the forum
Music journalist Scott Croly dons his dancing shoes and checks out Kentish Town’s staple music venue, the HMV Forum
Standing tall above the trendy bars and restaurants of North London’s Kentish Town area is the majestic HMV Forum. The venue has been through several name changes since its humble beginnings as an Art Deco cinema and has played host to acts such as Arctic Monkeys, Dizzee Rascal and Oasis. Recently taken over by high street music giant HMV, the venue has been completely restored and renovated.
I visited in January to check out the talent at the first annual Last.FM Festival. The £11 ticket was a bargain — four bands for the price of one. Shame about the bar prices, though, with a can of beer costing around £4. The large theatre boasts a great view from the back, but my friends and I opted to head down to the front to dance ourselves sweaty. Newcomers Bones and Chapel Club were followed by Leicester art-rockers Young Knives and the headliners — Newcastle’s indie stalwarts The Futureheads.
Their angular chords and pounding bass put the superb new sound system through its paces, the set spanning an 11-year career from early hit single Decent Days and Nights to the more recent foot-stomper Beginning of the Twist. The finale was the highlight — a rousing cover of Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love, with co-frontmen Barry and Ross challenging the 2,000-strong crowd to sing along. The spring line-up includes Irish punk veterans Stiff Little Fingers, US hip hop legend DJ Shadow and Scottish shoegazers Glasvegas. If live music is your thing, this venue is well worth a look.
Harrods, the world-famous department store, is known for its extravagant gifts, but did you know it once sold exotic animals such as lion cubs as pets? In 1975, before becoming US President, Ronald Reagan bought a baby elephant.
