1) The Kursaal Ballroom: From 1930s Swing Bands to 1970s Rock Concerts, the Kursaal Ballroom was famous for its sprung floor. The venue would host the famous Ted Heath Orchestra during the pre and postwar dance band era. In the 1970s it presented rock acts including Black Sabbath, AC/DC and the Faces. In 1975 Dr Feelgood were captured live here singing 'Going Back Home’ which featured in Julian Temple’s award winning documentary, ‘Oil City Confidential’.
2) Westcliff Swimming Baths: (now Genting Casino) A seafront lido where Ian Dury contracted polio in 1949.
3) Southend Pier: ‘Rock Across The Channel’ concerts were held on the MV Royal Daffodil which departed from the pier and headed for Calais, France, but if the weather was bad in the channel, the outward journey would be terminated on the Kent coast at Margate or Deal. Featured artists included Gene Vincent in 1962 and Jerry Lee Lewis in 1963.
4) The Blinking Owl: A Rockers café where bikers would put a record on the juke box and ‘do the ton’ racing at over 100 mph down the A127 to the Rayleigh Weir roundabout and get back before the record ended.
5) The Zanzi Bar: A ‘milk bar’ style café, popular with teenagers in the early 1960s.6) Pier Bar: (aka The Long Bar) A 1970s Teddy Boy Revival venue with rockabilly DJs and live rock ’n’ roll from visiting groups such as the Flying Saucers and Crazy Cavan and the Rhythm Rockers.
7) Palace Ballroom: An early 1960s rock ’n’ roll venue inside the Palace Hotel.
8) T F Heath: An all in one bicycle and record shop where you could enjoy the latest discs in listening booths and also get your punctures repaired while you waited. (1950s-1960s)
9) Southend Municipal College: Attended by Vivian Stanshall (Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band) and Gary Brooker (Procol Harum) in the early 1960s.
10) Gilberts Pianos: A musical instrument and record store. (1950s-1960s)
11) Hodges & Johnson: A musical instrument and record store. (1950s-1960s)
12) The 77: A 1960s rockers and bikers café. Its entrance was just around the corner from The Shades, a renowned Mod café, so tensions could sometimes run high.
13) The Shades: (Formally ‘The Penguin Cafe’) An early 1960s café / club opened by Len Trower, father of Robin Trower of the Paramounts and later Procol Harum. This popular basement club was Mod-central with dozens of scooters lining the seafront outside. Mickey Jupp's Orioles commenced a residency here in 1964. It became ‘The Which Club’ in 1966.
14) El Capri: (aka The Capri) A Mod coffee bar and one of several opened locally by Denny Knott in the 1960s. It was popular with the Mod crowd and had a great jukebox often stocked with imported 45s. (1962-1967)
15) The Jacobean Coffee Bar: (Formerly the Panda Bar) The Jacobean was yet another Denny Knott coffee bar. With its basement lounge, a definite fire hazard today, it attracted local Mods and sophisticates between1963 and1965.
16) The Odeon: (Originally the Astoria) A cinema and music venue where hit movies and Saturday morning pictures frequently made way for the numerous pop acts that appeared here including the Beatles (two appearances in 1963, one as co-headliners with Roy Orbison) the Rolling Stones, the Who, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry and Dusty Springfield. In 1952 comedy legends Laurel and Hardy appeared onstage here.
17) Victor Sylvester’s Ballroom: A dancehall located above the Odeon Cinema. Many local groups played here at 'Saturday Beat Night' dances for teenagers in the 1960s.
18) Studio Jazz Club: First opened as a café in 1957, the Studio turned to jazz in 1963 and was described by local police as 'the Mecca of the beat generation’. John Lee Hooker, Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames and Screaming Jay Hawkins all played here. The club became the Galleon Playa in 1967.
19) The Night Scene: A music venue just along the street from the Studio Club that saw performances by the Animals and rock ’n' roll legend Gene Vincent. (1964-1966)
20) The Shrubbery Coffee Bar: A popular 1960s ‘coffee club’ with good jukebox that was attended by a teenage Helen Mirren.
21) The Elms: A pub / music venue where local beat groups such as the Monotones and the Whirlwinds would play residencies in the early to mid 1960s.
22) The Cricketers Inn: Not just a pub but also a key music venue it saw early performances by the Paramounts and the Orioles and later presented acts such as John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Fleetwood Mac, Freddie King, the Nice and Arthur Brown. The venue later became Club Riga where the legendary Paramounts made a one-night return in 2005.
23) The Harold Dog: This Mod coffee bar with its impressive basement jukebox was forced to close following a number of well-publicised raids by police suspecting drug taking on the premises. (They weren’t far wrong)
24) The London Hotel: A pub / music venue which was home to many local beat groups in the 1960s including the Barracudas playing double-neck guitars. The Flowerpots with a young Wilko Johnson on guitar were the resident group in early 1967.
25) The Middleton: (Later The Dickens) As a pub it was extremely popular with young drinkers in the 1960s but as a music venue it played host to musical royalty including Eric Clapton who appeared in 1985 alongside Southend’s very own Mickey Jupp.
26) St Clements Hall: A Leigh-on-Sea church hall music venue where Saturday night beat dances took place in the 1960s, often with visits from pirate radio station DJs such as Tony Blackburn.
27) Kingsway Ballroom and Cinema: A concert venue where The Who appeared around the time their hit single ‘I Can See For Miles’ was released in 1967.
28) Burtons Tailors: The Southend branch of the national Burtons chain would indulge both Mods and Teds with made to measure suits. Some customers however were barred from entry when their sartorial demands presented one too many tailoring challenges. (1950s-1970s)
29) Gamson’s Shoes: Purveyors of Denson footwear and Teddy Boy ‘brothel creepers’.
30) Caboodle: A Leigh-on-Sea boutique offering late Mod styles.
31) 59 Beach Avenue: Home of the Stanshall family and Bonzo Dog front-man Viv.
32) Kelley’s Records: A radio and TV retailer that offered imported rock and jazz LPs.
33) The Cliffs Pavilion: A theatre / music venue where Jimi Hendrix played in 1967. Other acts that appeared around that time included the Troggs, the Move and Fleetwood Mac. More recently there have been shows from Elvis Costello, Paul Weller, Oasis, Bonnie Raitt, Squeeze and Blondie.
34) The Palace Theatre: A theatre / music venue that was the scene of many rock shows in the early 1970s including Uriah Heep, Lindisfarne and Mott the Hoople.
35) Eastwood Festival: A one-off open air benefit concert in aid of the homeless charity ‘Shelter’. It took place on 1 August 1970. The headline act was the Edgar Broughton Band along with David Bowie, and local group Surly Bird who would later become the Kursaal Flyers.
36) The Penny Farthing: A discotheque/ music venue that later became Scamps.
37) Chris Stevens Music Shop: Musician Mickey Jupp once worked there In 1973, while an embryonic Eddie and the Hot Rods recruited guitarist Dave Higgs via a postcard ad in the window.
38) Talk Of The South: A nightclub / discotheque where a number of 1950s rock ’n' roll stars appeared in the early 1970s thanks to the patronage of club owner Lou Manzi. These included the Everly Brothers, Roy Orbison and Bill Haley and the Comets. The venue later became TOTS disco and eventually Talk nightclub where hip hop legend Snoop Dogg presented a DJ set in 2015.
39) The Railway Hotel: A popular music pub, The Railway was home to various folk clubs. Wilko Johnson made it his 'local' and gave informal performances in the bar around 2016-19. Sadly now standing derelict.
40) The Esplanade: A renowned pub / music venue that was home of the Grand Canyon Club where Dr Feelgood played some early shows in 1972. Twenty years later this was where Pearl Jam made their first ever European appearance and Primal Scream performed in 1997.
41) The Top Alex: (aka The Alexandra Hotel) Dr Feelgood played some early dates here. It also hosted film club nights showing late 1960s underground movies. Composition of Sound, an early incarnation of Depeche Mode appeared here twice in 1980.
42) Zero 6: Discotheque/ music venue situated close to the end of Southend Airport’s runway 06, this nightclub was opened by DJ Kenny Everett in 1972. Monday was rock music night throughout the 1970s. Procol Harum made a rare local appearance in 1993. More recently the Zero 6 has become 'the most iconic nightclub in Essex history’.
43) The Blue Boar: A pub / music venue from where Mickey Jupp ran Piggies Club in 1973 presenting acts including Kilburn and the High Roads and the legendary Duffy Power. The Blue Boar is also where the Kursaal Flyers made their debut in February 1974.
44) Feelgood House: The Canvey Island home of Lee Brilleaux and Dr Feelgood manager Chris Fenwick in the mid-to-late 1970s. 'Feelgood House 2' was in Long Road, Canvey, late 1970s to early 1980s.
45) Queen’s Hotel: Live rock music in the hotel ballroom on Sunday nights commenced in 1972 when visiting acts included Status Quo and Genesis. Teddy Boy revival rock ’n’ roll nights were later introduced and live music continued here until 1992 when the building was set for demolition.
46) The Goldmine: A Canvey Island discotheque and home of ‘Brit Funk’ Legendary club DJ Chris Hill who made his first appearance at the Goldmine in 1972 shortly after the club opened. Throughout the decade he helped build the Goldmine's reputation, making it one of the country's top club destinations.
47) Southend Youth Centre: This 1960s council-run youth club later relocated to Queensway and became 'Focus'. Local punk rock groups played here in the late 1970s.
48) The Paddocks: A function room / music venue where Dr Feelgood and Eddie and the Hot Rods performed to a capacity crowd in 1977 as did Elvis Costello and the Attractions in 1980. Queen also appeared here in 1974.
49) Shrimpers: Attached to Southend United Football Club's ground at Roots Hall, the Shrimpers bar was opened as a music venue by Jon Paul who had previously promoted shows at the Palace Theatre and Queen’s Hotel. Visiting acts included the Stray Cats and Dr Feelgood.
50) Golden Disc: A very popular record shop in Queen’s Road. (1970s-1980s)
51) Crocs: (later The Pink Toothbrush) Dr Feelgood recorded half of their live album 'As It Happens' at Crocs in 1979. The venue also hosted numerous early shows from Basildon's Depeche Mode. The club later changed its name to The Pink Toothbrush. Now an 'alternative nightclub’ it is affectionately known as 'The Brush'.
52) Nasty: A boutique run by the legendary Stevie Nice (pronounced niece) offering punk fashions. (1970s-1980s)
53) Projection Records: A specialist record store opened by former Kursaal Flyers bassist, Dave Hatfield in the late 1970s.
54) SAKS: A basement bar and club where DJs have been spinning Hip Hop, House and beyond since the 1980s.
55) Hoy at Anchor Folk Club: One of the UK’s longest running folk clubs, The Hoy at Anchor folk club was set up in 1970 before relocating to the Crooked Billet pub in Old Leigh. It’s now based at the Estuary Club, London Road, Leigh-on-Sea.
56) Chinnerys: Contemporary ‘pub rock’ vibe permeates a live music room that has seen appearances from Arctic Monkeys, The Charlatans, Ellie Goulding, Stiff Little Fingers and Squeeze.
57) The Junk Club at The Royal Hotel: Once described in The Guardian newspaper as 'Britain's hottest music club', Junk club-nights were home to a wide range of edgy music and local 'goth-garage band' the Horrors. (2002-2006)
58) Dr Feelgood Music Bar: (formerly the Oysterfleet pub) Is where Lee Brilleaux played his last ever show in 1994. Now the site of the Oysterfleet Hotel.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Contact email: map@scenebythesea.co.uk
Words: Will Birch
Images and Blame: Kosmo Vinyl
Design: Julian Balme at Vegas Design
© SCENE BY THE SEA 2025
SOUTHEND - A CULTURAL GUIDE TO THE CITY
WILL BIRCH, author, No Sleep Till Canvey Island
Lying 40 miles east of Central London, Southend- on-Sea has been attracting visitors for decades. Day-trippers have swarmed into this seaside town by boat, road and rail, seeking sea, sand, sun and fun. Seafront arcades and a pleasure pier – still the world’s longest – offered slot machines and kiddie rides while the Kursaal amusement park delivered the thrills. Nearby the cockle sheds of Leigh-on-Sea and holiday camps on Canvey Island helped to swell visitor numbers.
Away from the roller coasters and one arm bandits an even noisier form of entertainment was breaking out. Immediately before and after the Second World War the sound of swing bands had filled the Kursaal ballroom where youngsters danced the night away. And when rock and roll hit in 1955 the town was ready. Jukeboxes were loaded with Little Richard and Elvis Presley hits, while the Lonnie Donegan-led skiffle craze inspired teenagers to forsake their schoolwork and form groups of their own.
Among them were Gary Brooker and Robin Trower who formed the Paramounts (later to become Procol Harum), an R&B group that in 1961 were the house band at the Shades coffee bar, a top Mod haunt. A regular visitor was pianist and singer Mickey Jupp who put together the Orioles, soon to pack out the Cricketers Inn, one of the many local pubs offering live music. Other coffee bars such as the Jacobean and the Shrubbery housed jukeboxes stocked with imported US 45s, popularising the rock and soul sounds of the day.From the mid-1960s various youth tribes – Mods, Rockers and Bikers – populated the vibrant clubs and dancehalls, and the 1970s Teddy Boy revival added an edge to those contrasting scenes that helped to make the town a musical hotbed.
Many big names played Southend – in the sixties the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and The Who appeared at the Odeon. Jimi Hendrix and Fleetwood Mac played the Cliffs Pavilion and the following decade saw major acts such as Black Sabbath, AC/DC and the Faces perform at the Kursaal ballroom.
Why Southend? Perhaps it was its proximity to London – ‘so near yet so far away’ – or was it something in the seawater? By the early to mid- 1970s a number of local groups emerged to capture crucial column inches in the national music press. These included Dr Feelgood, the Kursaal Flyers, and Eddie and the Hot Rods, all of whom broke through on the London pub rock circuit and were signed by major record labels to enjoy a hit or two. And the no-frills, high energy presentation of these acts unknowingly anticipated the fast approaching punk rock insurrection.
Meanwhile, clubs across the country were feeling the ‘Brit funk’ vibe emanating from a Canvey Island dancefloor – legendary DJ Chris Hill made his debut at the Goldmine on Canvey in 1973 playing a mix of soul, jazz and funk that quickly attracted a large and style-conscious audience. The excitement continued into the 1980s with its influential club scene at venues such as Rayleigh’s Pink Toothbrush. There was also a DIY punk ethos bubbling away and in 2005 post-punk group the Horrors commenced their ongoing career with appearances at the Junk Club. Even hip hop legend Snoop Dogg put in a local appearance in 2015.
Southend-on-Sea was granted City status in 2022.