Forum Topic

Why do we have to lose the Ealing Club?

Once again we are turning our backs on our heritage. The Ealing Club (now The Red Rooms) is a thriving business that asks for no subsidy. It's history is remarkable ... see http://www.ealingclub.com/ ... why does the new development in Ealing not work around this and maintain our valuable heritage?The Cavern in Liverpool is a major tourist attraction, bringing trade to the area from all over the world. The Ealing Club could do the same ... let's build ON our heritage not THROUGH it!

Neville Holmes ● 3897d15 Comments

I would love an Ealing club that plays blues and R&B. It would be great not to have to travel to hear this magical music and it is a shame that as the supposed home of the blues we have nothing apart from a 2 day event each year.I wasn't even a twinkle in my parents eyes when this was all happening but have loved this type of music for years along with funk and 60's rock and roll. I take issue with the earlier comment about the music shows and reruns on BBC4. BBC4 and 6 music are the only places regularly showing the younger generation where their artist have got their inspiration from and introducing us to old artist like Pink Floyd, The Who, Soul music etc. Yes it's good to move forward but it is also good to know your history and if like me you had not been about back then to see on screen the atmosphere it created. BBC 6 music plays many,many archive sessions that,along with BBC4 reruns, have helped my vinyl record collection grow. I love nothing more then sitting back late on a friday night or saturday night and tuning into the latest rerun on BBC4, long may it continue I say!Blues music is making a resurgence, there is now a festival called the Red Rooster which is a showcase for the American deep south style of music. Places like The Blues Kitchen attract many young people who realise how great the rhythms are. So if there every was a time to have the Ealing Club now is the time, even if like the Cavern it's not exactly the original Ealing Club.

Jamie Fuller ● 3868d

It is more about the atmosphere oozing out of the old planks on the floor and the scruffy walls and those dreadful steps. I love it and want it kept as a museum and a club.  OR - Lets have lots more inaccessible boring blocks of flats ......  Just in the last year I have heard some stirring Blues played down there ....  in the middle of that Jazz Club ...

Jools Lewis ● 3874d

Quality place!!!!!!!!

Steven Panton ● 3875d

Is the future development going to destroy the premises of The Ealing Club?

Gerry Tan ● 3888d

"The point about it really, is that the peopleresponsible for it Chris Barber, Alexis Korner etc were never interested in making money, or self promotion just playing the music."Oops ! For Chris Barber read Cyril Davies.Although it was Chris Barber who was mainly responsible for introducing Blues into the UK, as a result of his popularity as a jazz musician. And who employed Korner and Davies inhis band. And although never that interestedin money or self promotion, its likely farmore people nowadays will still remember Chris Barber, if only as a jazz musician and band leaderthan ever even heard of Cyril Davies (who diedin 1964) at the time. michael adams...

Michael Adams ● 3890d

Fear not. If there's any money to made out of itthen no doubt, room will be found in whatever is built on the site, for a revived "Ealing Club".The point about it really, is that the peopleresponsible for it Chris Barber, Alexis Korner etc were never interested in making money, or self promotion just playing the music. That's why so few people nowadays, relatively speaking nowadays will have even heard of them.Whereas within a short space of time, that's allthe bands, encouraged by their managements wereinterested in. Self-promotion and making money.And after 50 odd years of cynical manipulation of their audiences, that's all they're still interested in. Or to put it another way, they didn't get where they are today, by promoting venues hardly anyoneother than the real afficionados has ever even heard of.So good luck with that one. More especially getting money out of Jagger.michael adams...

Michael Adams ● 3890d

If bands like the Stones and the Who felt sufficiently strongly about this then just a hint that they wanted to see the place saved would send out a very powerful message. I haven't heard anything to suggest that they have been anything other than silent on the matter - band members of the Who retain close ties to the area so they may be aware of what is happening. If not has anybody thought to inform them?

Andy Jones ● 3890d

I saw "the Who" when they played at the Park Hotel Hanwell. I saw "John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers" when the line up featured Eric Clapton and then later Peter Green. I saw the "Pretty Things", "The Rolling Stones" and the "Yardbirds" at the Crawdaddy in Richmond. Among many others. None of whom really registered that much at the time I'm the first to admit.That was then. This is now.At the time as an 18 yr old, the idea of two middle class tennis playing former pupils of Dartford Grammar school mimicing the angst and anomie of former citizens of the American Deep South, forced to move north to Chicago in search of workdidn't really strike me as odd. Same as old Etonians like Humph fronting traditional jazz bands playing music rooted in New Orleans.Later it did.The fact that the multi-millionaire "Dartford Two" are still pumping it out after 50 odd years is simply sad.Every weekend BBC4 repeats the same series of documentaries featuring retrospectives of Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Genesis, and others featuring a recurring cast of 70 years olds trying to relive their lost youth. Presumably fora similar audience of 70 year olds.  "I hope I die before I get old". If only eh Pete ?Music is for the young - Let it go, for heavens sake.Overall we boomers are already sitting on propertyworth millions, while every political party is at out beck and call. I don't think we have any furtherclaim on the younger generation at all.Oh and BTW, the original Cavern was filled with concrete when they laid the foundations of thebuilding which currently stands on the site.The "New Cavern" which occupies a part of the basement of the new building was supposedly"built with some of the original bricks".Yes well...While what I most remember about Cyril Davieswas that he punctured a lung while playing.michael adams...  

Michael Adams ● 3894d

I saw "the Who" when they played at the Park Hotel Hanwell. I saw "John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers" when the line up featured Eric Clapton and then later Peter Green. I saw the "Pretty Things", "The Rolling Stones" and the "Yardbirds" at the Crawdaddy in Richmond. Among many others. None of whom really registered that much at the time I'm the first to admit.That was then. This is now.At the time as an 18 yr old, the idea of two middle class tennis playing former pupils of Dartford Grammar school mimicing the angst and anomie of former citizens of the American Deep South, forced to move north to Chicago in search of workdidn't really strike me as odd. Same as old Etonians like Humph fronting traditional jazz bands playing music rooted in New Orleans.Later it did.The fact that the multi-millionaire "Dartford Two" are still pumping it out after 50 odd years is simply sad.Every weekend BBC4 repeats the same series of documentaries featuring retrospectives of Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Genesis, and others featuring a recurring cast of 70 years olds trying to relive their lost youth. Presumably fora similar audience of 70 year olds.  "I hope I die before I get old". If only eh Pete ?Music is for the young - Let it go, for heavens sake.Overall we boomers are already sitting on propertyworth millions, while every political party is at out beck and call. I don't think we have any furtherclaim on the younger generation at all.Oh and BTW, the original Cavern was filled with concrete when they laid the foundations of thebuilding which currently stands on the site.The "New Cavern" which occupies a part of the basement of the new building was supposedly"built with some of the original bricks".Yes well...While what I most remember about Cyril Davieswas that he punctured a lung while playing.michael adams...  

Michael Adams ● 3894d

No it's not. It is a place where some people who went on to fame once played.I agree that it is a place of musical heritage, but to compare it with the Cavern and The Beatles is laughable. Everyone on the planet has heard of The Beatles. Those that haven't will have heard of the club over the road called Eric's where the new wave/punk rock rock/New romatics of Liverpool played their trade.Personally i've never heard of half the people who played at the Ealing Club, could be that they are either no longer with us or just pants to start off with.  Yes that includes two blokes from Kent who have had a long and good living for what they do.  To my ears,  not the best. Others will disagree.

Debbie Edwards ● 3894d

It's significance as a venue is to music what the Kew Seed bank is to botanists.The potential of a music venue and museum of sorts would be invaluable for this town.The history is more recent but as valuable to Ealing as Sir John Soane or Horace Walpole.  To do nothing and let it get destroyed without exploring and discussing options and ideas would be a travesty.

Mark Kehoe ● 3896d

It's significance as a venue is to music what the Kew Seed bank is to botanists.The potential of a music venue and museum of sorts would be invaluable for this town.The history is more recent but as valuable to Ealing as Sir John Soane or Horace Walpole.  To do nothing and let it get destroyed without exploring and discussing options and ideas would be a travesty.

Mark Kehoe ● 3896d

How important is the preserving of history and heritage of The Ealing Club? Is it as valuable a heritage as say The Cavern of Liverpool? I'm not into R&B, jazz and rock, so I don't know and can't judge. Any feelings on this?

Gerry Tan ● 3896d

I certainly have "history" in there... Club Are You Sure?!?!It's not just this weekend club -- the whole building is far better architectully that any modern day replacement would beScandalous really

Colin Goodman ● 3896d

Hear hear

Sam Salisbury ● 3896d