12 Bar Club

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12 Bar Club
The 12 Bar Club logo on the main stage
Location(s)	Camden, London
Years active	— present
Website	www.12barclub.com

The 12 Bar Club is one of the smallest live music venues in London, England. It is located in Denmark Street, aka "Tin Pan Alley". Music includes blues, country music, folk, pop, rock and acoustic sets.

The club's building was originally constructed in 1635 as a stable. It was later converted into a forge for the St. Giles area that was used until World War I. The fire-place from the forge is still visible at the rear of the stage and regularly houses the performers' guitar amplifiers. The building then became a carpenter's shop until shortly after World War II, when it was converted into store rooms.

During the 1980's, the building housed The Forge Folk & Blues Club, founded by Andy Preston of Andy's Guitar Workshop. This workshop went out of business in 1998, re-surfacing as Andy's Guitars Ltd, which again went out of business in 2002, only re-emerge as Andy's Drum Center, which is currently next door undergoing liquidation at the present time. It was originally a social club and music venue for the staff at the guitar centre who used the original forge area at the back as an amplifier workshop - dust-sheets would be thrown over the amplifiers in the evening before the entertainment began. In 1994, the club was expanded and renamed the 12 Bar Club. More recently, offices and a restaurant have been added.

The very small stage gives it a very intimate atmosphere. The club has a unique feel, with a number of interconnected rooms. Many of the walls are painted in vivid colours giving it a 1960s ambiance.

The club is open every day of the week, until 1am on Monday to Thursday and around 3am on Fridays and Saturdays. The club is well known for staging four acts every night, every day of the week.

[edit] Notable performers

Bands such as Cud and Rhatigan (fronted by the Irish singer songwriter Suzanne Rhatigan) have played at the club. Roddy Frame of Aztec Camera has played at the 12 Bar Club[1], and Robyn Hitchcock played many gigs there over several summers. [2]

Ray Wylie Hubbard, Lloyd Maines, Jeff Buckley, The Libertines, Andy White, Jamie T, Ben Meldrum and Terri Hendrix have also performed at the venue. [3]