The Astoria 2, subsequently known as the LA2 then the Mean Fiddler, was a

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

at 165

Charing Cross Road Charing Cross Road is a street in central London running immediately north of St Martin-in-the-Fields to St Giles Circus (the intersection with Oxford Street) and then becomes Tottenham Court Road. It leads from the north in the direction of ...

London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

History

The venue was originally a ballroom in the basement of the

London Astoria The London Astoria was a music venue at 157 Charing Cross Road, in London, England. Originally a warehouse during the 1920s, the building became a cinema and ballroom. It was converted for use as a theatre in the 1970s. After further developme ...

theatre and connected by stairways, so that the two venues could function as a single venue when needed. Like the Astoria, the venue was used for live music as well as night club promotions. At one point the venue was called Bang and was a

gay nightclub A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) clientele; the term ''gay'' is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT communities. Gay bars once served as ...

. A venue also called Mean Fiddler was previously set up in

Harlesden Harlesden is a district in the London Borough of Brent, North West London. Located north of the Grand Union Canal and Wormwood Scrubs, the Harrow Road flows through the centre of the area which goes eastwards to Central London and west towards ...

, north west London in 1982. In June 2006, the Mean Fiddler was sold — together with the London Astoria — to property group Derwent Valley Central, who planned to convert the site into a combination of shops and offices. In January 2009, the property was compulsorily purchased for

Crossrail Crossrail is a railway construction project mainly in central London. Its aim is to provide a high-frequency hybrid commuter rail and rapid transit system crossing the capital from suburbs on the west to east, by connecting two major railway ...

. Astoria 2 had a closing party, headlined by rock band Open The Skies, with support from Outcry Fire, F.A.T.E and Orakai. The final club night PUSH was held the following day on 15 January 2009, with

Cajun Dance Party Cajun Dance Party were a five-piece band based in London, England. They originally consisted of Robbie Stern, Max Bloom, Daniel Blumberg, Will Vignoles, and Vicky Freund. Blumberg and Bloom left the band in 2009 to form the band Yuck, while ot ...

and

Good Shoes Good Shoes were a four-piece English indie rock band, hailing from Morden, London. Biography Good Shoes was formed by lead singer Rhys Jones and guitarist Steve Leach who often wrote and played music together as a hobby. Rhys and Steve appear ...

being the last acts to play at Astoria 2. The entire venue has now been demolished.

Recordings

Against Me! Against Me! is an American punk rock band formed in 1997 in Naples, Florida, by singer and guitarist Laura Jane Grace. That same year, Grace moved to Gainesville, Florida, which is considered the band's hometown. Since 2001, the band's lineup ...

recorded their live album ''

Americans Abroad!!! Against Me!!! Live in London!!! ''Americans Abroad!!! Against Me!!! Live in London!!!'' is Against Me!'s first live album, released on Fat Wreck Chords even though the band was signed to Sire Records at the time. It was recorded on March 21, 2006, at the Mean Fiddler venue in L ...

'' at the venue on 21 March 2006. *

Enter Shikari Enter Shikari (stylised as enter: shikari and occasionally as ΣΠΤΣ℞ SΗΦΚ∆℞Φ) are a British rock band formed in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England in 1999 by bassist Chris Batten, lead vocalist and keyboardist Rou Reynolds, and drum ...

recorded their three shows at the venue on 2, 3 and 4 November 2008. The DVD was released with a special edition of their second album ''

Common Dreads ''Common Dreads'' is the second studio album by English rock band Enter Shikari, released on 15 June 2009 and 16 June in the US. Recording of the album took place in late 2008–2009. The album was produced and mixed by Andy Gray at Arreton Mano ...

''. *

Gaslight Anthem The Gaslight Anthem is an American Rock music, rock band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, formed in 2006. The band consists of Brian Fallon (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Alex Rosamilia (lead guitar, backing vocals), Alex Levine (bass guitar, backi ...

played at Astoria 2 on 5 December 2008, and a bootleg was made by fans. *

Razorlight Razorlight are an English indie rock band, formed in 2002 in London by lead singer and guitarist Johnny Borrell. Along with Borrell, the current line-up of the band is composed of founding members Björn Ågren on guitar and bassist Carl Delemo ...

recorded 6 tracks at the FROG clubnight in 2004, which was released as a bonus DVD to their debut album, '' Up All Night''. *

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

played a secret gig in 1995 at Astoria 2. There was a limited CD release to fans.

References

External links

The Official Mean Fiddler Website
{{Coord, 51.515867, -0.130825, type:landmark, display=title Nightclubs in London Music venues in London Buildings and structures in the City of Westminster Defunct nightclubs in the United Kingdom 2009 disestablishments in the United Kingdom