LONDON ASTORIA

The 'London Astoria' is a music venue at 157 Charing Cross Road in London, England. It has been leased and run by Mean Fiddler Music Group since 2000.
Built on the site of a former pickle factory, it opened in 1927 as a cinema. However, it was converted for theatrical use in 1976 and is now exclusively a music venue with a capacity of 2,000. The Astoria is connected to the Mean Fiddler such that the two venues can function as a single venue where needed. By far its busiest nights are the G-A-Y promotions.
It has played host to many up-and-coming bands, such as Radiohead's performance for MTV in 1994 and Nirvana in 1989, as well as world famous bands wishing to play low-profile shows, including The Rolling Stones in 2003, Pearl Jam in 2006 and Oasis's first performance of their 2005 tour. Blur also played a five-night residency in 2003. The venue plays host to the popular nightclub G-A-Y, which sees many celebrities visit and perform music for the assembled crowd.
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 has since been the primary choice for well-established bands' intimate club gigs in London. Big names to have played the Astoria include Franz Ferdinand, The Cribs, Maximo Park, Kaiser Chiefs, Jarvis Cocker, Martin Gore, Blur, and Foo Fighters.
Only two unsigned bands have managed to sell out the Astoria, the first being The Darkness and more recently Enter Shikari.
However, the Freehold was sold in June 2006 by Compco Holdings property group Derwent Valley Central for £23.75m, who were rumoured to be planning to convert the site into to a combination of shops, flats and offices to take advantage of an increase in property prices for the 2012 Olympics . It will be continued to be rented to the Mean Fiddler group for £1m per year until the end of 2008.
The venue is under a much more immediate threat, and has been for the last 20 years, from the Thames Crossrail link. The Crossrail Corporation aims to gain a Compulsory Purchase Order to knock down the building in order to build below, construct a ventilation shaft in place of the venue and then leave the job of creating a "replacement" to the council and leaseholders, with work due to start in late 2008, depending on Government funding.
The Save the Astoria campaign is run by two English students, in partnership with the Save the London Astoria campaign run by musician 50ft Woman.

Contents

External links

External links

★ London Astoria web site

★ History

★ Astoria Theatre History