12 Bar Club
Encyclopedia
The 12 Bar Club is one of the smallest live music venues in London
, England
. It is located in Denmark Street
, aka "Tin Pan Alley", just off Charing Cross Road
and close to Soho.
The most famous acts to play at the 12 Bar before they reached a wider audience include Martha Wainwright
, Joanna Newsom
, KT Tunstall
(all of whose first London dates were at the 12 Bar), Damien Rice
, Regina Spektor
, The Libertines
, Keane
, Seasick Steve
and Jamie T
. Jeff Buckley
also played an impromptu set at the 12 Bar some time before the launch of his debut album 'Grace'.
Its name makes it sound like a blues club, but the 12 Bar does not feature one type of music. Though broadly 'indie' in nature, some nights feature country, folk, punk or even a mixture of styles.
. It was later converted into a forge
for the St. Giles area that was used until World War I
. The fireplace from the forge is still visible at the rear of the stage and regularly houses the performers' guitar amplifiers. The building then became a carpenter's shop until shortly after World War II
, when it was converted into store rooms.
During the 1980s, the building housed The Forge Folk & Blues Club, founded by Andy Preston of Andy's Guitar Workshop. It was originally a social club and music venue for the staff at the guitar centre who used the original forge area at the back as an amplifier workshop - dust-sheets would be thrown over the amplifiers in the evening before the entertainment began. In 1994, the club was expanded and renamed the 12 Bar Club. More recently, offices and a restaurant have been added.
The 12 Bar is famous for its 2 level viewing arrangement despite its small size. A small 'balcony' section (allowing for 15 or 20 people) originally prevented those standing at the back on the ground level from seeing the heads of particularly tall band members. A refurbishment in 2006 corrected this problem by reducing the size of the balcony.
, Pete Doherty
, The Television Personalities and Robyn Hitchcock
.
The venue is known for supporting independent promoters and less mainstream styles of music, notably hardcore punk and antifolk - the seasonal antifolk (UK) fest is held at the 12 Bar and many 'antifolk' style performers from both New York and England have played there, including Langhorne Slim
, Jeff Lewis, Major Matt Mason
, Curtis Eller
, Thomas Truax
and Filthy Pedro
, either at the fests themselves or like-minded nights such as Joe 'Sgt Buzfuz' Murphy's monthly 'Blang' night.
Other bands such as The Bleach Boys
, Ray Wylie Hubbard
, Lloyd Maines
, Benjamin Shaw
, Jack Hayter
, Monkish, Andy White
, Cud
and Rhatigan
, Terri Hendrix
and Roddy Frame
of Aztec Camera
have also played at the 12 Bar Club.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is located in Denmark Street
Denmark Street
Denmark Street is a short narrow road in central London, notable for its connections with British popular music, and is known as the British Tin Pan Alley. The road connects Charing Cross Road at its western end with St Giles High Street at its eastern end. Denmark Street is in the London Borough...
, aka "Tin Pan Alley", just off Charing Cross Road
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 and then becomes Tottenham Court Road...
and close to Soho.
The most famous acts to play at the 12 Bar before they reached a wider audience include Martha Wainwright
Martha Wainwright
Martha Wainwright is a Canadian-American folk-rock singer-songwriter. She is the daughter of American folk singer and actor Loudon Wainwright III and Canadian folk singer-songwriter Kate McGarrigle...
, Joanna Newsom
Joanna Newsom
Joanna Newsom is an American harpist, pianist and singer-songwriter from Nevada City, California.- Early life :Newsom grew up in the small town of Nevada City, California...
, KT Tunstall
KT Tunstall
Kate Victoria "KT" Tunstall is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist from St Andrews, Scotland. She broke into the public eye with a 2004 live solo performance of her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on Later... with Jools Holland...
(all of whose first London dates were at the 12 Bar), Damien Rice
Damien Rice
Damien Rice is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician and record producer who plays guitar, piano, clarinet and percussion....
, Regina Spektor
Regina Spektor
Regina Ilyinichna Spektor is a Russian American singer-songwriter and pianist. Her music is associated with the anti-folk scene centered in New York City's East Village.-Early life:...
, The Libertines
The Libertines
The Libertines were an English rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât and Pete Doherty . The band, centred on the song-writing partnership of Barat and Doherty, also included John Hassall and Gary Powell for most of its recording career...
, Keane
Keane
Keane are an English alternative rock band from Battle, East Sussex, formed in 1997. The group currently comprises Tim Rice-Oxley , Tom Chaplin , Richard Hughes and Jesse Quin , who first played with the band in late 2007 during the concerts of the single The Night Sky...
, Seasick Steve
Seasick Steve
Steven Gene Wold, commonly known as Seasick Steve, is an American blues musician. He plays guitars, and sings, usually about his early life doing casual work.-Childhood and early life:...
and Jamie T
Jamie T
Jamie Alexander Treays , known by his stage name Jamie T, is an English singer/songwriter from Wimbledon, South London.-Early life:Jamie Alexander Treays, was born in Wimbledon, South-West London...
. Jeff Buckley
Jeff Buckley
Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Buckley , raised as Scotty Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was the son of Tim Buckley, also a musician...
also played an impromptu set at the 12 Bar some time before the launch of his debut album 'Grace'.
Its name makes it sound like a blues club, but the 12 Bar does not feature one type of music. Though broadly 'indie' in nature, some nights feature country, folk, punk or even a mixture of styles.
History
The club's building was originally constructed in 1635 as a stableStable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals...
. It was later converted into a forge
Forge
A forge is a hearth used for forging. The term "forge" can also refer to the workplace of a smith or a blacksmith, although the term smithy is then more commonly used.The basic smithy contains a forge, also known as a hearth, for heating metals...
for the St. Giles area that was used until World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The fireplace from the forge is still visible at the rear of the stage and regularly houses the performers' guitar amplifiers. The building then became a carpenter's shop until shortly after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when it was converted into store rooms.
During the 1980s, the building housed The Forge Folk & Blues Club, founded by Andy Preston of Andy's Guitar Workshop. It was originally a social club and music venue for the staff at the guitar centre who used the original forge area at the back as an amplifier workshop - dust-sheets would be thrown over the amplifiers in the evening before the entertainment began. In 1994, the club was expanded and renamed the 12 Bar Club. More recently, offices and a restaurant have been added.
The 12 Bar is famous for its 2 level viewing arrangement despite its small size. A small 'balcony' section (allowing for 15 or 20 people) originally prevented those standing at the back on the ground level from seeing the heads of particularly tall band members. A refurbishment in 2006 corrected this problem by reducing the size of the balcony.
Notable performances
Bands and performers who have played at the 12 Bar after gaining more commercial success (sometimes playing 'secret' or late shows) include Kristin HershKristin Hersh
Kristin Hersh is an American singer/songwriter who performs solo acoustic concerts; she also continues to perform as lead singer and guitarist for alternative rock group Throwing Muses and the hardcore punk-influenced power trio 50 Foot Wave...
, Pete Doherty
Pete Doherty
Peter Doherty is an English musician, writer, actor, poet and artist. He is best known musically for being co-frontman of The Libertines, which he reformed with Carl Barât in 2010. His other musical project is indie band Babyshambles...
, The Television Personalities and Robyn Hitchcock
Robyn Hitchcock
Robyn Rowan Hitchcock is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. While primarily a vocalist and guitarist, he also plays harmonica, piano and bass guitar....
.
The venue is known for supporting independent promoters and less mainstream styles of music, notably hardcore punk and antifolk - the seasonal antifolk (UK) fest is held at the 12 Bar and many 'antifolk' style performers from both New York and England have played there, including Langhorne Slim
Langhorne Slim
Langhorne Slim is an American singer-songwriter, . Scolnick attended high school at Solebury School in New Hope, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College, part of the SUNY system.He began to gain public notice through several years of touring with the...
, Jeff Lewis, Major Matt Mason
Major Matt Mason
Major Matt Mason was an action figure created by Mattel, an astronaut who lived and worked on the moon. When introduced in 1966, the figures were initially based on design information found in Life Magazine, Air Force Magazine, Jane's, and other aviation- and space-interest periodicals...
, Curtis Eller
Curtis Eller
Curtis Eller is a banjo player, yodeler and songwriter based in New York City.Eller's work has an old-time feel, drawing on an abundance of direct or indirect influences from the first half of the 20th Century, combined with a modern perspective and a healthy dose of rock & roll energy. Many of...
, Thomas Truax
Thomas Truax
Thomas Truax is an American songwriter, performer, and inventor of experimental musical instruments currently residing in London, England.-Biography:...
and Filthy Pedro
Filthy Pedro
Filthy Pedro is an antifolk musician based in London. Born Simon Parry in Anglesey, Wales, he moved to London in the late 90s. Parry had grown interested in antifolk after hearing Beck's 'Stereopathic Soulmanure' album...
, either at the fests themselves or like-minded nights such as Joe 'Sgt Buzfuz' Murphy's monthly 'Blang' night.
Other bands such as The Bleach Boys
The Bleach Boys
The Bleach Boys are a punk rock band from Hertfordshire who have been playing together since 1977.Originally known as the Fur Coughs, the group's name was given to them by the philosopher Simon Critchley, and is a play on The Beach Boys...
, Ray Wylie Hubbard
Ray Wylie Hubbard
Ray Wylie Hubbard is an American Texas Country singer and songwriter.-Early life:Hubbard grew up in southeastern town of Hugo, Oklahoma. His family moved to Oak Cliff in south Dallas, Texas in 1954. He attended W. H. Adamson High School with Michael Martin Murphey, who had his own band at the time...
, Lloyd Maines
Lloyd Maines
Lloyd Maines is an American Grammy Award-winning country music record producer, musician and songwriter. He was born and raised in Lubbock, Texas and is now based in Bulverde, Texas....
, Benjamin Shaw
Benjamin Shaw
Benjamin Shaw is an English a musician and artist based in London.He released his debut EP "I Got the Pox, the Pox is What I Got" in October 2009 on Audio Antihero which saw airplay from BBC 6 Music on the Tom Ravenscroft, Gideon Coe, Steve Lamacq, Jon Holmes and Tom Robinson shows and positive...
, Jack Hayter
Jack Hayter
Jack Hayter is a British musician. He was a multi instrumentalist with Hefner, and is a folk singer-songwriter. Hayter also played with alt-country band Spongefinger and acclaimed folktronica band Dollboy...
, Monkish, Andy White
Andy White
Andy White may refer to:* Andy White , Scottish studio drummer* Andy White , Irish singer/songwriter and poet...
, Cud
Cud (band)
Cud are a British indie rock band formed in Leeds, England in 1987, consisting of vocalist Carl Puttnam , guitarist/keyboardist Mike Dunphy , bassist William Potter , and drummer Steve Goodwin .Though an indie rock band, their music incorporated elements of funk...
and Rhatigan
Rhatigan
Rhatigan is the folk/punk/indie/rock/pop band led by former Stock Aitken and Waterman backing singer, turned Irish singer songwriter, Suzanne Rhatigan...
, Terri Hendrix
Terri Hendrix
Terri Hendrix is a San Marcos, Texas-based contemporary folk singer-songwriter. In addition to releasing several albums on her own label, Wilory Records, she co-wrote the Dixie Chicks Grammy-winning instrumental, "Lil' Jack Slade".- Awards :...
and Roddy Frame
Roddy Frame
Roddy Frame is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician, who was the founder of the 1980s indie band, Aztec Camera, and more recently is a solo performer.-Career:...
of Aztec Camera
Aztec Camera
Aztec Camera were a Scottish New Wave band from the Glasgow suburb of East Kilbride, formed in 1980 and centered around teenage singer-songwriter, Roddy Frame. Their album Love was among the nominations for Best British Album at the 1989 BRIT Awards....
have also played at the 12 Bar Club.