Klub Foot
Encyclopedia
The Klub Foot was a highly influential London
nightclub
in the Psychobilly
scene of the early and mid 1980s.
It was hosted at the Clarendon public house
in Hammersmith
until the pub was demolished as part of the redevelopment of Hammersmith Town Centre. It regularly showcased the rising stars of the scene, including The Meteors
, Demented Are Go
, Guana Batz
, Batmobile
, Long Tall Texans, Caravans, Klingonz
, Coffin Nails, Skitzo
, The Highliners
and many others. On all the Klub Foot posters the address stated was "Clarendon Hotel Ballroom, Hammersmith Broadway W6". The Clarendon itself was a very large 1930s public house
with attached function rooms built in the Art Deco
style, and it stood on the corner of the Hammersmith
one way system until its demolition in 1988. The Klub Foot was held in the main ballroom on the first floor, which held around 900 people.
As well as hosting concerts, the Klub Foot promoter released a series of live recordings, titled Stomping At The Klubfoot on ABC records. Six volumes were released on vinyl and CD.
After the Clarendon closed, attempts were made to relocate the club at various locations including the Boston Arms in Tufnell Park
, and the Town and Country Club in Kentish Town
, but the dying Psychobilly
scene in the UK in the 1990s made it difficult to attract crowds. Since 1999, subsequent Klub Foot Reunion concerts at the Relentless Garage in Highbury have been more successful and it is now a yearly event featuring original 1980s bands with newer support acts.
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...
nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
in the Psychobilly
Psychobilly
Psychobilly is a fusion genre of rock music that mixes elements of punk rock, rockabilly, and other genres. It is one of several subgenres of rockabilly which also include thrashabilly, trashabilly, punkabilly, surfabilly and gothabilly...
scene of the early and mid 1980s.
It was hosted at the Clarendon public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
in Hammersmith
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
until the pub was demolished as part of the redevelopment of Hammersmith Town Centre. It regularly showcased the rising stars of the scene, including The Meteors
The Meteors
The Meteors are an English psychobilly band formed in 1980. Originally from London, England, they are often credited with giving the psychobilly subgenre—which fuses punk rock with rockabilly—its distinctive sound and style...
, Demented Are Go
Demented Are Go
Demented Are Go are a Welsh psychobilly band that was formed around 1982 in Cardiff. They were one of the earliest in the initial wave of bands to mix punk rock with rockabilly, and as a result, are considered to be highly influential to the psychobilly scene....
, Guana Batz
Guana Batz
The Guana Batz are an English psychobilly band that was formed in 1982 in Feltham, Middlesex. It was one of the first psychobilly bands and is considered influential to its scene...
, Batmobile
Batmobile
The Batmobile is the automobile of DC Comics superhero Batman. The car has evolved along with the character from comic books to television and films. Kept in the Batcave, which it accesses through a hidden entrance, the Batmobile is a gadget-laden vehicle used by Batman in his crime-fighting...
, Long Tall Texans, Caravans, Klingonz
Klingonz
Klingonz are a psychobilly band formed in 1988. Their original line-up had Titch doing lead vocals, Doyley on guitar, Strangy playing double bass and Mocker on drums. Strangy was replaced by Eddie after their second album, Blurb. Strangy joined Karloff, known then as Numbskulls, a band fronted by...
, Coffin Nails, Skitzo
Skitzo
Dario Rodriguez better known by his stage name Skitzo and various other names including "Frenyc", "Rod Rhaspy", "Odd One" and "Justin Zaine", is a hip hop record producer/rapper of Puerto Rican descent and CEO of Frenyc Entertainment...
, The Highliners
The Highliners
The Highliners is a British rock and roll / psychobilly band formed in London in 1984 by Luke Morgan, lead singer and Chris Finch on saxophone having met at The Central School of Art and Kev Feeney aka Stretch on bass...
and many others. On all the Klub Foot posters the address stated was "Clarendon Hotel Ballroom, Hammersmith Broadway W6". The Clarendon itself was a very large 1930s public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
with attached function rooms built in the Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style, and it stood on the corner of the Hammersmith
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
one way system until its demolition in 1988. The Klub Foot was held in the main ballroom on the first floor, which held around 900 people.
As well as hosting concerts, the Klub Foot promoter released a series of live recordings, titled Stomping At The Klubfoot on ABC records. Six volumes were released on vinyl and CD.
After the Clarendon closed, attempts were made to relocate the club at various locations including the Boston Arms in Tufnell Park
Tufnell Park
Tufnell Park is an area of north London, England which straddles the border of the London Borough of Islington and the London Borough of Camden.-Origins:...
, and the Town and Country Club in Kentish Town
Kentish Town
Kentish Town is an area of north west London, England in the London Borough of Camden.-History:The most widely accepted explanation of the name of Kentish Town is that it derived from 'Ken-ditch' meaning the 'bed of a waterway'...
, but the dying Psychobilly
Psychobilly
Psychobilly is a fusion genre of rock music that mixes elements of punk rock, rockabilly, and other genres. It is one of several subgenres of rockabilly which also include thrashabilly, trashabilly, punkabilly, surfabilly and gothabilly...
scene in the UK in the 1990s made it difficult to attract crowds. Since 1999, subsequent Klub Foot Reunion concerts at the Relentless Garage in Highbury have been more successful and it is now a yearly event featuring original 1980s bands with newer support acts.