what do The Clash, The Kinks, Bob Dylan, The Fratellis, and The Good The Bad And The Queen, all have in common?

they all made their debut performances in an English pub! an English standard that is quickly disappearing to gentrification.

The Clissold Arms was the site of the first Kinks show in 1963, just across from Ray and Dave Davies’ childhood home. The Clissold Arms has remained the site of a Kinks “shrine” with band memorabilia - autographed ticket stubs, photos from shows - and a place for travelling fans to visit and get a feel for the neighborhood where the band drew a lot of it’s inspiration. This pub was recently purchased by a company that wants to recreate it into an upscale eatery, and while not set in stone yet, there are plans for the company to auction off the memorabilia rather than keep it on display. The fans are taking it as a slight to the band, feeling that the new owners consider The Kinks connection to the site an embarrassment.

The fan club have set up an online petition to urge the new ownership to donate the shrine items, with a few options including setting up the shrine at a neighboring pub, returning the items to the place they originated, or to the club which would in turn auction the items and donate the proceeds to the Leukaemia Research Fund.

Read more in The Independent.
Find the online petition here.