Thursday 23 December 2021.

Wednesday 22 December 2021. The Stranglers have been voted The Best Album of 2021 in Vive Le Rock Magaine. 1.STRANGLERS - DARK MATTER 2.THE WILDHEARTS - 21st CENTURY LOVE SONGS 3.BOB VYLAN - WE LIVE HERE 4.AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS - COMFORT TO ME 5.FEROCIOUS DOG - THE HOPE 6.THE PROFESSIONALS - SNAFU 7. THE COURETTES - BACK IN MONO 8.THEATRE OF HATE - UTSUKUSHI-SA (A THING OF BEAUTY) 9.GARY NUMAN - INTRUDER 10.NAKED RAYGUN - OVER THE OVERLORDS ------------------------- There were many classic albums released 50 years ago in 1971. That was also the year that The Finsbury Park Astoria became The Rainbow. In November 1971, and rebranded as the Rainbow Theatre, it was to become legendary as a rock music venue, attracting some of the biggest names in contemporary and popular music. The Who opened the venue with three shows and Frank Zappa, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Miles Davis, Rory Gallagher, Queen, Liza Minnelli, The Jacksons and Bob Marley all performed at the Rainbow. Notable acts from the decade’s burgeoning reggae, punk and new wave scenes also appeared on the theatre’s famous stage. Elvis Costello headlined the final concert at the Rainbow in December 1981. I was lucky enough to have seen around 50 shows there, with the first being Sweet in Dec 1973. In spite of being designated Grade II-listed status for its architectural importance, the building’s future remained undecided for many years. During the mid-1990s it was taken over by the Brazilian based United Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG), which set about restoring the auditorium and foyer. The former cinema is now the main centre for the UCKG in Britain. Pretty unbelievable , how The Rainbow and The Roundhouse were both left abandoned during the 1980s.

Posted 22nd December 2021