The Roundhouse - London - Punk 77 (original) (raw)

The Roundhouse – Chalk Farm Road Camden. Originally built by the London and Birmingham Railway as a shed where trains could be turned on a revolving platform to run back up to Birmingham it turned into a gin warehouse before being abandoned before the second world war. In 1964 it became an arts venue and featured cutting edge controversial plays like ‘Oh Calcutta’ with its all nude revue.

If ever a venue was a child of the Sixties this was it and it’s real rock ‘n’ roll birth occurred in the IT launch party in 1966. The event literature promised

Pop/Op/Costume/Masque/Fantasy-Loon/Blowout/Drag Ball. All night rave to launch International Times, with the Soft Machine, Pink Floyd, steel bands, strips, trips, happenings, movies. Bring your own poison and flowers & gas filled balloons & submarines & rocket ships & candy & striped boxes & ladders & paint & flutes & feet & ladders & locomotives & madness & autumn & blow lamps.

The Rock ‘n ‘Roll Guide to Camden by Anne Scanlon comments:

Despite the fact that the Roundhouse was cold, wet, filthy with minimal lighting, a rickety balcony and only two toilets, the event was a big success. Around 2000 people turned up and everyone was offered sugar cubes as they came through the door – the cubes were rumoured to be coated with LSD and, although it wasn’t actually the case, some people managed to trip out on them regardless. Someone made a giant jelly, moulded in a bath tub, but Pink Floyd’s van ran into it while they were setting up their gear, so few people saw it in its original magnificence. Among the guests were Paul McCartney, Jane Asher, Marianne Faithful, Monica Vitti and Antonioni, who was working on his latest movie Blow Up. There was a psychedelic palm reading and fortune telling tent and prizes were awarded for the shortest or barest fancy dress costumes – the winner was Marianne Faithful, in a highly unconventional nun’s habit [it was described as not quite reaching the ground nor indeed quite covering her arse! Punk77] but Paul McCartney, who went as an Arab, dressed in white robes and headdress, left empty-handed.

While Ladbroke Grove may have been the spiritual home of the counterculture, Camden and the Roundhouse made an excellent sonic focal point and had their finger on the pulse. The Doors and Jefferson Airplane played and Led Zeppelin played their first London gig here. The list just goes on and on of famous acts. The Greasy Truckers Live album was recorded here that spawned Hawkwind’s ‘Silver Machine’ smash.

Later The Ramones and Patti Smith would famously bring US punk to the UK in 1976 (The Ramones recorded Its Alive there) and The Clash and Stranglers would be just two of the new punk breed to play there. The latter would break attendance records here and recorded songs for their live album Live X Certs.

The demise of the building came with public noise complaints. Unable to alter the structure of the Roundhouse because of its listed status, it became solely theatre-based based managing to last out to 1983 before closing.

Thankfully it has reopened again and once more puts on gigs and plays. The Roundhouse is a true legend!

History

• 1846 Built as a steam engine shed to turn around locomotives
• 1869 Turned into a warehouse by Gilbey’s Gin
• 1964 Arnold Wesker, the playwright, launches the Centre 42 arts complex
• 1966 Pink Floyd play at the launch of the International Times publication
• 1968 The Doors play their only British gig
• 1976 The Clash play
• 1983 Roundhouse closed
• 1996 Torquil Norman, buys the Roundhouse

1976 MOTORHEAD with Pink Fairies Roundhouse, Chalk Farm, London
I think this was Motorhead’s third gig, supporting the Fairies, who were a sixties type rock band of the era. Anyway, Lemmy was still only known to everyone the bloke who got kicked out of Hawkwind, and I’m sure they did their Motorhead theme tune. What I’ll never forget, is his connection with the crowd, as he just stood there and chatted and raved with the audience as if he were addressing a group of friends down the pub. Really really confident, although he might have been on something, admittedly. But this connection absolutely made the gig. Funnily enough, I have never seen the band again! I’ve always meant to, but it’s never happened!

Anyway, this gig was another glorious concert in the ‘Heavy Night On The Town’ season, many sunday nights at the Roundhouse, where you could see 3 bands for £1.50. I’ll never forget the queue up the stairs to get in, past the hippie’s teepee. The hippies would walk up to the queue and offer everyone hot food of curious design, but I would never dare indulge. Once at the top of the stairs, the door would open, and you were hit my the thick sweet cannabis smoke, the nearest I’ve ever got to drug taking. Walking past the stalls of badges, and into the gig. The Roundhouse was a great venue, and these sunday specials were so happy. Shame the stupid council closed it in the eighties, and have now gutted it and ruined it. Great days… Link

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