A Head Full of Wishes is a site for Galaxie 500, Luna, Damon & Naomi, Dean & Britta and Dean Wareham. With news, articles and lists of releases and past and future shows.
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Galaxie 500's London venues
I’m just back from a few days in London and haven’t really had the chance to get a post together so… I’m literally throwing this together 10 minutes after I usually send out my weekly post - so sorry for it being short, picture heavy, and a little self-indulgent.
Back in 2019 while living in London I was a regular on various guided walks, normally of a historic or architectural nature (if anyone’s in London I’d highly recommend trying to get youself on a tour by The London Ambler) and, as I too often do, got this half baked notion of getting together a walk around all the venues that Galaxie 500 played in the city. I did start mapping and planning knowing that it would never really come to fruition, and of course was rather… niche. But… it’s the sort of nonsense I always get myself tied up in - it is how I’ve managed to keep AHFoW going for close to 32 years.
As you can see the White Hart would have made a walking tour quite exhausting… so probably walking and Thameslink!
In spring 2020 the world went to crap and COVID was the excuse that the Galaxie 500 walking tour never happened, and by the time things were slowly getting back to normal I was 300 miles away from London.
During 2021 I put together Everything’s Swirling #2 a fanzine commemorating the end of Galaxie 500 and I resurrected the walking tour as a series of sketches of the venues that Galaxie 500 played in while in London - I’m not sure if I managed to sketch all the venues but five turned up in the fanzine… and I’m about to have a scour of my hard drive and sketchbooks to see if there were any more.
So… here, for your delectation, is a walking tour of Galaxie 500’s London venues where you don’t actually have to get off your arse, and where you can see the venues through my scribbly efforts.
23rd September 1989 - The White Hart, Tulse Hill
This was a “secret” gig (known only to record industry types, well… not to me anyway - and sadly not to the record industry types I knew at the time) - and until (fairly) recently there was some uncertainty about the date of the show until Bob Stanley posted a picture of the window notice on his Twitter feed.
I did actually pay a visit to the pub after finding out in 2019 but the sketch was likely done from a photograph:
The truth about Galaxie 500’s UK debut.
24th September 1989 and 4th November 1990 - BBC Maida Vale Studios
Shockingly in all the years I worked at the BBC I never managed to wangle a trip to Maida Vale, it’s not like the opportunities didn’t arise, I just didn’t grab them when they did.
Galaxie 500 recorded two sessions for the John Peel show that were eventually released on an LP - although I had managed to wangle myself copies of them long before release because of my BBC connections (also the Luna and Magic Hour sessions). I’m pretty sure I did try and sketch Maida Vale for this series but haven’t tracked it down… I suspect it wasn’t good enough anyway!
Artefacts #020: Galaxie 500 Peel Sessions CDR
26th September 1989 - The ICA
This was the band’s proper first London show and it would seem was also known well to record industry types:
Out first English gig was at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, a show sponsored by Time Out London. A big stage. Lots of people. It was quiet as can be between songs. Does this mean they hated us? No, it means the room was filled with journalists and A&R people and the like.
Dean Wareham - Black Postcards, 2008
I wasn’t at this show but have seen plenty of gigs at the ICA, most memorably the 4AD 13 Year Itch concerts in 1993. I’ve also seen plenty of films there.
A few years back Lori sent me photos of the show:
My sketch was again done from a photo:
Photos and audio: Galaxie 500 in London in 1989
8th November 1989 - The Powerhaus
I saw so many shows at The Powerhaus, but not, of course, this one. I think the most memorable one was when we went to see Miracle Legion and they were surprise supported by The Breeders, I suspect that Ken and I were the only ones in the venue who were actually surprised. The audience thinned for Miracle Legion… but that was their loss!
I don’t have a sketch, and don’t have too much to say here… so, move along.
13th December 1989 and 27th June 1990 - Subterania
I was actually at Galaxie 500’s second show at Subterania, and am a little baffled that I wasn’t at the first. The December 1989 show had Ride supporting, and is the origin of the clip that showed up on Snub TV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2haEl7z2Ww
The second show saw them supported by Teenage Fanclub and is still my favourite ever gig.
Subterania was underneath the Westway in Ladbroke Grove and I saw a lot of great shows there, most notably me being overwhelmed at a Kitchens of Distinction show.
11th February 1990 - The Camden Falcon
I’d rather not linger on this one… head over here to find out why!
https://aheadfullofwishes.substack.com/p/galaxie-500-on-tour-with-the-sundays
My sketch is again from a photo, although I did see so many gigs here:
?? June 1990 - MTV Studios, Camden
No sketch but you can watch the interview and performance here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FIkwCAf5GA
1st November 1990 - Tower Records
I only became aware of this show when this watermarked photo turned up on Flickr back in 2009:
No sketch of this.
15th November 1990 - ULU
And this was it, the band’s last show in London, and the second, and last, time I got to see them - I wrote about their last UK tour here:
https://aheadfullofwishes.substack.com/p/galaxie-500s-last-uk-tour
Luna’s last London show was also at ULU (until it wasn’t) and I’ve also seen Damon & Naomi there (and lots of other gigs).
And that’ll do - a post of scribbles thrown together in just under 90 minutes! Enjoy.