London Astoria

London Astoria
The front of the Astoria
Location(s)	Soho, London
Coordinates	51°30′57″N 0°7′50″W / 51.51583, -0.13056Coordinates: 51°30′57″N 0°7′50″W / 51.51583, -0.13056
Years active	1976 — present
Capacity	1,600
Owner	Festival Republic / MAMA Group
Promotions	G-A-Y
Website	festivalrepublic.com

The London Astoria is a music venue at 157 Charing Cross Road in London, England. It has been leased and run by Mean Fiddler Music Group since 2000. Built on the site of a former pickle factory, it opened in 1927 as a cinema. However, it was converted for theatrical use in 1976 and is now exclusively a music venue with a capacity of 2,000. The Astoria is connected to the Mean Fiddler such that the two venues can function as a single venue where needed. By far its busiest nights are the G-A-Y promotions. It has played host to many up-and-coming bands, such as Radiohead's performance for MTV in 1994 and Nirvana in 1989, as well as world famous bands wishing to play low-profile shows, including The Rolling Stones in 2003, Pearl Jam in 2006 and Oasis's first performance of their 2005 tour. Blur also played a five-night residency in 2003. The venue plays host to the popular nightclub G-A-Y, which sees many celebrities visit and perform music for the assembled crowd. Mean Fiddler acquired the lease for the London Astoria in May 2000, 'securing the future of live music at one of London’s most famous rock ‘n’ roll venues.' It has since been the primary choice for well-established bands' intimate club gigs in London. Big names to have played the Astoria include Blur, Biffy Clyro, We Are Balboa, Chris Cornell, Foo Fighters, Franz Ferdinand, InMe, Kaiser Chiefs, Maxïmo Park, Megadeth, Jarvis Cocker, Martin Gore, Porcupine Tree, Rage Against the Machine and System of a Down. The Astoria also hosted the final gig by Manic Street Preachers, before Richey Edwards' disappearance. InMe recorded their live album Caught: White Butterfly at the Astoria. Only three unsigned bands have managed to sell out the Astoria, the first being The Darkness, second being Enter Shikari, and most recently Funeral For A Friend. However, the Freehold was sold in June 2006 by Compco Holdings property group Derwent Valley Central for £23.75m, who were rumoured to be planning to convert the site into to a combination of shops, flats and offices to take advantage of an increase in property prices for the 2012 Olympics . On the 13th of August 2007, Mean Fiddler completed its merger with the MAMA Group and no longer operates the Astoria or the Mean Fiddler venues. These have now been incorporated into the group's "Festival Republic" brand. The Mean Fiddler venue will also shortly be changing its name to Astoria 2.^[1] The venue is under a much more immediate threat, and has been for the last 20 years, from the Thames Crossrail link. The Crossrail Corporation aims to gain a Compulsory Purchase Order to knock down the building in order to build below, construct a ventilation shaft in place of the venue and then leave the job of creating a "replacement" to the council and leaseholders, with work due to start in late 2008, depending on Government funding. [ The Save the Astoria campaign is run by two English students, in partnership with the Save the London Astoria campaign run by musician 50ft Woman.

External links

• London Astoria web site
• History
• Astoria Theatre History

References