The iconic London Astoria has shut. Nine years after live-music-titans Mean Fiddler bought and saved it, they've had to sell the Astoria’s ass to make way for Crossrail: a frickin’ railway station. The 2000-seater venue's walls regularly hosted new bands on the verge of greatness, big bands warming up for mega-tours and London legends taking up week-long residencies. And it's being bulldozed for some trains.
Gordon Brown and Ken Livingstone signed the death warrant in 2007. The bastards. Last week sweaty revellers left for the last time. The heroes. Here’s a tribute. Read, recover, and prepare to spend a lot more time at Koko. We blame the Olympics.