At 240 Seven Sisters Road, Finsbury Park in North London there is currently a semi derelict pub. Before it closed it was known as the George Robey (and before that The Clarence Tavern) and was for many years an important music venue, particularly known for punk gigs. You can even download a 1983 set recorded a the pub by anarcho-punk band Omega Tribe at the excellent Kill Your Puppy.
Club wise it was probably best known for Club Dog, which brought the free festival/squatter spirit indoors from the mid-1980s and became one of the first places where that scene, with its psychedelic and world music vibe, began to cross over with the emerging rave scene. In 1996 the pub briefly became the Powerhaus, part of the Mean Fiddler group, and then closed down.
My main memories of the place are of a club called The Far Side, which I went to a few times in 1994/5. It was one of those places where DJs and sound systems from the squat/free party scene played, like the Liberator DJs . I've just scanned in a couple of spacey flyers which give a feel for it -'Get over to the Far Side - revel without a pause - spinning trippy trancey techno, delightfully deep house and pleasurable progressive for your entertainment'. The flyer for September 1994 (below) also has the topical Fight the Criminal Justice Bill slogan at the bottom.
September 1994 flyerFrankly my memories of all the places I went to at that time tend to blur a little, but I do recall some great music and searching for a bagel round Finsbury Park before getting the first train back to Brixton the next morning.
January 1995 flyerSee also London RIP (picture of Robey today from Ewan-M at Flickr)
Update:
Some good stuff in comments, particularly liked this one: 'I played there a few times, twice with a band called Spirithouse and then as a live electronic techno/house duo supporting the Mad Professor at the Club Dog 6th Birthday bash. The Robey was the nearest venue to us on Green Lanes, we'd walk across Finsbury Park, drop some acid, neck two cans of brew and show our UB40s for discount entry. We got to know Bob and Mike and blagged a gig and got paid £50. TBH we would have probably paid that to play there!' Flyer for said night below (1992 I think).
Nice post; do you have many flyers from your club days? I was in a well known bookshop recently and came across a large coffee table book devoted to the club flyer. remarkable.
ReplyDeleteHi! I'm writing a feature on The George Robey & wondered if you (or anyone you know) would be interested in discussing their memories with me! I'd like to get an old regular's opinion on the place! if so, please e-mail lolly.doyle21@googlemail.com
ReplyDeleteI have a question regarding the venue. Was that the future Oasis playing as one of the other bands on the bill with Daisy Chainsaw? It was sometime in winter, on a Saturday night. Lot's of people from various labels in the audience. Three bands from Manchester travelled down to play, including Community Charge.
DeleteYeahhhh was the first place where i felt a real sound system, reggae, dub, jungle... wow i been on summer 1994,its very nice for me found this info, respect!!
ReplyDeleteI use to go to the far side in 95, it was the best! had so many great nights there
ReplyDeleteVic Valium was the DJ at the Sir George Robey when I lived in the neighbourhood during the summer of 1987 and make it my local. He spun some great stuff.
ReplyDeleteI saw some memorable live shows there that summer as well, including Desmond Dekker, Jayne County, John Cooper Clarke, Hank Wangford Band, Buckwheat Zydeco, Lick The Tins and others.
It was also a good place to keep the party going after festivals at Finsbury Park.
I was sad to see it gone when I returned for a visit in 2004.
Steve, once I was on the tube from Brixton and John Cooper Clarke sat down opposite me, turned out he was on his way to perform at the Robey (think this was a bit later than 1987 though, probably early 90s)
ReplyDeleteUsed to love the George Robey in the mid-eighties. Most memorable gig was Wilko Johnson in about 1986. Very Poignant considering the news on Wilko recently :(
ReplyDeleteJust found your blog - brilliant stuff and I'll be spending a good few hours going through your archives! (Hope you don't mind but as I found this because I was looking for something about the George Robey I've included a link to this post on my own blog...)
ReplyDeleteThanks C, enjoyed your post about travelling in the back of a van to the Robey with a band (read it here people):
ReplyDeletehttp://sundriedsparrows.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/im-with-band.html
Of course it got me guessing who the band was - I reckon Flux of Pink Indians?
I was working in London , though supposedly based in the West Country at the Weekends. I lost a few of those to popping in to the Far Side on a late Friday evening. I still remember with passion the good laughs in that fine place , the chance to talk to anyone and everyone and the confusion about how many rooms there were in the venue whilst circulating around it. Let's hope people continue to want to entertain others and don't become obsessed too much about how much profit they will grab.
ReplyDeleteQuite a line up!
ReplyDeleteChoci ran Choci's Chewns off Wardour Street, the place for trance n' techno in London.
The Liberators also ran a night with the Zero Gravity crew at around the same time.
Boney Slackburn on the flyer was the guy who ran the Far Side nights - along with Dj Stab.
Went there once but i was way too young for that scene, although I did cram in a memorably lashed night at a Far Side event they hosted at the Labyrinth in Dalston... that was a good un' :)
They were really the legal side of techno and trance events in the East End, and by the far the most drug fuelled psychedelic nights in London at the time - hand in hand with the booming free party scene.
Farmer and nick used to run the far side (fark'n'narmer anyone?😂) boney was a resident dj
DeleteYes remember Choci's Chewns and also went to some of those Zero Gravity nights at Club414 in Brixton.
ReplyDeleteI played here in Abbfinoosty. Late 80's. It was a brilliant gig and a great packed crowd that just turned up to see music. Awesome.
ReplyDeleteso proud to of played there
ReplyDeleteEleanor! 1989
Nice article. I found it whilst searching for the George Robey - very sad to see it gone, I didn't know. I played there twice in the early-mid 1990s, with a folk-punk (ish) band called Ye Fungus. Back to the Planet played the first time as well - a brilliant evening in a great venue.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous Although Bony & DJ Stab could be described as part of the Far Side crew, the guy who ran it went by the moniker of Farmer. I'm still in contact with Bony & Farmer.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Farmer ran The Far Side nights. Anyone know where DJ. Stab is these days? (Mark/Markus)
DeleteMarcus vanished without a trace but with other people’s money and drugs in the mid 90s. Caused a lot of pain and anguish. Marcus - if you ever come across this post, we’d all forgive you and would like to know you’re alive and kicking somewhere xx
DeleteWe used to play pool in there after Arsenal games in the 90's, always a bit sketchy and on the edge, full of smoke, but safer than the Silver Bullet. Great tunes too.
ReplyDeleteSaw some cracking bands including That Petrol Emotion (O'Neal brothers) and Mark Perry's ATV - early to mid 80s. I came across your blog searching for the Robey. Sad to see it gone
ReplyDeleteSome mod friends have posted pics from nights there in late 80s early 90s. The band has Sir George Robey banner behind it.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.facebook.com/thisbigidea90/photos/pcb.875384249228797/875383139228908/?type=3&theater
ReplyDeleteI played there whilst in a band "This Big Idea! - drove all the way from Norwich - good times :) link above for Flyer. 1991
Neil Lacy was the resident DJ in the late 80s, A coloured Irishman a great Character.
ReplyDeleteUsed to love this place. Superb vibe, but the most disgusting toilet I've ever been in! Went there when it was Club Dog, then for The Far Side - still got my Space Cadet membership card! xx
ReplyDeleteLived up Stroud Green in the early 90s and was a regular in the Robey. The bogs were so bad that a lot of people (well, men, anyway) would walk outside and piss in the street. And yet I remember the place fondly.
DeleteMekons 1985 or 87 - lovely night - mostly a couple of ex-pat Americans in the house that night - I guess Brits lost interest in the Mekons by that point of the Thatcher era - The colonials always loved em - Hard to be Human indeed!
ReplyDeleteI ran some Indie nights at the Robey usually on a Wednesday around 1986-90. Some I remember more than others but some of the bands that I booked, were That Petrol Emotion, My Blood Valentine, The Young Gods, The June Brides, Bam Bam and the Calling, Voice of the Beehive, The Chills. Fun Times.
ReplyDeleteI played there a few times, twice with a band called Spirithouse and then as a live electronic techno/house duo supporting the Mad Professor at the Club Dog 6th Birthday bash.
ReplyDeleteThe Robey was the nearest venue to us on Green Lanes, we'd walk across Finsbury Park, drop some acid, neck two cans of brew and show our UB40s for discount entry. We got to know Bob and Mike and blagged a gig and got paid £50. TBH we would have probably paid that to play there!
We also used to go to Zero Gravity parties, starting at the Clockshop in Clarkenwell. Whirling Dervish mentioned on the Far Side flyer was Chico who ran Institute of Goa - we played at the Vox to a massive crowd at one of his and Jo's parties. Me and Al also played with Tribal Energy, starting at the squatted library in Deptford, then to a rehearsal studio also in Deptford, then the squatted DHSS in Camberwell and Cooltan Arts. And gig in Kings Cross with about 2K people, can't remember the name of the venue though.
Here's the flyer
https://imgur.com/a/pk16kpM
There's a clock shop zero gravity fb group with over 100 members look it up if you want to hook up with some (old) faces
DeleteI had a great night going to see Desmond Dekker in the Robey in the mid 80s. There was a good crowd in and he was on good form. I was contributing to a small London music fanzine at the time and managed to get to chat to him and the band afterwards in the dressing room. What a lovely feller, and very down to earth. Sadly another musical hero has left the building too soon, RIP Desmond.
ReplyDeleteLeft ireland in 1984 to work in the George Robey. An experience I will never forget what an eye opener it was, only lasted about 8 months and came back to ireland.
ReplyDeleteWe played there most Sunday’s all day Irish fest back on the 80s The beastly boys great days !!
ReplyDeleteHi.. im tryin to find a mate who used to work there probably sometime around late 80s early 90s.. he's called Pat Jameson & was from Northern ireland..
ReplyDeleteDoes anybody have any footage of the Splodgenessabounds gig of August 1989?
ReplyDeleteHaven't got any footage, but I got up on stage and shared a mic with Max Splodge to sing the whole of Two Little Boys. What memories.
DeleteIt speaks volumes for the Far Side that people are still talking about it 25 years later. I was a regular for a few years. I went back again and again not just for the coolest underground sounds but also the warmest of vibes.
ReplyDeleteRock on Party People, keep the vibe alive. :-)
Mat
Wow wicked there 88/89. What a spit to meet the famous. Shane McGowan kitsty mccall. Buster blood vessel craig Charles and rowan atkknson. To say a few Atkinson. Wat zn s
ReplyDelete