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 in

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 develop ...

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 serv ...

. 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 toward ...

, 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 l ...

. 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 o ...

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

Recordings

* Against Me! recorded their live album '' Americans Abroad!!! Against Me!!! Live in London!!!'' 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 dr ...

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''. *

Gaslight Anthem The Gaslight Anthem is an American 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, backing vocals), ...

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 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