The Astoria 2, subsequently known as the LA2 then the Mean Fiddler, was a
nightclub 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 ...
in
London, England.
History
The venue was originally a ballroom in the basement of the
London Astoria 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 venue also called Mean Fiddler was previously set up in
Harlesden, 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. 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 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 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 played at Astoria 2 on 5 December 2008, and a bootleg was made by fans.
*
Razorlight 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