19 October, 7.30pm
Upstairs at The Wheatsheaf
25 Rathbone Place,
London W1
Admission £3.00
Paul Willetts gives a talk on the life and extraordinary times of Soho’s King of Porn Paul Raymond, from his new book Members Only.
28 October, 7.00pm
Peter Parker’s Rock n’ Roll Club
4 Denmark Street WC2
Admission £3.00
Andrew Ings talks about Soho’s legendary 2i’s Coffee bar and how the dark basement of the 2i’s at 59 Old Compton Street became a focal point for British skiffle and emerging rock ‘n’ roll. The Vipers were the first skiffle group who really ‘hit the spot’ and took up residency at the 2i’s bar. Tommy Steele was the undoubted star of its early line up, while Cliff Richard performed at the 2i’s as part of The Drifters. Adam Faith’s band, The Worried Men, became a regular fixture at the 2i’s, where they also appeared on the BBC’s live music series the Six-Five Special in the late 1950s. Artists such as Marty Wilde, Vince Taylor and Terry Dene all made their debuts there and became part of the British history of rock ‘n’ roll.
Both events organised by The Sohemian Society.
