| | | Rock’n’roll travel with England Rocks: a map to explore England’s rock music
 Guitar case with Union Jack design, on the steps outside the Abbey Road recording studios, made famous by The Beatles in the 1960s © britainonview/ Jack BarnesLaunched in partnership with British record company EMI and the city of Liverpool, European Capital of Culture 2008 and birthplace of The Beatles, England Rocks lists over one hundred landmarks of English rock and roll in the form of a CD-size folding map. You can order it directly on www.england-rocks.co.uk. While you wait for the post, you can indulge in a little interactive exploration of the wealth of rock-and-roll heritage, spread over the nine regions of England. The advantage over the paper version is that the Internet map has links to tourist resources that enable you to plan your trip. All the same, we have to admit that it’s best if you are already a true-blue fan: there’s actually not much to see most of the time, just evocative places, streets, clubs and concert halls. Here you learn, notably, that the sleeve of the Oasis single Some Might Say depicts Cromford station in Derbyshire; that Pulp and the Arctic Monkeys started out in Sheffield’s Leadmill Club; that it was in the Priority Roads cemetery (south west England) that Brian Jones (Rolling Stones) was laid to rest, after drowning in his swimming pool. Only London, which remains one of the most exciting cities in the world, will give you a real rock-and-roll weekend, with highlights that could include the following: Hard Rock CaféOn display here are some cult objects from the history of rock and roll, including the knitted black shawl worn by Janis Joplin in concert, which featured on the back of the 1967 Cheap Thrills album, as well as Eric Clapton’s Fender Lead II guitar. The Hard Rock Café is also the starting point of the Big Bus Tour that will enable you to discover London. Kings RoadRenamed “Sex” in the 1970s, Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood’s shop was the cradle of the British punk movement and aesthetic. The Sex Pistols, a band of spotty, glue-sniffing brats, were originally formed mainly to promote the shop. True brand-shopping heaven, the Kings Road is now a major tourist attraction in London. Denmark Street (Tin Pan Alley)The Beatles, Rolling Stones and Kinks all frequented this district, famous for its music shops and studios, in the 1960s. It was here that The Sex Pistols, who lived at number 6 Denmark Street in the mid-1970s, bawled out their greatest punk anthems, including Anarchy in the UK and God Save the Queen. Hammersmith PalaisWho has not heard of this legendary temple of Anglo-Saxon music, immortalised by The Clash in 1978 in White Man in Hammersmith Palais, a track celebrating the fusion of punk music and reggae. The Sex Pistols, Police, U2 and Oasis have played here. The district, on the other hand, is depressing. KokoCalled in turn the Music Machine, then Camden Palace, this club witnessed the debuts of The Police, Siouxsie and the Banshees and, more recently, Madonna, Coldplay and Babyshambles, Pete Doherty’s band. Proud GalleriesThis gallery, along with another one in Chalk Farm Road (Camden), regularly organises exhibitions of photos devoted to rock legends, from Jimi Hendrix to Keith Richards via Freddie Mercury, The Beatles and The Libertines. Abbey Road StudiosOne of London’s rock’n’roll landmarks. In August 1969, The Beatles left the Abbey Road Studios in St John’s Wood for a 10-minute photo session... All the fans now walk across the famous zebra crossing for a souvenir photo. 23 Brook StreetJimi Hendrix lived at this address in the 1960s. By an irony of fate, number 25 Brook Street houses the Handel museum. This museum recounts the life and work of the composer, in a magnificently restored Georgian interior. www.handelhouse.orgHammersmith ApolloFormerly the Hammersmith Odeon, this large venue still hosts major artistes. It was here that David Bowie famously killed off his alter ego, Ziggy Stardust, at the end of his UK tour in 1973. 23 Heddon StreetThis is where the photo for the cover of David Bowie’s album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars was taken in 1972. Don’t miss nearby Carnaby Street: it was the epicentre of 1960s fashion and Swinging London. The street notably inspired The Kinks (“Dedicated Follower of Fashion”) and The Jam (“Carnaby Street”). A recent facelift has transformed it into a centre of fashion worthy of the third millennium! Manchester rather than London?You might prefer to forsake London in favour of Manchester, which remains one of the hot spots of English music and the cradle of numerous styles of music that have inspired entire generations, from Herman’s Hermits to the Bee Gees via Joy Division, The Smiths, Happy Mondays and Chemical Brothers... Not forgetting Take That, New Order, Stone Roses, James, Oasis, Inspiral Carpets, The Hollies, Simply Red, Doves, Elbow, M People and Badly Drawn Boy!
The Hacienda, Manchester’s famous club (now no more), had its hour of glory in the late 1980s with the advent of The Smiths, Happy Mondays, New Order and Madonna. According to Newsweek magazine, the Hacienda was at the time “the most famous club in the world”. During the Second Summer of Love, the club became the epicentre of the “Madchester” music scene and Acid House revolution, when clubbers crowded its dance floors to the strains of house and techno music.
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