The Rainbow – London

The Rainbow in Finsbury Park N4. Large venue that was originally part of the Astoria chain of cinemas in the 1930’s that like so many became a rock venue.

In its time it had seen just about every major act play there from Jimi Hendrix to The Who. Closed in 1975 it lost some ground to Camden’s Roundhouse but its reopening and refurbishment in 1977 set it back on course as a prominent North London venue.

In punky times it was infamous for The Clash riot where seats were torn up. 

The Stranglers regularly played here and The Ramones had their 1977 New Year’s Eve concert immortalised on vinyl with the double classic ‘It’s Alive’. The Stranglers performance in January 1977 supporting the Climax Blues Band was stopped due to the “Fuck” T-Shirt worn by Huge Cornwall. Bob Marley played the Rainbow for a record six consecutive nights with his punk reggae party in May 1977. PIL played on Christmas Day 1978 which was unheard of.

In 1977/1978 Jock McDonald would rent out the top and put on gigs, meaning you could have Thin Lizzy playing below while The Meat cranked it out upstairs. The climax to the 1980 film Breaking Glass with Hazel O’Connor was shot here.

Set on an island between two one-way systems that went to and from the West End you could reach it by exiting the labyrinthine Finsbury Park Tube station tunnels and it was always worth getting a quick drinkie in the George Robey pub opposite.

A trip to The Rainbow was unforgettable before a single note was played. 

Emerging from Finsbury Park Tube Station, fans were greeted by the imposing signature art-deco frontage, jutting out dramatically like a white cliff-face on a peninsular between Seven Sisters Road and Isledon Road. With its iconic retro-style red lettering tattooed onto the facade, the effect was even more spectacular at night, floodlights literally making the building glow.

And that was before stepping inside.

Hand in your ticket, enter through classic framed glass doors and an illuminated fountain set within an eight-sided raised star pool confirmed you were in the presence of opulence from a bygone era when every inch of decor mattered. 

And as for the auditorium, the ornate proscenium arch dating back to the building’s opening in 1930, framed every performance with a stamp of sheer class.

From 1971 to 1981 – yes that’s all it was – this incredible venue crammed in thousands of gigs featuring EVERY name that counted in music. No self-respecting act’s CV was complete without at least one date at what quickly became a venue of mythical status – the list of those having plugged in and strutted across its legendary boards is basically an A-Z of 70s music. 45 Original

I remember watching The Stranglers and gazing up and seeing the fantastic ceiling of star and palm trees….but no Rainbow!

Anyone been here before?
Is it better than the Hammersmith Odeon?…
You don’t get a film at the Hammersmith Odeon.
You don’t get a rainbow at the Rainbow either. Hugh Cornwell – Stranglers X Certs 1978

Sadly residents complaints about noise and people shut it down in the Eighties. Now some god-awful gospel revival bollocks occur there. That said at least they have kept the place open and used and it hasn’t been demolished and developed like so many other venues.

Excellent history here

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