O2 Forum Kentish Town

The O2 Forum Kentish Town is a concert venue in Kentish Town, London, England owned by MAMA & Company, and originally built in 1934.

For the Minnesota golf facility, see Town & Country Club (Saint Paul, Minnesota).
For the far-right forum, see London Forum (far-right group).

O2 Forum Kentish Town
Exterior of the venue (c.2017)
Former namesKentish Town Forum Theatre (1934–63)
ABC Kentish Town (1963–70)
Forum Dancehall (1984–85)
Town & Country Club (1985–93)
London Forum (1993–2007)
The Forum (2007–09; (2013–15)
HMV Forum (2009–13)
Address9-17 Highgate Rd
London, England NW5 1JY
LocationKentish Town
Coordinates51.5522°N 0.1422°W / 51.5522; -0.1422
Public transit Kentish Town
OwnerAcademy Music Group
OperatorLive Nation
Capacity2,300
Construction
Opened17 December 1934 (1934-12-17)
Renovated
  • 1983
  • 1993
  • 2007
Closed
  • 1970–83
ArchitectJ. Stanley Beard
Website
Venue Website

History

The venue was built in 1934 and was originally used as an art deco cinema. After the cinema was closed, the venue re-opened as an Irish dance hall. In the 1980s, it changed directions from a bingo hall, to dance hall then to a live music venue under the name Town & Country Club.[1] In 1993, Mean Fiddler purchased the venue and renamed it the London Forum. The final show at the T&C was Van Morrison on 21 March 1993.[2]

In 2007, MAMA & Company purchased the Forum from Mean Fiddler and spent £1.5 million on renovations, and increasing the capacity to 2,300. In 2015, the venue was acquired by Live Nation, and re-branded as O2 Forum Kentish Town, as part of the O2 Academy Group.[3]

The venue has standing downstairs and benched seating in booths on the upstairs balcony, or a fully seated layout for certain shows.

Noted performers

References
  1. "The mourning after: RIP the T&C? North London's best-loved concert venue is set to close in March". The Independent. 17 December 1992. Archived from the original on 23 April 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  2. White, Jim (24 March 1993). "My old man said follow the Van: Jim White sees Van Morrison mark the end of an era at the Town & Country Club, London". The Independent. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  3. "LIVE NATION RE-BRANDS 3 EX-MAMA VENUES AS 'O2' IN THE UK". Nusic Business Worldwide. 12 October 2015. Archived from the original on 23 April 2019.
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