London, summer of 1983. Music was still music that summer. Punk in all its splendor, progressive rock, The Police with “Every Breath You Take” were constantly on the radio. And good old rock still insisted on the barricades.
In such an atmosphere, the friends I was staying with invited me to the famous Marquee Club one evening. The Marquee Club was a music venue first located at 165 Oxford Street in London, when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. Its most famous period was from 1964 to 1988 at 90 Wardour Street in Soho, and it finally closed when at 105 Charing Cross Road in 1996. It was a small and relatively cheap club, located in the heart of the music industry in London’s West End, and used to launch the careers of generations of rock acts. It was the location of the first-ever live performance by the Rolling Stones on July 12, 1962. Everyone from Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix to Muddy Waters was here. But The Beatles never performed here.
The 25th anniversary of existence – Silver Jubilee – was celebrated.
The place was dark, small, with black walls. In the background, a low stage where the performers crowded. Without a fence or anything similar, in direct contact with the audience. There was a thick sweet smell in the air. And my friend says, just breathe deeply, there is no need to smoke. Sweet Marianne.
Twelfth Night, an English neo-progressive rock band of the 1980s, performed that evening. Sharp guitars and a screaming voice of the singer. The concerts were never very long, this time only eleven of their songs. They finished with the anthemic East Of Eden.
My hosts knew the frontman and introduced me to him later. Friendly guy with a strong handshake. And I thought if I shouldn’t wash my hand like some teenage girl for the next week or two…
Anyway, a night to remember.