Last Man in the Hammersmith Palais

Activity: Other activity typesOther

Description

Duration: 1 hour

Documentary which recounts the story of west London venue the Hammersmith Palais, immortalised in song by the Clash, which closed down in April 2007. It began in 1919 when a disused roller skating rink saw the start of thousands of nights of jazz, swing, reggae, pop, rock, bhangra and ska. Artists and Palais goers alike, including include Dame Vera Lynn, Mick Jones, Andy Summers, Phill Jupitus recall fond memories of great evenings at the Palais, and there's plenty of archive footage.


Appeared extensively in the first part of the programme, recounting the early history of the Hammersmith Palais, Britain's first palais de danse. Also talked about the music and dancing developments of the 1920s and 1930s more generally, and then gave an account of developments during wartime.
PeriodDec 2007