Acme Attractions
Encyclopedia
Acme Attractions was a London clothing store on Kings Road
, Chelsea, London
that in the early 1970s provided a place for many punk and reggae musicians and scensters to hang out. The "Don" of Acme was shop assistant and manager Don Letts
:
and Vivienne Westwood
's Fifties-inspired boutique Let it Rock (revamped in 1972 and renamed Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die). In spring 1974, a radical change saw the shop become SEX
: selling fetish wear and Westwood's innovative designs.
Acme's owner, John Krevine, decided to venture into clothing with a man called Steph Raynor. In 1974, Acme Attractions initially opened as a stall on the Kings Road, Chelsea in a place called the Antiquarius. While the store was owned by Krevine and Raynor its public face was Don Letts who says that Acme was selling, "electric-blue zoot suits and jukeboxes, and pumping dub reggae all day long.". The store would actually have to move to the basement, after complaints about Don Lett's pounding dub reggae.
Within two weeks of opening there were queues around the block to get in. Steph Raynor remembers:
By the mid 70s, Acme had quite a scene attracting the likes of The Clash
, the Sex Pistols
, Chrissie Hynde
, Patti Smith
, Deborah Harry
and Bob Marley
. Letts remembers that "Marley ... come by because he knew he could get a good draw from the thriving black-market action that also went on in Acme." The Acme accountant, Andy Czezowski, seeing the potential in the crowd the store attracted started up The Roxy
, the first punk-rock venue in London, so that people could go from the store and have some place to party. Letts was the first house DJ.
with The Clash
."
Kings Road
King's Road or Kings Road, known popularly as The King's Road or The KR, is a major, well-known street stretching through Chelsea and Fulham, both in west London, England...
, Chelsea, London
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
that in the early 1970s provided a place for many punk and reggae musicians and scensters to hang out. The "Don" of Acme was shop assistant and manager Don Letts
Don Letts
Don Letts is a British film director and musician. He is credited as the man who through his DJing at clubs like The Roxy brought together punk and reggae music.-Biography:...
:
History
Acme Attractions was inspired by Malcolm McLarenMalcolm McLaren
Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren was an English performer, impresario, self-publicist and manager of the Sex Pistols and the New York Dolls...
and Vivienne Westwood
Vivienne Westwood
Dame Vivienne Westwood, DBE, RDI is a British fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream.-Early life:...
's Fifties-inspired boutique Let it Rock (revamped in 1972 and renamed Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die). In spring 1974, a radical change saw the shop become SEX
SEX (boutique)
SEX was a boutique run by Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood at 430 King's Road, London between 1974 and 1976. It specialized in clothing that defined the look of the punk movement.-History:...
: selling fetish wear and Westwood's innovative designs.
Acme's owner, John Krevine, decided to venture into clothing with a man called Steph Raynor. In 1974, Acme Attractions initially opened as a stall on the Kings Road, Chelsea in a place called the Antiquarius. While the store was owned by Krevine and Raynor its public face was Don Letts who says that Acme was selling, "electric-blue zoot suits and jukeboxes, and pumping dub reggae all day long.". The store would actually have to move to the basement, after complaints about Don Lett's pounding dub reggae.
Within two weeks of opening there were queues around the block to get in. Steph Raynor remembers:
By the mid 70s, Acme had quite a scene attracting the likes of The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
, the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
, Chrissie Hynde
Chrissie Hynde
Christine Ellen "Chrissie" Hynde is an US musician best known as the leader of the rock/new wave band the Pretenders. She is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, and has been the only constant member of the band throughout its history.-Early life and career:Hynde is the daughter of a part-time...
, Patti Smith
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
, Deborah Harry
Debbie Harry
Deborah Ann "Debbie" Harry is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band Blondie. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers...
and Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
. Letts remembers that "Marley ... come by because he knew he could get a good draw from the thriving black-market action that also went on in Acme." The Acme accountant, Andy Czezowski, seeing the potential in the crowd the store attracted started up The Roxy
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 first punk-rock venue in London, so that people could go from the store and have some place to party. Letts was the first house DJ.
Boy
Seeing the success of punk and how a new market was created for punk related clothing and merchandise John Krevine and Steph Raynor closed Acme Attractions to create Boy. While Don Letts opened the new store, he soon quit, "It was the bastard child of Acme, created to capitalize on the tabloid punk and although I opened and ran the joint it just weren't my speed. I quit to manage the Slits and headed off on the White Riot tourThe Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
with The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
."
External links
- More pictures from the store (Archived 2009-10-24)