Troubadour (London nightclub)

For other uses, see Troubadour (disambiguation).

The Troubadour is a nightclub, restaurant and pub located at 265 Old Brompton Road, Earls Court, London. Established in 1954, it is one of the oldest and last remaining nightclubs and coffee houses of its era in London. It still offers live music seven days a week.

Troubadour

Exterior of the Troubadour in 2009
Location	265 Old Brompton Road, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea London, SW59JA United Kingdom
Coordinates	51.4888°N 0.1917°W / 51.4888; -0.1917
Public transit	Earl's Court
Owner	Giles McNamee
Type	Nightclub, Coffee house and Music Venue
Genre(s)	Folk rock jazz reggae world singer-songwriters pop experimental
Seating type	sitting and standing
Capacity	120
Construction
Broke ground	1954 but rumour has it as a music club and meeting place even earlier
Opened	1954; 70 years ago (1954)
Website
www.troubadourlondon.com

Financial troubles

The Troubadour was in danger of closure due to financial difficulties after being served with a noise abatement notice in 2012, related to use of the garden. In 2015, ownership was taken over by shareholder Giles McNamee, who has indicated there will be future investments to keep the club open.^[1][2]

Ownership

The Troubadour has had four proprietors since its opening:^[3]

• 1954–72, Michael Van Bloemen^[4] and Sheila Van Bloemen, founders of the venue
• 1972–98, Bruce Rogerson
• 1998–2015, Simon Thornhill and Susie Thornhill.^[2]
• 2015–present, Giles McNamee^[2]

Artists

The club has played host to a number of major artists in various stages of their careers. Among these have been:

• Richard Harris – in early 1956^[5] where he auditioned and rehearsed his own production of the Clifford Odets play Winter Journey (The Country Girl) while studying at the then nearby London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). Richard Harris fell in love with his wife Elizabeth here as well. A newspaper review of the time^[6]
• Charlie Watts – in summer 1961,^[7]
• Bob Dylan – Christmas 1962, performing under the name Blind Boy Grunt.^[8]
• Paul Simon - Played June 9th 1964 in London, at Troubadour ^[9]
• Joni Mitchell – played in 1970^[10]
• Robert Plant – likewise, Led Zeppelin had no official dates at the Troubadour^[11]
• Lionel Grigson, along with other jazz musicians – including Spike Wells, Mick Pyne, Dave Gelly, Daryl Runswick, and Happy Williams – played regular Sunday afternoon gigs in the 1960s.^[12][13]
• Sandy Denny – who was the subject of a 2008 tribute show held at the venue.^[14][15][16]
• Martin Carthy – an influential figure in British traditional music^[17]
• Davey Graham – an influential figure in the 1960s folk music revolution in England^[18]

References

1. Pollock, Stephen (9 September 2015). "The slow death of music venues in cities". The Guardian.
2. "The Troubadour has been saved!". Evening Standard. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
3. Tim Cumming, "Would you like Dylan with your coffee?", The Daily Telegraph, 6 May 2004.
4. Graham Hassell, "Obituary: Michael van Bloemen", The Guardian, 18 February 2009.
5. Michael Feeney Callan, Richard Harris – Sex, Death and the Movies (ISBN 1 86105 766 0), pp. 62–64.
6. The Times, Saturday, 7 April 1956.
7. Stephen Davis, Old Gods Almost Dead (ISBN 1 85410 866 2).
8. "Still On The Road 1963". Bjorner.com. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
9. "Paul Simon 1963 / 1964". 2 March 2010.
10. "Joni Mitchell - Joni Mitchell at the Troubadour, London in 1970". Ilovejonimitchall.tumblr.com. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
11. "Led Zeppelin | Official Website London". Ledzeppelin.com. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
12. "The Daryl Runswick Quartet 1973". Darylrunswick.net. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
13. "From 'Happy' Williams to Cedar Walton". 17 December 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
14. Ward, Philip (26 February 2008). "Sandy Denny: Troubadour anniversary tribute". Sandydennyblogspot.com.
15. "Independent review". Independent.co.uk. Archived from the original on 22 June 2008.
16. Tim Cumming, "Sandy Denny Tribute, The Troubadour, London", The Independent, 22 April 2008.
17. "Richard Farina at the Troubadour". Richardandmimi.com. Archived from the original on 18 June 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
18. "Other Folksingers at The Troubadour | More photos by Alison Chapman McLean". richardandmimi.com. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.

External links

• Troubadour – official site
• Classic Cafés site