did anyone ever go to the rainbow theatre in finsbury park?

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any recollections? annecdotes? I am researching it for a piece for my radio show

― lukey (Lukey G), Wednesday, 2 February 2005 11:53 (twenty years ago)

Yup. I remember seeing The Ramones there in ('78?) when loads of seats got trashed and all the bits were piled up in the orchestra pit so high that from the front you could barely see the band over them and Johnny, Joey and Dee Dee were climbing up on them.

I believe they tried to bill The Ramones for the damage, although it subsequently transpired that all the seats were due to be replaced anyway and they'd only booked The Ramones because it was cheaper to get a bunch of punks to tear all the seats out than to pay a contractor to do the job!

I believe they also tried to play a similar trick on The Clash.

Public Image's first gig was there, Boxing Day 1978 but I couldn't get there because, of course, there were no trains running.

I'm sure I sure Buzzcocks there and SLF....

I particularly remember seeing The Stranglers there supported by The Skids - although more for injuries I received in the pitched battles afterwards with the police (who had massed outside waiting for no better reason than to crack a few punk skulls) than for the actual gig.

I'm sure there were more but those were the ones that leap to mind.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Wednesday, 2 February 2005 12:24 (twenty years ago)

brilliant thank you

― lukey (Lukey G), Wednesday, 2 February 2005 13:21 (twenty years ago)

http://www.uckg.org/meetings/rainbow.jpg

It's now the headquarters of UCKG, which is "a UK registered charity and Christian spiritual centre with activities in over 90 countries", apparently.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Wednesday, 2 February 2005 13:27 (twenty years ago)

yea i know and they have totally restored the interior to its full late 20s Orientalist splendour

― lukey (Lukey G), Wednesday, 2 February 2005 13:30 (twenty years ago)

Apparently it was built as a cinema in 1930 and originally called The Astoria.

http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/MOLsite/londonsvoices/silver_screen/images/finsbury_astoria_1930.jpg

Hasn't changed much, has it?

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Wednesday, 2 February 2005 13:32 (twenty years ago)

Iirc it had a really high domed ceiling and some extremely ornate carvings / mouldings / architecture up the walls and around the circle and the various boxes etc. inside.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Wednesday, 2 February 2005 13:38 (twenty years ago)

I know it's most famous as a punk venue, but is it true that The Byrds played there in the '60s? And the Motown review with Marvin Gaye and The Supremes? And it was filmed for the Ziggy Stardust movie?

― Rock Chimp, Wednesday, 2 February 2005 14:27 (twenty years ago)

was it ever a rave venue?

― lukey (Lukey G), Wednesday, 2 February 2005 14:51 (twenty years ago)

No, it had closed by then.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 2 February 2005 14:53 (twenty years ago)

It is also immortalised in Iron Maiden's Live at the Rainbow video! (which you can now get on the Early Years DVD).

― M Carty (mj_c), Wednesday, 2 February 2005 15:13 (twenty years ago)

http://www.virginradio.co.uk/theguide/rock_pilgrimages/?action=detail&id=40&title=The+Rainbow+Theatre

Formerly the Finsbury Park Astoria, the Rainbow Theatre was a major venue in London during the Sixties and Seventies. The building (now the UCKG UK headquarters) still stands out from it's surroundings as you leave Finsbury Park tube station. Jimi Hendrix played here in 1967, where fans memorably watched him set fire to his guitar on stage for the first time. As the Astoria, it also played host to the very first Beatles Christmas Show in 1963. Later, in 1973, The Rainbow was the venue chosen by The Who's Pete Townsend, for Eric Clapton's comeback concert.

Written by virginradio

This is the place where all the big bands and singer have played over the 70's Queen, Bowie (on the Ziggy tour), Floyd, Grateful Dead, just to name a few.Used to be the place for bands etc to play their thing. I was raised in North London and even though I never saw anyone there it was always my wish to go and see a big band. Opened in 1930 and was called the Astoria then as the Rainbow Theatre, it became famous for the formentioned artists and many more in the 70's. Now its a church, and is being restored. It had the aura and atmosphere. Well worth the pilgrimage.

Written by carpgod

This former Cinema was opened in 1930 and has been a host to many rock and roll legends including 'The Beatles" however the name I would be most interested in would be the Legend JIMI HENDRIX, he memorably played there on 31/3/1967 opening for the Walker Brothers,Cat Stevens and Englebert. It went down in history as after finishing his 2 hits "Hey Joe' & 'Purple Haze' his guitar exploded in a sheet of flames (apparantly by accident) this gave him his title of "wild man of rock'

Written by sarahbennett

It also hosted Bob Marley's first UK appearance iirc.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Wednesday, 2 February 2005 17:17 (twenty years ago)

I live just around the corner and am always tempted to go in. The crazy church that now runs it has indeed done it up (the exterior looks a lot nicer than it did 4 years ago, when it was in a pretty poor state.). I've always meant to go inside, but stupidly am worried about getting collared by the church crazies.

Didn't it feature in Hard Days Night as well?

― Robin Goad (rgoad), Wednesday, 2 February 2005 17:33 (twenty years ago)

go, th cazys are crazy, but if you say you just want to take a look inside, they are cool about it.

― lukey (Lukey G), Thursday, 3 February 2005 09:32 (twenty years ago)

nine years pass...

If you want to know who played there and when see website www.rainbowhistory.x10.mx

― Rickyb6, Thursday, 2 October 2014 21:45 (eleven years ago)

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