I've been going there since late 1977/early 78, when it was the Music Machine; again during the Camden Palace years then more recently as Koko. Love the place. Was upset but didn't want to make too much fuss considering the horror that's going on in Australia.
These building fires at iconic locations always seem to occur during refurbishment or restoration, don't they. It usually turns out to be accidents or poor working practices by the contractors: tools being left plugged in and overheating, re-wiring jobs left in a dangerous state etc.
I'm sure that it's happened on the odd occasion but these fires are usually accidents aren't they, unless I've missed all the stories about police investigations and convictions.
Shit tonnes of expensive to maintain often derelict listed buildings mysteriously keep going on fire in Glasgow these past 40 years or so. And site security often handled by an organised crime family (who (at least under Labour council control) handled all council owned property site security). While most probably down to incompetence like the Art School, there's def a lot of arson. Sure it's probably just mischievous kids and nothing more sinister, oh no.
What was (in my youth) the shitty Trash nightclub being maybes the most obvious example. Still a land banked gapsite. Was a stunning (if neglected to fuck) old church.
Koko is (was?) a stunning space but a terrible place to actually listen to music.
Still, I hope it gets restored to its former glory. I could wang on about insurance scams and the mystery of "problematic" (read: listed) buildings suddenly burning down, but I can't really be arsed boring myself, TBQFHWY.
The last time I visited Koko was to see Billy Childish in September 2018, which can't have been long before it closed for the refurb. I think that they had wanted to keep it open during the work but structural issues made that unsafe.
Old venues are very atmospheric but, particularly when they are full, it is very tempting to strike as many potentially difficult tasks as possible off the to do list while there, buying drinks and visiting the toilet included.
I chatted with Slash at the very upstairs bar of the Camden Palace, probably sometime around 1992 or 1993. Surprisingly happy to chat with me too. It would have been at the Feet First Indie-disco night hosted by Jonathan and Eko. My first serious girlfriend invited me back to her place after a night there, too (we'd been flirting for a few weeks before this).
Despite such momentous events in my life, I couldn't stand the place. Expensive bar, confusing tiers/circles meaning you could get lost forever on those staircases trying to find the right bar to meet your mates, there were always fights there and it was a nightmare getting the nightbus home, for some reason you had to wait forever to get bus to Trafalgar Sqaure from the bus stop opposite Mornington Crescent.
I positively like the nooks, crannies and different levels of the building - the old Roundhouse used to be similarly free to roam around, now you're stuck in your place unless you have access to the Members' or VIP bars.
Having trouble remembering who the hell I saw there back in the day, but it was one of my favourite venues. We used to walk back to Oxford Street to get the night bus.
Latterly, Gogol Bordello around 2006 and Wilko about 4 weeks before he didn't die.
Can't remember whether I saw gigs at Camden Palace or just went to club nights.
Comment