Hope And Anchor, Islington
History
When The Tally Ho pub in Kentish Town decided to switch from showcasing rock music to Irish music, Hope and Anchor became the venue to go to in north London. The nights grew and developed under the stewardship of managers Fred Grainger and Dave Robinson, both of whom later moved on to other things (Grainger to open a nightclub in Brighton, Robinson to co-found independent record label Stiff Records with Jake Riviera).
In January 1976, the venue was acquired by Albion Management and Agency, who installed John Eichler as the landlord. In the light of numerous threats of closure, Eichler organised various benefits in order to keep the pub open, with well-established bands returning to the pub to perform for only expenses. Ian Grant of Albion Management and Agency narrowed down a long list to a final twenty two bands – all of which had played at the pub previously.
'The Front Row Festival', which took place between Tuesday 22 November and Thursday 15 December 1977, featured numerous pub rock, punk, and new wave groups. The recordings were issued as an eponymous live double album, which reached No. 28 in the UK Albums Chart.
The Stranglers recorded their album Live at the Hope and Anchor at the pub, also in 1977. The venue was the location for The Damned's "New Rose" video the previous year and later for Madness' "One Step Beyond" video. The demo of "Between You and Me" from the first Graham Parker album, Howlin' Wind, was recorded in the basement. The pub was also featured in the 1980 film, Breaking Glass.
References
- ^ Historic England. "Hope and Anchor Public House (1195774)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "The Damned - New Rose (Official HD video)". YouTube.
- ^ "Breaking Glass (1980) - IMDb". IMDb.