Hope and Anchor, Islington
Hope and Anchor is a pub on Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington which first opened its doors in 1880. During the mid-1970s it was one of the first pubs to embrace the emergent, but brief, phenomenon of pub rock. With the decline of this movement, the pub went on to become a leading venue in the punk rock movement. The Hope and Anchor is still an operational pub and live music venue today, owned and operated by the Greene King brewing company. It is a Grade II listed building.[1]
| Hope and Anchor | |
|---|---|
 Hope and Anchor, Islington. (October 2005) | |
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| General information | |
| Type | Pub |
| Location | Islington, London, England |
| Completed | 1928 (current form) |
History
Hope and Anchor can trace its history back to when the building was built in 1880. When The Tally Ho pub in Kentish Town decided to switch from showcasing rock music to Irish music, Hope and Anchor became the venue to go to in north London. The nights grew and developed under the stewardship of managers Fred Grainger and Dave Robinson, both of whom later moved on to other things (Grainger to open a nightclub in Brighton, Robinson to co-found independent record label Stiff Records with Jake Riviera).
In January 1976, the venue was acquired by Albion Management and Agency, who installed John Eichler as the landlord. In the light of numerous threats of closure, Eichler organised various benefits in order to keep the pub open, with well-established bands returning to the pub to perform for only expenses. Ian Grant of Albion Management and Agency narrowed down a long list to a final twenty two bands – all of which had played at the pub previously.
Hope & Anchor Front Row Festival, which took place between Tuesday 22 November and Thursday 15 December 1977, featured numerous pub rock, punk, and new wave groups. The recordings were issued as a live double album of the same name, which reached No. 28 in the UK Albums Chart.[2]
The Stranglers recorded their album Live at the Hope and Anchor at the pub. The demo of the 'Between You and Me' track as used on the Howling Wind first Graham Parker album was recorded in the basement. The pub was also featured in the 1980 film, Breaking Glass.
References
- Historic England. "Hope and Anchor Public House (1195774)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
