Koko (venue) - History

History

The Camden Theatre, opened on Boxing Day 1900. With a capacity of 2,434 it was one of the largest theatres in London outside the West End. The theatre was designed by the prolific theatre architect W.G.R. Sprague with an exterior symmetrical stone façade in a Classical style with four stone pillars that are spaced between windows. The building is dominated by a large copper dome, that originally had an open lantern that was topped by a statue. There were also eight statues of classical figures mounted on the corner pediments of the building. Decorated in a Baroque style with naked female figures holding supports for the boxes and columns, the rectangular marble proscenium is topped by more plaster reliefs of reclining naked women. The ceiling contains a shallow dome.

The theatre was opened by Ellen Terry, then the most celebrated actress in England, who had lived in nearby Stanhope Street as a child. The St Pancras Gazette, a local newspaper, commented as follows in a review of the theatre's production of an opera called The Geisha in 1901:

"It is a matter of special gratification that the opera was presented at our beautiful local theatre on a scale of magnificence and completeness which would do credit to a West End theatre, but this is nothing new at the Camden Theatre, being rather a continuation of the policy with which the proprietors started their enterprise, viz. to offer nothing to their patrons but standard work, which has received the unmistakable approval of critics and public."

On 6 December 1909 it reopened as a variety theatre and became the Camden Hippodrome Theatre. By 1911 films were being presented as part of the programme and in January 1913 it became a cinema known as the Camden Hippodrome Picture Theatre, operated by Biocolour Picture Theatres Ltd. From January 1928, they were taken over by the Gaumont British cinema circuit in July 1930.

Closed during World War II, it outlived many similar buildings, including Camden Town's other theatre, the Bedford Theatre, largely because it became a BBC radio theatre from 1945. Among the first weekly series to be broadcast live from here were The Richard Tauber Programme . Later programmes recorded at the theatre included The Goon Show and Monty Python's Flying Circus album (2 May 1970) until the BBC moved to the Golders Green Hippodrome in 1972. The Camden Studio was also the only studio large enough for the full BBC Radio Orchestra, but the orchestra ultimately moved to a new home at the BBC's Maida Vale Studios.

It then became a live music venue, called The Music Machine. Many punk bands played here in the late 1970s. The venue also formed the central location for the 1979 Disco Dance film The Music Machine, and many of the new wave and first wave punk bands also appeared there including The Boomtown Rats, The Clash and The Dickies. It was the last venue AC/DC's Bon Scott was seen drinking at before his death from alcohol poisoning in 1980. In 1981, Hazel O'Connor was filmed playing live for the film Breaking Glass.

In 1982 the venue was renamed Camden Palace, having been modelled on Studio 54 in New York. During this period it hosted the rock night "Feet First" on a Tuesday and trance electro night "Peach" on a Friday night. The nights were hosted by Steve Strange and Rusty Egan of electronic band Visage. It was sold in 1987 by the owners, the Camden Palace Group Plc, to European Leisure Plc. In 2004, following its purchase by Mint Group, it was redeveloped and renamed once again as KOKO, with a capacity of 1,410. The previous industrial fittings of the Camden Palace were removed and it was repainted in a dark red colour and fitted with brand new sound equipment.

Since then, it has continued to host concerts by many music artists, including James Blunt, Diana Vickers, Hanson, My Chemical Romance, Tina Turner, Bombay Bicycle Club, dEUS, The Chameleons, Bee Gees, Marillion, Helloween, The Damned, Friendly Fires, Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Prince, Mika, The Polyphonic Spree, Paradise Lost, Devendra Banhart, Oasis, The View, The Violet May, Queens of the Stone Age, Scouting for Girls, The Wedding Present, Bruno Mars, Blonde Redhead, Radiohead, Fink, Sabaton, Babyshambles and 30 Seconds to Mars and has regular weekly club nights.

The video for the Placebo's Because I Want You single was shot at the venue. Additionally, Testament's Live in London CD/DVD release was recorded and filmed on 8 May 2005 at KOKO. The Channel 4 programme, The Album Chart Show is recorded at KOKO.