‘In the City Walking Tour 2024’ - a musical journey around London
‘In the City Walking Tour 2024’ Pin Badge - Image courtesy of Felicity Wright.
Immerse yourself on a delightful and informative walking tour of London’s illustrious music past. Learn about London’s deep roots in pop music, fashion history and its lasting impact today. Nicky Weller and her co-host Tufty have a wonderful camaraderie between them, and always include their eagerly listening audience in their banter. The walking tour is one of the best value tours London has to offer, making for an incredibly enjoyable two hours.
The tour begins at Stanhope Place, next to Marble Arch tube station. You will be greeted with a detailed map of the tour with delightful pictures and iconography, alongside a complimentary pin badge. Here, you will learn about the establishment of Solid Bond Studios (1983-1991), that produced records for the likes of The Style Council, Tracie Young, Young Disciples, and Dee C. Lee.
When walking towards the tube station, Tufty remarks on London’s slightly gorier and less fashionable past. As he points-out, near to Marble Arch, the Tyburn gallows once stood from the 16th to the 18th centuries, and were used as punishment for the most severe crimes. To lighten the mood, Tufty also informs you that due to the quantities of alcohol the onlookers would consume, this led to the origins of the phrase 'the hangover'.
Onto Stratford Place, the tour will take you to the former Polydor Studios, where The Jam, and The Siouxsie and the Banshees gained their first record deals. Nicky then recounts how her father John (manager of The Jam), was less than charmed by the record company’s need to go out to lunch, in order to complete any sort of deal.
Further along is the London Palladium, where The Beatles played their famous Royal Command Performance in 1963, in which John Lennon famously said…
“…The people in the cheaper seats clap your hands. And the rest of you, if you’d just rattle your jewellery.”
Much to the audience’s laughter, applause, and a sweet smile from the Queen Mother.
Down to Heddon Street, the tour gives you the opportunity to recreate one of the most iconic album covers of the 20th century. Perhaps less well-known than Abbey Road, this side alley off of Regent Street is where David Bowie posed for the cover of his 1972 album; The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Even the back-end of the street will be familiar to some aficionados, as this later formed the back cover of the vinyl with the track listing.
Next into Soho, the tour will take you to the outside of the former Little Violet Door club, where Jimi Hendrix first performed. Not only was it graced by the likes of Hendrix, but for the romantics among you, it was where Paul McCartney met his future wife, Linda.
Now onto two clubs both sadly no longer with us, in the form of the Marquee Club and the Vortex, along Wardour Street. Pay homage to the late great Keith Moon outside the Marquee club as his blue plaque hangs above the door. Then down the road to the Vortex, Nicky will entice you all with her anecdote of the first time she saw a scantily clad Adam and the Ants perform there.
On a more optimistic note (for nightclub enthusiasts), two clubs with a long and rich history that are still in operation are the 100 Club and Ronnie Scott’s jazz club. The 100 club that opened in 1942 still offers regular live shows, and for a reasonable fee will allow private hire, if that tickles your fancy. Ronnie Scott’s has always been a cultural hub and continues to do so with style. Tufty notes that to his knowledge, The Jam were the only 'new wave/punk' band to have been allowed to perform at the jazz club. Further recollecting, when two groups of his friends ended up in a brawl one night, as one group were punks and the other soul-boys.
Coming towards the end of the tour: a stroll through Soho Square, noting the residence of the former CBS Studios as well as a park bench dedicated to the beloved singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl.
The tour ends in Soho’s Chinatown, where you are all invited to enjoy an after-tour drink at O’Neill’s bar. Formerly the Flamingo Club, O’Neill’s is the perfect place to end an entertaining two-hours and reflect on previously unknown musical knowledge and personal stories of some of the stops visited.
The ‘In the City Walking Tour 2024’ is a superb tour with a great depth and variety of spots visited. Nicky and Tufty do a wonderful job of co-hosting the experience, ensuring everyone has a great time. Not only can I vouch for the excellence of the tour, but so can the people that travelled great distances to attend. On the tour I went on alone, there were people from Liverpool, Belfast, and even Rome.
Due to high demand the tour is now sold out until its end date in November. However, all is not lost, as the tour is set to return in Spring 2025. Which fortunately, gives me another opportunity to experience Nicky and Tufty’s banter as well as brush-up on my music knowledge. The ‘In the City Walking Tour 2024’ is an absolute triumph and certainly must not be missed.
Edited by Julia Curry - Music Editor
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