The Bag O'Nails

The Bag O'Nails was a live music club and meeting place for musicians in the 1960s and situated at 9 Kingly Street, Soho, London, England.[1]

Doorway plaque commemorating Jimi Hendrix's performance at the venue

The Bag O'Nails

The Bag
The Bag O'Nails Club in its second incarnation as a private members' club, 2017
Address	Kingly Street London, W1 United Kingdom
Coordinates	51.512361°N 0.13889°W
Public transit	Oxford Circus; Piccadilly Circus
Type	Private members nightclub, live music venue
Capacity	100
Opened	1965
Closed	1968 (re-opened 2013)

Bands and other musicians who played and socialised there included Georgie Fame, Jimi Hendrix, Bobby Tench, The Gass[2] and Eric Burdon.[3] The venue also hosted an early gig by the Jimi Hendrix Experience[4] and others frequented the venue including Tom Jones, The Who and The Animals.[5]

After the Beatles' recording sessions in London, their roadie Mal Evans, personal assistant Neil Aspinall and Paul McCartney would eat at The Bag O'Nails[6] and it was one of their favourite venues.[7] McCartney met his future wife Linda Eastman at the club on 15 May 1967.[4] Another event is recorded in Mal Evans' memoirs: "January 19 and 20: I ended up drunk in The Bag O'Nails with McCartney and Aspinall".[8]

In 1966, John Gunnell and Laurie Leslie re-opened the club under its old name, and it became a late night home to the growing Rock Fraternity and other celebrities.

The Bag O'Nails re-opened as a private members' club in March 2013,[9] before closing in 2018.[10] It is now the site of a members' club called The Court.[10]

Notes

1. Roby, Steven (2010). Becoming Jimi Hendrix: From Southern Crossroads to Psychedelic London, The Untold Story of A Musical Genius. Da Capo Press. p. 178. ISBN 978-0-306-81910-0.
2. Warburton, Nick. "British rock music from the mid 60s onwards. Mike Pigott/Gass". thestrangebrew.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
3. Leslie, Fran (October 2009). Interview with Bobby Tench, founder member Gass. Blues In Britain. p. 18 Vol 1 issue 94.
4. "The Bag O'Nails". bbc.co.uk. 13 May 2003. Retrieved 2006-11-16.
5. Vickers, Graham (2010). Rock music landmarks of London (E-book). omnibus.com. ISBN 9780857123091. Retrieved 2014-11-28.
6. "Abracadabra!". bbc.co.uk. 13 May 2003. Retrieved 2006-06-11.
7. Miles, Barry. Many Years From Now. Vintage (1998). p. 141.
8. Evan, Mal. "Mal Evans' Diaries". beatlesnumber9.com. Retrieved 2007-02-23.
9. Hasted, Nick (22 February 2013). "'A social club for The Beatles': return to rock'n'roll clubland". independent.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-12-28.
10. "Inside the Court, Soho's newest private member's club, with founder Harry Mead". www.spearswms.com. Retrieved 17 October 2019.

References

• Miles, Barry (1998). Many Years From Now. Vintage-Random House. ISBN 0-7493-8658-4.
• Spitz, Bob (2006). The Beatles: The Biography. Little, Brown and Company (New York). ISBN 1-84513-160-6.
• Roby, Steven (2010). Becoming Jimi Hendrix: From Southern Crossroads to Psychedelic London, The Untold Story of A Musical Genius. Da Capo Press. p. 178. ISBN 978-0-306-81910-0.