Who would have thought
that a tiny little gay club called Chagueramas on the skids in the
heart of run down Covent Garden London would have such an impact on
the London Punk scene but that’s just what happened.
What follows is a very
vanilla recounting of its history. What it doesn't give you is the
atmosphere or the stories of the bands who played and the clubgoers
who went there. It doesn't give you a unique and personal insight
into the Punk Rock of 1977/78 - the fashion, violence, music, drugs
and good and bad times - that's what the book does!
In late 1976 before
punk had fully exploded into the general people’s
consciousness it was confined to a support slot here and
there and a gig every now and again. While there was
nothing specifically to define Punk rock as yet various
ingredients, people and bands were swirling around gay
clubs and venues. Bands of people from places such as
the Lacey Lady in Ilford were into Bowie and the like,
others such as the Bromley Contingent were shoppers on
the Kings Road and 'Sex' while others such as the Damned
were into the Stooges, MC5 and high octane rock 'n'
roll. The times
were changing too. Bands such as Dr Feelgood and Eddie &
the Hot Rods were giving music an edge and when the
Ramones and released their influential first album other
bands began picking up speed like the Sex Pistols and
Clash, the former |
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What was needed, as the fanzine
Sniffin Glue pointed out, was a place Punk could call its own. Where
like people could gather to watch music they liked and where bands
could get a chance to play without being subjected to the
traditional gig circuit.
And so Barry Jones who lived with
Matt Dangerfield, later of the Boys, in Warrington Crescent and in
whose studio the Damned recorded their first demos met up with Andy
Czezowski one time manager of the Damned and now manager of Chelsea
to pawn his guitar to enable the hiring of a gay club called
Chaguaramas now in decline. A club found by Chelsea's singer Gene
October as a place for his band to rehearse and play some gigs.
By the time the club opened for
Chelsea gigs it had been renamed the Roxy, Chelsea had split with
members Idol and James and Towe forming Generation X and it was they
who played on closely followed by the Heartbreakers fresh off the
aborted Anarchy Tour.
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The success of the
gigs meant Andy Barry and Ralph could make a a go at
running a club. With that in mind they took on the lease
and opened on New Years day with the Clash. |
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These were closely followed by more
gigs featuring more experienced bands like the Damned and newer like
there Adverts and Eater given a chance to play in front of a like
minded audience. With a place to play established all the faces on
the scene like the Bromley lot, Soo Catwoman etc and early punk fans
made an appearance.
As new bands played the audience
would often comprise members of said bands. Others energised by what
they had seen would start bands, fanzines or make clothes. In
between bands Don Letts would spin heavy dub grooves and whatever
few punk records were about at the time.
From the off the Roxy was in a
precarious position and the boys had overcommitted on what they
could play in rent. A robbery following the Stranglers gig didn’t
help either. Also present was an attempt to wind the club down
following from complaints fro m residents but appeals were keeping
it afloat. But the Roxy ploughed on putting on a succession of new
and old bands some good and some awful.
In march
it held an American week featuring punk stars from
across the pond from CBGB’s and Max showed put a more
professional, showbizzzy style of punk in contrast to
the UK’s more urban politicised style – the
Heartbreakers, Wayne County and Cherry Vanilla. |
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With worries over
possible eviction this was quickly followed up with
hurried recordings over a couple of weekends of Wire,
Adverts, Eater, Johnny Moped, Buzzcocks, Unwanted, X Ray
Spex and Slaughter & the Dogs. Other bands recorded but
not featured included the Boys, Siouxsie and the Slits.
The recordings were financed and to be by released by
Harvest EMI under guidance of producer Mike Thorne. |
The worries came true as following
a Siouxsie & the Banshees/Violators gig, Andy Barry and the whole
crew were ousted. Legend has this as the golden period as the ‘100
days’ of the Roxy and for many the club closed and they never went
back.
But it didn’t close….a misguided
attempt to vary the programme in late April early may had rock ’n’
roll bands (Teds and Punks were now in open street warfare captured
in the media) and
In July the 'Live at the Roxy'
album was released and astoundingly made the top 20 the first since
the Bangladesh Concert was released.
A new owner was appointed to the
Roxy, a certain Kevin St John, a man with a colourful past and at
the time a colourful present.
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Gigs at
the Roxy continued apace with the Saints and the
Radiators from Space and even an impromptu appearance by
the granddaddy of Punk Iggy Pop. By now a second or even
third wave of bands were coming through starting to make
waves such as Sham 69, Menace and Killjoys. Along with a
deluge of bands hitching a ride on the punk bandwagon or
just starting and who needed a place to play. there was
a home for them all at the Roxy. |
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At
Christmas a 48 Hour party was held followed by 2 nights
of recording for another live abum featuring the Jets,
UK Subs, Blitz, Crabs, Bears, Plastix, Open Sore, Red
Lights and Billy Karlof. |
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Moving
into January bands like Adam & The Ants and The
Psychedelic Furs got their first break here. No more big
names - more a seedbed for new bands - and another venue
on the gig circuit for bands to play. The Roxy also lost
its final appeal and was due to close at the end of
March/April. |
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To highlight its plight Jock
McDonald was brought in to publicise the closure which included
various stunts but to no avail. The gigs began to wind down with
more audition nights and even the inclusion of a regular gay night.
Finally in April the Roxy shut its
doors for good with a party that involved drinking the rest of the
booze there and smashing the place up.
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In May the
album was released to mainly negative reviews and a
short tour of two dates in Scotland to promote the
album was arranged by Kevin St John which involved
putting the bands up in a YMCA and giving them no money.
The final calamity occurred on the last night when bands
equipment was mysteriously stolen. |
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In late 1978 the Roxy was broken
into and squatted by Jock McDonald in an effort to get it going
again but was forcibly ejected by Police. Eventually the place was
gutted, done up and given a change of use.
Today in 2007 its currently a
Speedo shop.
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