That's Where It Was At . . .

The doorway was just south of Shaftesbury Avenue on the west side of Wardour Street. Walk along the echoey hall, down the stairs to the basement. It was dark, atmospheric. 

A bar, a small dance floor and the stage straight ahead with -oddly - a few rows of seats in front. We're down the 'Mingo - The Flamingo, premier R&B and Soul gig in Soho, 1965.

Here, at both the evening Flamingo sessions and the midnight-to-dawn Allnighter Club, the top London-based Soul and R&B bands gigged. 

Horned-up acts like the jazz-literate Georgie Fame and The Blue Flames (the most musicianly band who'd opened the Flamingo up for R&B acts in 1963), Herbie Goins and The Night-Timers, and Zoot Money's Big Roll Band.

North of Shaftesbury Avenue on the opposite side of Wardour Street was The Marquee. 

By 1965, at these new premises, there was a harder pop edge to the R&B from The Who and The Small Faces. A younger, vibier crowd met here.

At the top of Wardour Street, on Oxford Street, The 100 Club is still open for gigs. Back then it was jazz, blues and R&B.

On the south side of Oxford Street, a couple of blocks to the east was Tiles. It was bigger and newer. 

But far better was the Modtastic Scene Club in Ham Yard off Windmill Street - great sounds by a bloke by the name of Guy Stevens, smart threads nobody could really afford, and lots of pills . . .

The Clubs