Bars, stadiums, theaters, corners, streets, buildings, hotels, recording studios ... the whole city hides some key piece of musical history to understand the sound of the 20th century.
As part of the #TheSpiritOfLondon campaign and to celebrate International Gin Tonic Day, together with Beefeater we will visit 10 key places to visit in London if you like music. In each of the addresses you will find the link to Google Street View to travel it remotely (and gin and tonic in hand, of course) while we wait to be able to put the bags back together and walk those streets in person.
(If you like this tour, we recommend you expand it with the book Rock is Here. The definitive guide to know the historical places of rock -2019-, by Marcelo Lamela)
Abbey Road
Address: 3 Abbey Rd, St John's Wood, NW8 9AY
Station: St. John's Wood
Line: Jubilee
The street where everyone wants your photo. Nothing more iconic for any music lover than crossing Abbey Road on the same footpath where The Beatles made history.
The 100 Club
Address: 100 Oxford St, Soho, W1D 1LL
Station: Tottenham Court Road / Oxford Circus
Line: Central
London's oldest live show site. It opened its doors in 1942 as a jazz club and in the 70s it revived thanks to punk. In 1976, what is considered the first punk festival in history was held there, with Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Damned, The Buzzcocks and Siouxsie & The Banshees.
Olympic Studios
Address: 117 Church Rd, Barnes, SW13 9HL
Station: Ravenscourt Park
Line: District
Located south of the Thames, it is one of the most important rock studios in history and key in the discography of the Rolling Stones. Jagger and company recorded six studio albums here ( Beggars Banquet , Their Satanic Majesties Request and Let It Bleed included). Also Led Zeppelin recorded their debut album and Jimi Hendrix part of Are You Experienced?
Where punk was born
Address: 430 King's Rd, Chelsea, SW10 0LJ
Station: Fulham Broadway
Line: District
Known fact: Punk rock was "invented" in a sex shop called SEX, run by Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood. The future members of the Sex Pistols wandered there, who, with McLaren as manager and the local leather clothes, forged ethics and aesthetics of the genre.
Ziggy Stardust Street
Address: 23 Heddon St, Mayfair, W1B 4BQ
Station: Piccdilly Circus
Lines: Bakerloo / Piccadilly
Heddon Street is a C-shaped street that intersects Regent Street at both ends. There, in January 1972, David Bowie, impersonating Ziggy Stardust, posed for what would become the cover of The Rise And Fall of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders from Mars. The album stands among the most celebrated of Bowie's work, and his cover art as well.
UFO Club and the English psychedelia
Address: 31 Tottenham Court Rd, Fitzrovia, W1T 1BG
Station: Tottenham Court Road
Line: Central
Between the end of 1966 and 1967, the UFO Club became the epicenter of London psychedelia. It was there that the first Pink Floyd, the one from the Barrett era, gave its first shows, kind of happenings with lights that were a novelty for the time. Lysergic music for ditto nights.
Wembley Stadium
Address: Wembley Stadium, Wembley Park, HA9 0WS
Station: Wembley Park
Line: Jubilee / Metropolitan
There is hardly a stadium as mythical in rock history as Wembley. Queen and Live Aid in 1985 gave him that status, but U2, Roger Waters, Foo Fighters and AC / DC also played there. After the 2007 renovations, the first artist to give a show was George Michael.
BBC
Address: 120 Delaware Rd, Maida Hill W9 2LG
Station: Warwick Avenue / Maida Vale
Line: Bakerloo
The UK public television and radio service was, is and will be a locus of legitimacy for any Anglo artist. The Live At The BBC or BBC Sessions have become key pieces in the live discography of names like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Blur and The Who, among others.
Amy Winehouse's house in Camden Town
Address: 30 Camden Sq, Market Estate NW1 QXA
Station: Camden Road
Line: Northern
Camden Town is London's quintessential hipster neighborhood. The house where Amy Winehouse died, whose plaza across the street became a permanent sanctuary, may be the starting point for a tour that also includes the Stables Market (where The Clash debuted), the Electric Ballroom (The Smiths used to play there) and to the British Library, where the manuscripts of "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" and "Yesterday" are found.
The beatle terrace
Address: 3 Savile Row, Mayfair, W1S 3PB
Station: Piccadilly Circus
Line: Bakerloo / Piccadilly
One of the most visited places by fans of The Beatles. On that street, the London epicenter of tailored clothing, the Fab Four set up their Apple Corps offices (their record label) and, a few years later, ended their career: on January 30, 1969, already retired of the live recitals, they played for about half an hour in what would be one of the most remembered rock performances in history.