Day The Music Died

One of the London music scene's hottest blues and rock venues will hear its final notes this week before it closes its doors to the public.

The Worcester Park Club (WPC) at the Worcester Park Tavern in Park Terrace, Worcester Park, has been going for six years and is renowned worldwide as a blues and rock venue.

But it is to close tomorrow, to make way for a new restaurant under plans by the pub's owners Scottish and Newcastle.

Organisers are to continue the popular night temporarily at the Woodstock, in North Cheam, while they search for a permanent new home.

The new venue doubles as a sports hall, and the WPC will be sorely missed as an ideal venue for music with an environment envied by larger clubs all over London.

WPC organiser Pete Feenstra worked at the Empire in Shepherd's Bush before turning his ideas into in 1996. He said: "It has become the most successful independent run live music venue in Greater London. It is a sad day really but we are moving into the Woodstock which has a 33 year musical history of its own."

[Website Manager's note: The Woodstock did not work out, so Pete started the BoomBoom Club in Sutton in August 2002]

Article and photo © Kingston Borough Guardian

Thursday 23rd May 2002