London

Hackney Empire: the home of comedy in the East End

Hackney Empire
Reginald D Hunter, stand-up comedian
‘The Hackney Empire is one of the most elegant theatres in Britain, and not just because lots of white people used to attend it! The decor speaks of a time when panache and opulence mattered more than the uniform sleekness of modern venues. With Louis Armstrong, Charlie Chaplin and Maria Callas having played there in its formidable past, respect to the history of this remarkable venue continues to be observed to this very day by the sheer number of benefits and chitlin circuit plays that routinely fill its stage. It is, to put it simply, one of the nicest places in which I have ever sworn.’
291 Mare St, E8 (020 8510 4500/www.hackneyempire.co.uk).
What's on at the Hackney Empire Feature continues

The Roundhouse
Paul Simonon, bassist, The Clash
‘The Clash’s rehearsal space at the old British Railways yard was sandwiched between The Roundhouse and Dingwalls. I was actually living at the rehearsal studios for quite a while, and eventually Strummer moved in with me because we were sort of semi-homeless. The people running The Roundhouse at the time saw us as the local troublemakers, along with the Pistols and other members of that musical explosion. I remember distinctly queuing up to go and see The Runaways – with tickets! – and being turfed out by security.

‘Still, as we spent so much time round there, I got to know the layout of the area quite well, especially how to get not actually into The Roundhouse, but on to the roof. There was a particular point on the top and there was a little crack in between some of the slates – the roof actually needed a bit of attention – if you looked through, you could see the band playing on the stage. It became a bit of a running battle with us and The Roundhouse’s muscle men, because they’d be running towards us telling us to get off the roof, partly because it was unsafe but also because they didn’t want us watching for free. But because we were skinny, underfed musicians, we could scamper around the top, but they couldn’t go any further, because they were quite hefty blokes. They would have gone through.

‘I do remember watching a large part of the Patti Smith concert up there. She was the big news at the time. A day or two after that we did our own concert at the ICA and she actually came down to see our show and got so taken with the music that she leapt up on stage and joined in. It was quite strange, after seeing Patti Smith about the size of an ant, then two days later, she was dancing right next to me. That was quite a shock for me – from ant to full-size woman.’

Chalk Farm Rd, NW1 (020 7424 9991/www.roundhouse.org.uk).
What's on at The Roundhouse


Old Vic
Simon Callow, actor and director
‘The Old Vic was my local theatre, just down the road from Brixton where my grandma lived; she and I used to go to see all the productions in the dying days of the Old Vic company. The theatre was shabby, and so were many of the productions, but sitting in the gods, I saw my first “Macbeth” and “Merchant of Venice” and “Julius Caesar”, and they stay with me to this day. Soon after, Sir Laurence Olivier created the National Theatre, which he transformed overnight into the most glamorous theatre in the world, with Maggie Smith and Albert Finney, Jane Lapotaire and, of course, Sir himself, the most titanic actor of his day or any other, on stage night in and night out. The theatre was spruced up and reshaped and felt crisp and bold and modern. The auditorium itself was dark grey and plum; all the bright colour was supposed to be on stage. From school, paid for by the Inner London Education Authority, I saw productions that are now legendary.

‘When I left school, I wrote to Olivier explaining what a great theatre he was running and he wrote to offer me a job in the box office, which I took, and then I knew that the theatre was the only place for me. I had a strange sense, as I crossed the foyer, that one day I’d run the Old Vic. I haven’t yet, but I’ve been an usher there, I’ve manned the book shop, and I’ve worked in the bar. It’s in my bones. The Cut, Waterloo Rd, SE1 (0870 060 6628/www.oldvictheatre.co.uk).
What's on at the Old Vic

The Comedy Store

The Comedy Store
Jo Brand, comedienne
‘The Comedy Store,when I first started in comedy,was the gig I left till last because of its scariness. Eventually Kim Kinnie, who ran the Store then, asked me to work there, which was a real coup. My favourite night was one Friday, when the Store got flooded by the restaurant upstairs and while I was on stage I spotted a small tidal wave heading towards me, followed by Stan, the manager, screaming, “Get out! It’s going to fucking blow!” Of course it didn’t and they just mopped it up, but it made me laugh for ages afterwards.’
1a Oxendon St, SW1 (0870 0602340/www.thecomedystore.co.uk).
What's on at the Comedy Store

Drill Hall
Neil Bartlett, director, performer and playwright
‘Everything about the Drill Hall, from the top (the fact that it is the only theatre building in London run by women for the last 30 years) to the bottom (the fireplace in the bar which doubles as a memorial to Quentin Crisp) is alternative. From 1989 to 1994 it was my second home. It was the first time I’d seen how principles, unashamedly low-camp enthusiasm and sheer bloody-minded financial cunning can combine to keep something going. The theatre gave me some of the most extraordinary nights of my life. Standing stark bollock naked behind the curtain every night of the run of “A Vision of Love Revealed in Sleep” back in the dark Thatcherite days of 1989, with a packed house of 200 queens, dykes and fellow travellers for a soundtrack and only three of London’s fiercest drag acts and a pianist for company, gave me a concrete sense of what it means to put your money where your mouth is as a professional artist. Twenty-odd years on, it still feels like a very special place. I’m proud (if more than a little daunted) to be going back on stage there at the end of this month. What shall I wear…?’
16 Chenies St, WC1 (020 7307 5060/ www.drillhall.co.uk). Neil Bartlett is performing at the Drill Hall as part of its thirtieth birthday celebrations on Nov 30.
What's on at Drill Hall

The spectacular interior of Wilton's Music Hall

Wilton’s Music Hall
Roy Hudd OBE, veteran performer
‘Wilton’s Music Hall is the most exciting venue in London. It is the earliest existing music hall building in the country and is again – after so many battles, broken promises and setbacks – back in business. I first saw the place 40 years ago when it was falling apart. A forgotten, unique part of the only (along with pantomime) form of theatre that we British invented. The old music hall was cold, dead, deserted and smelled of neglect.

An abandoned pub and an unused theatre are the very saddest places; Wilton’s was both. Yet even in that depressing, pigeon-haunted heap there was a spark of hope. It had a “feel”. The right-shaped auditorium, perfect acoustics, a terrific “gallery” and a stage of the ideal height. I half-closed my eyes and could almost see those charismatic early music hall stars, and could almost hear the great George Leybourne leading 1,500 people in his famous “Champagne Charlie” routine. Suddenly the place was cold no longer. It had that elusive, impossible to manufacture, magical atmosphere. It still has. At last Wilton’s is a live theatre again. It regularly houses plays, opera, music – you name it. The hall enhances every production it entertains.’
Graces Alley, off Ensign St, E1 (020 7702 9555/www.wiltons.org.uk).
What's on at Wilton's Music Hall

Sadler’s Wells
Matthew Bourne, choreographer and director
‘Sadler’s Wells’ history makes it a special place; you can almost feel all the famous dancers who have been on that stage. Unlike Covent Garden, the Wells is in the realm of possibility for almost any dancer. It’s a goal for companies from all over the world. It has become one of the most hip places to see dance; the audiences are far more diverse than in the West End.’
Rosebery Avenue, EC1 (0844 412 4300/www.sadlerswells.com). Matthew Bourne’s ‘Nutcracker!’ is on Dec 13-Jan 20.
What's on at Sadler’s Wellls

The Barfly

The Barfly
Kate Nash, singer
‘The Barfly has got sentimental value for me ’cos I remember getting a message on my MySpace from The Barfly. I was like, “Mum, mum, mum, The Barfly want me to play!” I did a nice gig there recently for Xfm’s birthday. I got heckled, though. I’m too thick-skinned to give a shit, but I was getting to the end of a song then some guy shouts, “Get your muff out!” Such an inappropriate dickhead.’
49 Chalk Farm Rd, NW1 (0870 9070999/www.barflyclub.com).
What's on at the Barfly

London Coliseum
Deborah Warner, theatre and opera director
‘My favourite venue is “The Coli” because it is, and always has been, a people’s palace. Decorated with medallions of Roman emperors, life-sized sculptures of Roman goddesses and gladiators pulled into combat by straining tigers, it is one of the great Matcham theatres. Built in 1904, the gold-domed ceiling was once unplugged to allow the fetid air of back-to-back vaudeville performances to be vomited high into the night sky above St Martin’s Lane. As a teenager in the early 1920s, my father tells how he watched wide-eyed as a man on the stage far below sailed a remote-controlled model Zeppelin around the auditorium, higher and higher until it docked and bumped alongside the vertiginous upper circle. The first TV was publicly tested from this stage. Now the home of the English National Opera, with a full house which can top 2,000, a pit full to bursting with as many as 90 musicians and often a cast of more than 100, it still holds the spell and innocence of its original conception.’
St. Martin’s Lane, Trafalgar Square, WC2 (0870 145 0200/www.eno.org).
What's on at the London Coliseum

Shepherd’s Bush Empire
Mark Ellen, broadcaster and editor of The Word
‘Shepherd’s Bush Empire never fails to clinch those tedious conversations you have with people who live in the country about how ghastly London must be. I ask them about their local pub with live music and then tell them about mine, about strolling down to a gorgeous Edwardian music hall to see Bob Dylan, the Stones and countless others. Hancock’s TV shows were filmed here and The Fred Karno Troupe played on the opening night in 1903, the revue that gave Chaplin and Stan Laurel their first break.’
Shepherd’s Bush Green,W12 ( 020 8354 3300/www.shepherds-bush-empire.co.uk).
What's on at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire

The unique acoustics at St Paul's Cathedral

St Paul’s Cathedral
John Tavener, composer
‘The first time I went to St Paul’s was the memorial service for Mahatma Gandhi; my mother took me. They were playing Indian classical music up by the altar, which then led into Gandhi’s favourite hymn, “Lead Kindly Light”. It was magical. Whether or not you believe in God, you can feel the sense of spirituality underlying the way the building is constructed. I tend to write my music for these kind of spaces. You can use the acoustics very interestingly. You can position a choir all around the building – the west end (by the entrance), the east end (by the altar) and in the Whispering Gallery – to create different effects. It can take a long time for a note to get from one end to the other; there is no point composing fast music for it. I wrote a piece for the beginning of 2000, “Fall and Resurrection” [performed on January 4] when, at the end, the Great West Door was opened and you could hear the bells outside. I wanted to capture that sense of continuity that they had at the first millennium, 1000, when choirs sang plainsong all over the country.’
St Paul’s Cathedral, EC4 (020 7236 4128/7246 8350/www.stpauls.co.uk).

Rainbow Theatre
Ray Davies
‘The Kinks did a few really good concerts at The Rainbow, Finsbury Park. It wasn’t always a comfortable gig because of its strange structure; it’s a beautiful building but, when you stood centre-stage, the audience used to curve round. It’s a weird construction but always a great atmosphere. ‘I remember Frank Zappa falling into the pit there. I suppose he just didn’t see it. It’s also famous for the gig that Bob Marley played in 1977 – the one you always see on TV whenever they show a great Bob Marley clip. It’s now closed down and it’s owned by a religious community. It’s a shame venues like that are disappearing. They’re a part of London’s cultural heritage.’
Now the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, Rainbow Theatre, 232 Seven Sisters Rd, N4 (020 7686 6000/www.uckg.org).

Wembley Arena
Andy Summers, guitarist, The Police
‘Wembley Arena was a big deal for us [The Police played in December 1983]. We all lived in London so it was seen as one of those iconic gigs you’d never have dreamt of playing when you first started out. We play so many different countries, but coming back to London we really want it to be good. I remember London venues with fondness. We played in a few toilets here, but The Lyceum down by the Strand comes to mind – that used to be a great gig. And The Roundhouse I always remember, too. They’re historical landmarks now.’
Arena Square, Engineers Way, Middx (020 8782 5500/www. whatsonwembley.com). ‘I’ll Be Watching You’, a book of Andy Summers’ photographs with The Police 1980-’83, is published by Taschen, priced £24.99.
What's on at Wembley Arena

The distinctive extreior of the Laban building

Laban
Heidi Rustgaard, co-artistic director, h2dance
‘Laban is a dance conservatory, Europe’s largest, they say. I love coming down on the train. In the distance you can see this candy-coloured building juxtaposed against the urban backdrop. On a warm day it’s nice to sit outside against one of the grassy artificial hills on either side of the path, while the dark, wooden interior reminds me of my Scandinavian roots. In this odd landscape it’s easy to escape the traffic and the sounds of the city. Laban has supported us for three productions. We [Heidi and Hanna Gillgren of h2dance] performed our duet “Faked” there in 2003, then rehearsed and premiered “Silent Movie” in 2004. Laban has given us free rehearsal and production space for our new show, “To Die For”. To have a few days in the actual theatre where we will perform is a great luxury.’
Creekside SE8 (020 8469 9500/ www.laban.org). h2dance is performing ‘To Die For’ at Laban on Nov 21.
What's on at Laban

Wigmore Hall
Melvyn Tan, musician and concert pianist
‘It’s a very special hall. Obviously, it’s not so great for large orchestral things as the space isn’t quite big enough but it’s the sort of intimate hall which lends itself to song recitals, piano recitals and chamber music, and the acoustics are so good you can hear every single note. My best experiences there have been the chamber recitals; when three or four people make music together there, it’s lovely. It’s like an extension of a big drawing room.’
36 Wigmore St, W1 (020 7935 2141/www.wigmorehall. org.uk). Melvyn Tan and Ronald Brautigam will perform a piano recital at Wigmore Hall on Nov 15 at 7.30pm.
What's on at Wigmore Hall

Stratford Rex
Dizzee Rascal, MC
‘Stratford Rex – and the Palace Pavilion in Hackney – was where I put in the groundwork before I got an album deal. Those places are where I was doing my first raves and where I first played a lot of the music I put on “Boy In Da Corner”. Before grime crossed over and everybody in the suburbs or Hoxton got into it, the Rex was really street with a proper council-estate buzz, everyone from the ghetto and that. There’s no fucking way I’d go there now! I used to go to EQ Club as well, between Hackney and Stratford on Waterden Road. That’s where I used to go and watch Pay As You Go and Ms Dynamite when they were coming up.’
361-375 Stratford High St, E15 (020 8365 8918).

The Forum
Gaz Whelan, drummer, Happy Mondays
‘I saw Big Audio Dynamite there, [in its previous incarnation as the Town and Country Club] it was great venue. I don’t remember our own gig there at all, though. Was it ’89 with A Certain Ratio? I’m sure we played there with someone else. When we played with other people we never had enough passes for friends so we’d load the coach up with people and say they were our roadies, collect the laminates and send ’em outside to more mates. Printing laminates? Nothing to do with us. We were pillars of the community. The thing about Kentish Town, we did our first album literally about 200 yards away from the Town and Country in some warehouse and played little gigs round there. There was a pub called the Black Horse. Above there, somebody started putting gigs on. The fireplace had a big stuffed bird in a glass cage. We played there the night that Andy Warhol died. I think My Bloody Valentine were on with us that night. People always thought we were successful in Manchester first and then came down to London. But we were hated in Manchester. We couldn’t get arrested there… Well, that’s not true. We couldn’t get a gig in Manchester!’
9-17 Highgate Rd, NW5 (0871 230 1093/www.kentishtownforum.com).
What's on at The Forum