Frank Turner returned to his old stomping ground with a simple message: 'go hunt down the next me'. The iconic venue Barfly in Chalk Farm Road has rebranded to its old moniker after 10 years as the Camden Assembly, and Turner couldn't be more pleased to welcome the old girl back.
Turner's Emotional Homecoming
"I'm so happy to be back again," said the 'I Still Believe' singer during a packed and rather sweaty double set during a heatwave. Turner told the audience how the venue was the first place he managed to completely sell out a gig 20 years ago. There's even a blue plaque unveiled to commemorate that feat on August 8 2006, and Turner has played eight of his 3,000+ gigs at the venue.
Barfly has been rebranded but not exactly refurbished. "And in all honesty, why would you want to change it?" Turner asked. Some of that graffiti needs blue plaque status (including the giant cock and balls that 'Mitch' carefully crafted in the toilets), and if it ain't broke, don't fix it. There's an airy bar downstairs and a hot and sweaty venue up top. Don't be fooled by the disco ball; rock music lives upstairs.
A Call to Support Emerging Talent
Turner had a message for those packed in: "What we're trying to do is create a sense of community here. Pick up the Barfly listings over the next couple of months and take a punt on something. They might be the best band you've seen in your life," he told the crowd as his t-shirt sweated like a Rorschach test.
Upcoming acts include Car Underwater on July 7, Anglo-French artist with Bali-inspired eclectic songwriting on July 9, Maya Lane on September 10, and Rufus Miller and District 13 nine days later. But it's not just the new wave coming through. Inspiral Carpets play on July 16, with Fun Lovin' Criminals on the day after.
Barfly's Legendary Alumni
Other luminaries who have graced the venue include Coldplay, Amy Winehouse, Muse, The Cure, Ed Sheeran, Elbow, Biffy Clyro, Snow Patrol, The Strokes, Jamie T, Franz Ferdinand, Feeder, IDLES, The Killers, The 1975, Ash, Avril Lavigne, MGMT, Kate Nash, Sam Fender, Bring Me The Horizon, Royal Blood, Doves, Keane, Interpol, Queens Of The Stone Age, Bloc Party, The Libertines, My Chemical Romance, Kasabian, The Kooks, Maroon 5, Razorlight, Supergrass, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Bombay Bicycle Club, Everything Everything, Pet Shop Boys, Catfish & The Bottlemen, The Fratellis, Suede, The Vaccines, Two Door Cinema Club, The National, Embrace, Scissor Sisters, The Fall and Bastille.
Co-owner's Gratitude
Barfly co-owner Dan Ickowitz-Seidler said: "The public outpouring of support for Barfly has been amazing, and I hope we can continue to build on it and the legacy as we reestablish the venue. It was great to also have the Barfly founders Nick, Be and Jeremy at our launch as well as Guy Garvey from Elbow, members of Snow Patrol and I am Kloot."
"It's been absolutely incredible relaunching Barfly and seeing people's reaction and how much the venue meant to so many people. Barfly meant so much to me and my co-owners Rich and Chris and it's been really special seeing how much love everyone else had for the venue. It was an honour to have Frank launch the venue for us especially with his connections to the venue and everything he stands for in supporting grassroots venues, we are so aligned and it was the perfect way to restart a new chapter of Barfly for a new generation."
