The Band on the Wall music club sits on the corner of Swan Street and Oak Street.  In the 1800s there was a pub on this site called the George and Dragon. The pub acquired the name "Band on the Wall" in the 1930s when the landlord had a stage installed high on the far wall of the pub for musicians to use. As my copy of the 1888 Goad Map below indicates, the building next door, which is now incorporated into the club, was a Spirit Warehouse.




When and how this former pub developed a reputation for live music performances isn't known but it is suspected that it wasn't uncommon for music to be part of the scene in market pubs. For many years Smithfield Market was a thriving place and the pubs in the area were lively too. It was officially called "Band on the Wall" in the 1970s when it was bought with a view to making it into a jazz club. Jazz was the focus until the late 70s when Punk hit the Band on the Wall and it gave a venue for such bands as the Buzzcocks , Fast Cars, and The Fall. It wasn't that Jazz was taken off the menu though and in the 1980s a logo was added to the sign that represents Dizzy Gillespie. It was in the 80s that the "Bands" reputation went world-wide and artists like Simply Red performed there.  In 2007 the club closed for renovations funded by £3.2 million awarded by the Arts Council England and the Heritage Lottery Fund.  Below are a number of images of the restoration process.