularly important in introducing a range of soon-to-be-famous bands to the London music scene were the Moonlight in West Hampstead and the Nashville on Fulham Palace Road.

The Moonlight was in a room in the basement of The Railway Tavern. It was a ram-packed sweaty pit of a room where many of the punk and post-punk bands played in their early days. I remember being mesmerised by the German industrial dance band, Deutsche Americanische Freundschaft at a gig there and, sadly, getting tickets for but not being able to go to one of the few Joy Division gigs in London.

The Nashville: pub rock relic

The Nashville was a relic of the pub rock scene and was a big, grotty room behind the Greyhound pub. I went to see the Specials there at the start of their career when they were a major buzz in the music press. Because of the clamour for tickets there was a queue around the block and in a moment of super heroism I scaled the wall and tore apart a Perspex window advertising the products of Fuller's breweries and jumped into the venue to see a fantastic gig. The Moonlight briefly became a rat and something or other, but is now the Railway Tavern once more. The Nashville and Greyhound site is now occupied by a generic trendy bar.

London music venues: give me the Moonlight...

Reader Steve Marshall has even earlier memories of the Moonlight. "The Moonlight Club in West End Lane, home to punk rock and reggae nites in the 70s, New Romantics in the 80s and the original home of the 6Ts Soul nites was also known as Kooks Kleek in the 60s and 70s (The Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix appeared there)." He also remembers the glory days of the Roundhouse in Chalk Farm: "This was home to, amongst others ie Grand Magic Circus in the early 70s, a French performance group and a kids Saturday morning thing called Moonrock, with live rock bands, inflatables! old movies and much more. They moved to Camden Studios later on in life. They featured Afro Rock from Ginger Johnson and Lord Eric too!"

RIP Eel Pie Island

Neil Harding-Deans laments the loss of Eel Pie Island in Twickentham: "Closed it and knocked it down!!!!! Never saw Stones or Who in early 60s. But did see Free, Black Sabbath, Rory Gallagher, Edgar Broughton Band and many more in 70s..."

Whatever happened to The Venue?

Catherine Wiles would like to know. "Does anyone else remember The Venue in Victoria? Good for discos in the early 80s. I no longer live in London, so can anyone tell me what happened to the Camden Palace? Used to go there on a Weds night in the 80s: it was great. Suspect if it's still there, it's become mainstream now."

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Messages

Message:	4/4
Date and time:	28/01/2008 at 14:32:57
Sender:	Wulfweard

Saw The Stranglers at the Nashville and Dire Straits at the Greyhound both before they hit the big time

Message:	3/4
Date and time:	12/12/2007 at 17:17:29
Sender:	Nick

I remember the Venue in Victoria very well! used to play there regularly in the early 80's in a 'synth' band called Naked Lunch!!!

Message:	2/4
Date and time:	18/11/2006 at 21:52:35
Sender:	clippy

Nashville now the Three Kings and Greyhound unfortunately long deceased.Shame also about the destruction of Railway in Wealdstone.

Message:	1/4
Date and time:	19/09/2006 at 09:31:06
Sender:	Freddie B.

The Nashville and the Greyhound were two separate venues. I think the latter was indeed on the Fulham Palace Road, but if my memory serves me well the Nashville was on the corner where the North End Road meets the big Hammersmith Road. It was badly scarred by a fire sometime in the early 80s after which it ceased to be a venue, i believe...