The Roxy

The Roxy was a fashionable nightclub on Neal Street in London's Covent Garden, known for hosting the flowering British punk music scene in its infancy.

Brief History

The Roxy was started by promoter Andy Czekowski (sometimes spelled Czezowki). The main entrance was on street level where you would walk into a small bar and seated area. Downstairs there was a small stage, bar and dance floor. The intimacy of the club had a feel to it similar to The Cavern Club in Liverpool where The Beatles had performed early on in their career.

In December 1976, Czekowski organised three gigs at the Roxy. The first, on 14th December, was Generation X, a band Czekowski managed. The second on the following night was The Heartbreakers. The third, on 21st December, featured Siouxsie & the Banshees and Generation X. However, it was The Clash and the Heartbreakers that headlined the official gala opening on January 1, 1977.

Don Letts was the resident DJ at the club and he was instrumental in encouraging punk rockers to embrace reggae.

In 1977 Harvest Records released an album "Live at the Roxy WC2", featuring some of the regular acts who performed there, that made the top 20 in the UK. A further live album was released in May 1978 of lesser known acts such as the UK Subs, Open Sore, Crabs and the Bears. Since the late 1980s, a number of previously unreleased recordings of Roxy gigs from the late 1970s have been released as live albums including the Buzzcocks (Trojan, 1989), The Adverts (Receiver, 1990), X-Ray Spex (Receiver, 1991), and The Boys (Receiver, 1999).

The anarcho-punk band Crass featured the Roxy as the subject of one of their most well known tracks, "Banned from the Roxy".

Although back in the punk rock heyday of 1977 it was an important landmark London music venue, today it is just another Covent Garden shop selling swimwear. The doors of the club were shut for the last time in April 1978.

Bands that played at The Roxy in its first 100 Days

Aside from five bands mentioned above in connection with the December 1976 gigs and the gala opening, other bands that appeared there in the first four months of the club's life (January 1977 to April) included [ Thompson, D. (2000) "Punk", Collector’s Guide Publication, Ontario, Canada, p. 61 - 62; ] :

*The Adverts
*The Boys
*Buzzcocks
*Chelsea
*The Cortinas
*Wayne County & the Electric Chairs
*The Damned
*The Drones
*Eater
*The Jam
*The Lurkers
*Johnny Moped
*The Only Ones
*Penetration
*The Police
*Sham 69
*Slaughter & The Dogs
*The Slits
*The Stranglers
*The Vibrators
*Cherry Vanilla
*Wire
*X-Ray Spex
*XTC

External links

* [http://www.stereosociety.com/body_theroxy.html Stereo Society history]
* [http://www.3ammagazine.com/musicarchives/2003/jan/interview_andy_czezowski.html Interview with promoter Andy Czezowski in 3:AM Magazine]
* [http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/music/2007/10/roxy_music.html Article on history and book]
* [http://www.roxyclub77.co.uk Roxy Club - Gigs, interviews and pictures]
* [http://www.myspace.com/roxyclubbook Roxy Club Myspace]

References

Further reading

*Paul Marko (2007) "The Roxy London WC2 - A Punk History", with foreword by TV Smith of the Adverts, Punk77 Books, ISBN 13: 978-0-9556583-0-3.