Denmark Street: The Traditional Heart of the London Music Business

“This is the street where the NME and Melody Maker were started, where the Rolling Stones recorded their demo album and the Beatles signed their first publishing deal,” says veteran music journalist Peter Watts. “It’s where the first UK charts were compiled and were David Bowie recruited some of his first bands. As the music industry changed, Denmark Street changed with it, albeit sometimes reluctantly. As well as musicians, I write about the historic nature of music publishing on Denmark Street, explore how the street later came to be lined with instrument shops and celebrate the 12 Bar, one of London’s great small venues. Along the way, we’ll encounter many of the greats of music from Lionel Bart and Joe Meek to Sex Pistols and Jeff Buckley.”

Guest speakers:

Peter Watts's previous books include a biography of Battersea Power Station. In his former role as a Time Out features writer and in his current role as a freelance journalist, he has written about most aspects of London life—from airports to zoos. Once he even endeavored to take every London bus in numerical order from first stop to last.

Max Décharné is a musician as well as author of ten books, his most recent being Teddy Boys: Post-War Britain and the First Youth Revolution. He was the drummer of the band Gallon Drunk, and is the singer and songwriter of the band The Flaming Stars. His other books include Vulgar Tongues: An Alternative History of English Slang and King’s Road: The Rise and Fall of the Hippest Street in the World.