The Dirty Water Club was a long-running (in a town where most tend to be short-lived) London

club night Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

featuring bands influenced by 1960s garage punk. It was named after

The Standells The Standells are an American garage rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in the 1960s, who have been referred to as a "punk band of the 1960s", and said to have inspired such groups as the Sex Pistols and Ramones. They are best known ...

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

hit single "

Dirty Water "Dirty Water" is a song by the American rock band The Standells, written by their producer Ed Cobb. The song is a mock paean to the city of Boston, Massachusetts, and its then-famously polluted Boston Harbor and Charles River. History Accordin ...

". The club night started in October 1996 in the

Tufnell Park Tufnell Park is an area in north London, England, in the London boroughs of Islington and Camden. The neighborhood is served by Tufnell Park tube station on the Northern Line. History Origins and boundary ;Medieval and later manor Tufnell ...

neighbourhood of north London, at a venue called The Boston (The Standells' hit glorifies the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts). It hosted weekly live performances. Past performers have included The White Stripes,

The Fleshtones The Fleshtones are an American garage rock band from Queens, New York, United States, formed in 1976. History 1976–1979 The Fleshtones were formed in 1976 in Whitestone, New York, by Keith Streng (born September 18, 1955, New York City) an ...

Billy Childish Billy Childish (born Steven John Hamper, 1 December 1959) is an English painter, author, poet, photographer, film maker, singer and guitarist. Since the late 1970s, Childish has been prolific in creating music, writing and visual art. He has le ...

(of

Thee Headcoats Thee Headcoats was a band formed in Chatham, Kent, England in 1989, that was well known for its garage rock sound, explicitly sticking to this style on almost all of their albums. The band's signature sound as well as their prolific writing has ...

, The Buff Medways, and The Musicians of the British Empire), The Woggles, The Von Bondies, The Dirtbombs,

Thee Michelle Gun Elephant Thee Michelle Gun Elephant (often abbreviated to TMGE) was a Japanese garage rock band formed in 1991. History The band was formed in 1991,Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 1025-6 while Chiba, Ueno, and Kuh ...

The 5.6.7.8's The 5.6.7.8's are a Japanese rock band from Tokyo. They first started performing as a quartet in Tokyo, and recruited guest performers during their Australian tour. They became a trio in 1992, before touring Australia. Members The 5.6.7.8's fo ...

, The Horrors and The Brian Jonestown Massacre. The club has also seen some original 1960s/70s performers, such as The Monks,

Kim Fowley Kim Vincent Fowley (July 21, 1939 – January 15, 2015) was the American record producer, songwriter and musician who was behind a string of novelty and cult pop rock singles in the 1960s, and managed The Runaways in the 1970s. He has been ...

, GONN,

Radio Birdman Radio Birdman is an Australian punk rock band formed by Deniz Tek and Rob Younger in Sydney in 1974. The group influenced the work of many successful, mainstream bands, and are now considered instrumental in Australia's musical growth. Hist ...

The Rising Storm The Rising Storm is an American rock group that was active at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, United States, between 1965 and 1967. Their music is considered to belong in the folk rock and garage rock genres. The original members of ...

, and

Sky Saxon The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from outer space. In the field of astronomy, ...

The Seeds The Seeds were an American psychedelic garage rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1965, best known for their highest charting single "Pushin' Too Hard". The band's classic line-up featured frontman Sky Saxon, guitarist Jan Savage (b ...

, grace its stage with PJ Crittenden as the booker/DJ/promoter and Professor Blinding as the sound and equipment expert.{{Cite web, url=https://louderthanwar.com/dirty-water-reords-interview/, title=PJ Crittenden: Dirty Water Records - interview, first=Nathan, last=Whittle, date=18 May 2017 The club night's influence was widespread, with venues in both Australia and Italy starting up club nights named "Dirty Water" and with PJ Crittenden, the club's promoter and regular DJ being invited to perform at festivals all across Europe and in the USA. The in-house record label, Dirty Water Records, was launched in 2004 with the debut single by The Dirty, followed up by a 7-inch EP by Thee Exciters in 2005 and then, after the re-release of the classic 1979

Lyres Yoke lutes, commonly called lyres, are a class of string instruments, subfamily of lutes, indicated with the code 321.2 in the Hornbostel–Sachs classification. Description Yoke lutes are defined as instruments with one or more strings, arrange ...

single ''How Do You Know?'' c/w ''Don't Give It Up Now'' in May 2007, the release schedule was increased to pretty much one release per month. The Dirty Water Club held its last night at The Boston venue on 19 June 2009, the final bill being original 1960s garage band GONN, The Masonics and Speak & the Spells. The Professor wanted to concentrate on his main business and the remaining partner PJ decided not to continue under the "Dirty Water Club" name without him. Monthly live music events continued to take place under the auspices of Dirty Water Records and at a variety of venues. PJ is now retired from the gig promoting hobby but a 25th anniversary reunion show is being planned for October 2021.

References

2. Clash Magazine, 7 May 20093. BBC News, 7 August 20014. Guardian "Review of the Decade", 29 November 20095. The Guardian, 8 May 20096. New Musical Express, 18 September 2009
ttp://www.dirtywaterclub.com 8. Dirty Water Club website announces end of regular club night

External links

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Nightclubs in London Garage rock Club nights