Music in London
Mod, Glam Rock, Punk, Britpop; whatever the scene, London's at the forefront of every musical movement. The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Queen, T-Rex, The Who, Elvis Costello, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Fleetwood Mac, Spandau Ballet, The Police and The Jam all made their mark here before conquering the world.
The 1990s saw bands like Suede and Blur centre stage, complementing the funk and soul flavours of acts like Jamiroquai and Faithless to dance bands Basement Jaxx, and Groove Armada. London’s diverse musical energies continue unabated with Razorlight, Dizzee Rascal, Lily Allen and Babyshambles.
Places of Interest
Abbey Road (www.abbeyroad.co.uk/)
London’s most famous rock ‘n’ roll landmark. In August 1969 The Beatles stepped outside the Abbey Road studios in St John’s Wood for a 10-minute photoshoot and created one of music’s most iconic images which Beatles fans have tried to recreate ever since by walking across the famous zebra crossing.
Heddon Street
The cover of David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars album was shot here in 1972. Bowie - as Ziggy - was captured outside number 23.
Don’t miss nearby Carnaby Street: epicentre of 1960s fashion and centre of Swinging London that inspired The Kinks’ Dedicated Follower of Fashion, and later The Jam song Carnaby Street. It’s undergone a facelift to make it a new fashion centre for the 2000s.
430 Kings Road
Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood renamed their shop ‘Sex’ in the mid-70s and it became the cradle of British punk, pioneering the punk look. The Sex Pistols were formed largely as a vehicle to promote the shop.
23 Brook Street
A blue plaque marks the 1960s residence of guitar legend Jimi Hendrix.
34 Ridgmount Gardens
Where reggae legend Bob Marley has been honoured with a blue plaque. The house was the reggae star’s first London address in 1972.
Berwick Street
Oasis chose this central London street for the cover of their classic Britpop album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory.
Waterloo Bridge
“Dirty old river, must you keep rolling” - Ray Davies paid homage to the Thames and London in the classic Kinks’ track, Waterloo Sunset.
The Savoy Hotel
The famous video for Bob Dylan’s Subterranean Homesick Blues was filmed in the street at the back of the hotel after he and Donovan had sat up all night writing the caption boards!
Denmark Street (Tin Pan Alley)
Area famous for its music shops and studios where The Beatles, the Rolling Stones and The Kinks recorded in basements in the 1960s. The Sex Pistols lived at 6 Denmark Street in the mid-1970s, creating punk anthems like Anarchy in the UK and God Save the Queen.