 Exterior pictured in 2016 | |
 | |
| Former names |
|
|---|---|
| Location | Camden Town London,NW1 England |
| Coordinates | 51°32′05″N0°08′18″W / 51.534722°N 0.138333°W /51.534722; -0.138333 |
| Public transit |  Mornington Crescent |
| Owner | The Mint Group |
| Type | Music venue |
| Capacity | 1,500 |
| Current use | Music venue |
| Construction | |
| Renovated | 2004 |
| Architect | W. G. R. Sprague |
| Website | |
| koko | |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | Camden Palace Theatre |
| Designated | 28 June 1972 |
| Reference no. | 1272425 |
Koko (stylised asKOKO, previously calledThe Music Machine andCamden Palace) is a concert venue and former theatre inCamden Town,London.
The building was known as Camden Palace from 1982 until its 2004 purchase and extensive restoration, led byOliver Bengough and Mint Entertainment.[1][2] Following the restoration, the venue was renamed as Koko, and is one of the premier live music venues in London.[1][3][4][5][6]
The venue is a fixture for many music, fashion and art partygoers and notoriously famous for its London nightlife scene.
On the evening of 6 January 2020, a large fire broke out in the building.[7]
The Camden Theatre opened onBoxing Day 1900.[8][9] With a capacity of 2,434 it was one of the largest theatres in London outside theWest End. The theatre was designed by the theatre architectW. G. R. Sprague.[10]Ellen Terry opened the theatre, then the most celebrated actress in England, who had lived in nearby Stanhope Street as a child.[11]
TheSt Pancras Gazette, a local newspaper, commented as follows in a review of the theatre's production of an opera calledThe Geisha in 1901:[12]
It is a matter of special gratification that the opera was presented at our beautiful local theatre on a scale of magnificence and completeness which would do credit to a West End theatre, but this is nothing new at the Camden Theatre, being rather a continuation of the policy with which the proprietors started their enterprise, viz. to offer nothing to their patrons but standard work, which has received the unmistakable approval of critics and public.
On 6 December 1909 it reopened as avariety theatre and became the Camden Hippodrome Theatre.[13] By 1911 films were being presented as part of the variety programme and in January 1913 it became a cinema known as the Camden Hippodrome Picture Theatre. In January 1928, the theatre was bought by theGaumont British cinema circuit.[11]
Closed during World War II, it outlived many similar buildings, including Camden Town's other theatre, the Bedford Theatre, because theBBC took it over to be used a radio and recording studio in 1945. They continued to use the former theatre until the early 1970s.[14] Among the first weekly series to be broadcast live from here was TheRichard Tauber Programme, from 1945 to 1947. Later recorded at the theatre wereThe Goon Show and the firstMonty Python's Flying Circus album (2 May 1970).[15]
After the BBC left in 1972, the building remained empty for a number of years. It was even the subject of demolition proposals until it wasGrade II architecturally listed in late 1972.[16]
In 1977 it re-opened as a live music venue named The Music Machine. The venue was the central location for the 1979 Disco Dance film,The Music Machine.[11] The venue was particularly popular withnew wave andpunk bands, hosting concerts by groups includingThe Boomtown Rats,The Clash, andThe Jam .[13] It was the last venueAC/DC'sBon Scott was seen drinking at before his death in 1980.
In 1982 the venue was renamed Camden Palace. During this period, it hosted the weekly rock night "Feet First", each Tuesday. The nights were hosted by Jonathon and Eko of Feet First.[11] Camden Palace was the location ofMadonna's first UK performance.[13][17][18]
After the early 1980sNew Romantic scene, for which both the club andSteve Strange andRusty Egan became world famous, the Camden Palace featured as a home for early 1980s dance andnew wave club music imported from New York City, as well as pioneering early house music night "Delerium," which was run by Robin King in 1987 and featured resident DJsColin Faver ofKiss FM andEddie Richards. FamouslyPrince performed at the Camden Palace in 1988 on hisLovesexy Tour withRonnie Wood ofThe Rolling Stones as guest guitarist, he later that evening held an invite only after party in the club and performed a couple of further impromptu numbers that night. Prince appeared and performed further full concerts at the club in later decades.Hüsker Dü played their first show outside of the US at the venue in 1985.
The early 1990s saw "Delerium" leave the Camden Palace club, and as rave music took hold Camden Palace became a mecca for the burgeoningrave music scene from 1989 to 1992. The DJs during this period wereDMC DJ John Saunderson and Chris Paul. Early PA performances included bothThe Prodigy andN-Joi. Appearances from live bands continued, however, includingBlur andCardiacs.
Later in the 1990s, the venue was famous for holding weekly rave events and was illuminated with UV lights, state of the art sound system, and décor of the rave scene. During this time the legendary weekly house/acid house event, "Clockwork Orange" was held on a Saturday with Andy Manston and Danny Gould running until 2001, "Frantic" (hard house/trance) and the iconic house/trance event "Peach" withGraham Gold, Pele, Darren Pearce and Dave Lambert running until the Camden Palace closed in 2004.
By 2004, the Camden Palace was run down and in disuse.[9][13][19] That year, the theatre was purchased byOliver Bengough and his company Mint Entertainment.[1][9] Bengough saw the potential of the theatre and embarked on a multimillion-poundrestoration process lasting more than six months.[2][13] The restoration process included all new technical facilities, enabling the scope of operations to be broadened to includelive concert performances,club nights,corporate events, andtelevision production.[20]The Daily Telegraph described the modern interior amenities and the building's historic facade as "lend[ing] a sense of grandeur to any gig".[2][4][21]
In the 2010s, some events held at the Camden Palace returned to the venue, including reunions of "Peach" and "Clockwork Orange".[22][23]
A large fire at the building during renovation work was reported at 8:56 pm on 6 January 2020; eight fire engines and about 60 firefighters tended to it, and the blaze was declared under control at 2:37 am. The cause of the fire is not known as of 7 January 2020[update], but the damage appears to have been contained to the roof of the building.[24][25]
Following a multimillion-pound refurbishment, Koko reopened in April 2022.[26] The inaugural concert featuredArcade Fire, marking the release of their sixth studio albumWe.[27][28]
Since the 2004 restoration, Koko's commitment to sustainability has been recognised with an award for Environmental Excellence in Camden Organisations (EECO), for Innovation in Waste Management and Recycling.[29] The venue has been praised for "the continued exceptional effort by staff to achieve a 95% recycling rate in the difficult events and entertainment industry, and for the use of recycled materials within the building in order to close the recycling loop."[30]
On 19 March 1964,The Rolling Stones performed at the venue.[31] On 10 March 1970,The Faces performed there. On 30 April 1972, the theatre was the venue forThe Goon Show's reunion episode,The Last Goon Show of All; several senior members of theroyal family attended this episode, which was filmed and recorded.[citation needed]
On 2 March 1978,The Jam performed, with the concert recorded and released as part of the 2015 box setFire and Skill – The Jam Live, then subsequently given a limited standalone vinyl release.
On 24-26 July 1978, The Clash performed, with the concerts recorded and released as part of the 1978 movieRude Boy (film).
On 10 September 1979, heavy metal bandIron Maiden performed a gig at The Music Machine. The band, at the time, consisted ofSteve Harris (bass),Dave Murray (lead guitar),Paul Di'Anno (vocals), Tony Parsons (lead guitar) andDoug Sampson (drums).
On 14 November 1980, The Music Machine hosted an infamous gig by London mod revival bandthe Chords, where onstage interactions between the band members ranged from frosty to outright hostile and following the gig, the Chords' frontman Billy Hassett left the band acrimoniously and was later replaced by Kip Herring.
In 1985,Steve Marriott performed with his band Packet Of Three.
The cult London electronic bandYou You You, consisting of Karen O'Connor, Laurence Malice, and Iain Williams,[32] performed their debut concert at the Camden Palace on January 13, 1987.[33] The band billed their first series of concerts as 'Stage 1' of their 'World Domination Tour'[34] and enlisted the help of illustrator Mark Wardel to design their publicity. Their appearance at the Camden Palace attracted over 1,000 people on what the Met Office recorded as probably being England's coldest night of the 20th Century.[35]
In 2005, a year after restoration,Coldplay chose Koko to launch their albumX&Y.[36] Later that year,Madonna also hosted her album launch ofConfessions on a Dance Floor at Koko.[18]
The next year, in 2006,Elton John hosted a benefit party at Koko for his AIDS Charity Bash, attended byNatalie Imbruglia,Elle Macpherson,Jade Jagger, andKevin Spacey.[9][37]
Prince performed a secret show at Koko in 2007, which was his first UK show in over 10 years.[38] The American bandMy Chemical Romance also played a private show at Koko in 2007, hosted byBBC Radio 1.[15] Later in 2007,The Disney Channel used Koko to hostHannah Montana'sLive in London, an exclusive one-off event broadcast globally for her fans.[15][39][40]
In 2008,Siouxsie Sioux recorded a live DVD at Koko calledFinale: The Last Mantaray & More Show, which was released the following year.
In 2009, Koko hosted theiTunes festival, which extended over 30 nights and featured guests includingN.E.R.D,Paul Weller,James Blunt,Calvin Harris andDizzee Rascal and over 45,000 people.[41]
In 2010, Koko also hosted fundraiser for theInstitute of Contemporary Arts, featuring a performanceLily Allen andBryan Ferry and attended byVivienne Westwood,Damien Hirst, andTracey Emin.[42]
Since its restoration, the club has attracted well known musicians and DJs including:The Damned,Terrorvision,Al Murray, Irfan Latif,Don Broco,Red Hot Chili Peppers,Madonna,Christina Aguilera,Coldplay,Tori Kelly,Katy B,My Chemical Romance,Emma Marrone,Oasis,Bruno Mars,Thom Yorke,Amy Winehouse,La Roux,James Marriott,Skrillex,Lady Gaga,The Killers,Kanye West,Katy Perry,Tokio Hotel,Lily Allen,Poppy,Demi Lovato,Usher,Noel Gallagher,Wargasm,Swedish House Mafia,JoJo,Azealia Banks,Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Masters at Work and many others.[13][18][43][44]
In 2017Ed Sheeran performed a private concert to promote his third studio album÷ in partnership with UK radio stationCapital FM, as alsoAriana Grande in September 2018 to promote her fourth studio album,Sweetener.[citation needed]
