Originally constructed as part of a chain of art deco cinemas with a spurious Roman theme – hence the name, incongruous bas-relief battle scenes and imperial eagles flanking the stage – the Forum became a music venue in the early 1980s (when it was renamed The Town & Country Club).
Its size and location mean it’s been vital to generations of London gig-goers, whether they cut their teeth on The Velvet Underground, Ian Dury & The Blockheads, Duran Duran, Killing Joke, the Pixies or the Wu-Tang Clan, all of whom have played memorable shows on the Forum stage.