The Astoria 2, subsequently known as the LA2 and later the Mean Fiddler, was a

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

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), which then merges into Tottenham Court Road. It leads from the north in the direc ...

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 nightclub 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 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 towar ...

, 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 completed railway project centred on London. It provides a high-frequency hybrid commuter rail and rapid transit system, akin to the Réseau Express Régional, RER in Paris and the S-Bahn systems of German-speaking countries, kn ...

. 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 ...

and Good Shoes 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!!!'' at the venue on 21 March 2006. *

Enter Shikari Enter Shikari are a British Rock music, rock band formed in St Albans in 1999 by bassist Chris Batten, lead vocalist and keyboardist Rou Reynolds, and drummer Rob Rolfe. In 2003, guitarist Rory Clewlow joined the band to complete its current li ...

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 Man ...

''. * Gaslight Anthem 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 Dalem ...

recorded six tracks at the FROG club night in 2004, which was released as a bonus DVD to their debut album '' Up All Night''. *

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and 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. *A fan-made bootleg recording of a gig by The Fall on 12 August 1998 was released on CD by Cog Sinister in 2018.

References

External links

The Official Mean Fiddler Website
{{coord, 51.515867, -0.130825, type:landmark, display=title Nightclubs in London Music venues in London Former music venues in London Buildings and structures in the City of Westminster Defunct nightclubs in the United Kingdom 2009 disestablishments in the United Kingdom

History

Recordings

See also

References

External links