Gig Going on London’s Periphery: Charting the Mainstream in the Margins

This post charts the shift of live music activity in London from the early 1960s to the present day, mapping its move from the west, to the east and then to the southeast. Along the way, the closure of significant venues, such the Lewisham Odeon – a venue The Beatles performed in in 1963 – is discussed. The post shows that such sites were frequently permanently erased from the landscape not so much due to a decline in use or popularity but because they were located in sites that became newly attractive to investors, developers or transport planners. The post then goes on to reflect on the present prevalence of such processes and draws attention to some recent – and anticipated – venue closures in London, a place long famed for its vibrant music scenes, but also a city that, according to one recent report, lost 30% of its venues between 2007 and 2015.