Hope and Anchor is a

pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

and upstairs

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

(The Hope Theatre) on

Upper Street Upper Street is the main street of the Islington district of inner north London, and carries the A1 road. It begins at the junction of the A1 and Liverpool Road, continuing on from Islington High Street which runs from the crossroads at Pe ...

, in the

London Borough of Islington The London Borough of Islington ( ) is a London borough, borough in North London, England. Forming part of Inner London, Islington has an estimated population of 215,667. It was formed in 1965, under the London Government Act 1963, by the amalg ...

which first opened its doors in 1880. During the mid-1970s it was one of the first pubs to embrace the emergent, but brief, phenomenon of pub rock. With the decline of this movement, the pub went on to become a leading venue in the

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

movement. Hope and Anchor is still an operational pub and live music venue today, owned and operated by the

Greene King Greene King is a British pub and brewing company founded in 1799, currently based in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. The company also owns brands including Hungry Horse and Farmhouse Inns, as well as other pubs, restaurants and hotels. It was listed o ...

brewing company. It is a

Grade II listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

History

When The Tally Ho pub in Kentish Town decided to switch from showcasing rock music to

Irish music Irish music is music that has been created in various genres on the island of Ireland. The indigenous music of the island is termed Irish traditional music (or Irish folk music). It has remained vibrant through the 20th and into the 21st ...

, Hope and Anchor became the venue to go to in north London. The nights grew and developed under the stewardship of managers Fred Grainger and Dave Robinson, both of whom later moved on to other things (Grainger to open a nightclub in Brighton, Robinson to co-found independent record label

Stiff Records Stiff Records is a British independent record label formed in London by Dave Robinson (music executive), Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera. Originally active from 1976 to 1986, the label was reactivated in 2007. Established at the outset of the p ...

with Jake Riviera). In January 1976, the venue was acquired by Albion Management and Agency, who installed John Eichler as the landlord. In the light of numerous threats of closure, Eichler organised various benefits in order to keep the pub open, with well-established bands returning to the pub to perform for only expenses. Ian Grant of Albion Management and Agency narrowed down a long list to a final twenty two bands – all of which had played at the pub previously. 'The Front Row Festival', which took place between Tuesday 22 November and Thursday 15 December 1977, featured numerous pub rock, punk, and new wave groups. The recordings were issued as an '' eponymous live double album'', which reached No. 28 in the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

The Stranglers The Stranglers are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1974. Scoring 23 UK top 40 singles and 20 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are one of the longest-surviving bands to have originated in the ...

recorded their album ''

Live at the Hope and Anchor ''Live at the Hope and Anchor'' is a live album by the Stranglers, released on 9 March 1992 by EMI Records, EMI. It consists of an entire set from a concert at the Hope and Anchor, Islington, Hope and Anchor pub in Islington, North London, reco ...

'' at the pub, also in 1977. The venue was the location for The Damned's "

New Rose "New Rose" is the first single by British punk rock band the Damned. It was released on 22 October 1976 on Stiff Records, and in 1977 in the Netherlands, Germany and France. It is notable as the first ever single released by a British punk band ...

" video the previous year and later for Madness' "

One Step Beyond One Step Beyond may refer to: Music * ''One Step Beyond'' (Dungeon album) or the title song, 2004 * ''One Step Beyond'' (Jackie McLean album), 1963 * '' One Step Beyond...'', an album by Madness, or the title song (see below), 1979 * ''One Ste ...

" video. The demo of "Between You and Me" from the first Graham Parker album, '' Howlin' Wind'', was recorded in the basement. The pub was also featured in the 1980 film, '' Breaking Glass''. The Fierce and the Dead recorded their ''Live At The Hope & Anchor'' EP there in 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hope And Anchor, Islington Pubs in the London Borough of Islington Tourist attractions in the London Borough of Islington Grade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Islington Buildings and structures in Islington Music venues in London