Many would state that Carnaby Street continues to retain its culture, edge, and vibrancy; and many would state this by simply pointing to the “multi-cultural” food festivals that take place there, and because it is one of the “best places in the city during Pride”. However, I refuse to diminish true history into two quasi-cultural, commercial activities.
Long ago, Carnaby Street was transformed into a commercial and profit-only oriented expose of stores, which are nowadays only obligatorily dressed up as different, urban and trendy. Only out of a desire to pretend they care about the street’s history do they perhaps place a perfunctory Beatles poster here and there.
But did you know Carnaby had an outstanding, incredible black influence and history? There is no longer any mention of this – no one pays homage to this huge cultural movement which completely defined and shaped Carnaby Street into the historical place it is.
Indeed, I wonder whether anyone voguishly involved with the current “black lives matter” trend in U.K. even knows this, or if, once again, styles and trends suffice over true knowledge and interest in personal and cultural history.
50 Carnaby Street was home to several different clubs – all black owned, and predominantly jazz focused. First there was Florence Mills Social Parlour – where intellectuals and politicians came together – including the President of Kenya making visits. It was a restaurant, jazz club and general hang out space.
The Roaring Twenties club, so full of history and culture, no longer has any mentions either. The catalyst point for ska music, reggae, and soul – and later where The Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Animals and Bob Marley, amongst others, would play.
DJ Count Suckle was hired when the Roaring Twenties opened in '62 and later spoke about it in 1974 saying,
“the club wasn't opened for black people, it was owned by Jewish people and it only catered for Jewish kids. I was the only black guy there because I was the leading DJ at the time and they wanted a popular 'front' figure to pull in the crowds so I was hired. … There weren't any black owned clubs then. The places in the West End where black kids used to go were white owned. Some of them used black staff as a 'front' like the Colombo does now".
And this is true of what corporations still do now. They use “black staff” as a front – except the staff has now evolved into grime artists, rappers and “top stars” like Beyonce. These are all people who continue to push a scam agenda and a skewed perspective of “black people”; records frequently perpetuate “oppression”, centering only on the same “popular topics” that the public feels comfortable hearing about – such as police abuse. The list usually ends there.
Media and corporations perpetuate a victim mentality through the records and lyrics they release, and further perpetuate an erasure of true black power, history and success. They have diminished the black culture singularly to “ghetto rapping”, twerk dancing, and victims of police brutality.
The same way Carnaby Street no longer pays homage to the black intellectuals, musicians and club owners who defined its history, so a vast majority of the world is also content to live: Forgetting history.
Count Suckle is a huge historical figure for black music, mod music, and the entire music scene within Carnaby Street. And yet – there is no information, no blue plaque, nothing notable to demonstrate this.
Instead, a Ben Sherman store long ago took the place where The Roaring Twenties Club once stood. These things are allowed to happen. Money trumps history, culture and heritage repeatedly and infallibly.
The stores currently on Carnaby only include uber famous brands: Levis, Vans, North Face, Puma, New Era, Mac makeup...none of these brands have anything to do with London’s history, let alone mod fashion, or music. Long gone and forgotten are all the clubs that used to line the street or the independent shops which were at times home to Vivienne Westwood.
In fact, almost none of the younger generation - who proudly wear Vivienne Westwood -- even know her true origins. It is so incredibly sad. Yet they wear the jewellery thinking they are showing "class" and money, but have no idea of what Vivienne Westwood originally stood for or where she originally came from.
So - why could adjustments not have been made to preserve the heritage of, at the very least, the site of the Roaring Twenties Club? Forget trying to preserve black history – it is clear that just doesn’t happen – but there is not even the preservation of a historical venue where Carnaby’s current main selling point – The Beatles – used to play.
Why allow a Ben Sherman shop to take its place? Bills to freeze rates in order to preserve history are instead a complete fantasy, of course.
To add insult to injury, a £32 million investment was approved in June 2019 to develop a “shopping, leisure and office complex”.
Offices. In Carnaby Street. Don’t we already have The City for that?
Denmark Street, Camden, and Soho are some of the soul centers of London, and undoubtedly the heart centers of music history – hell, English heritage and history – world history, fashion history.
But over and over again, culture and history are clearly seen as superfluous commodities, easily bargained away to – not even the highest bidder – but any bidder.
Again, this is not news – all of London was long ago sold and continues to this day to be treated like the cheap whore it’s always been – or rather the cheap whore those who own it are, and have always been.
The push to re-edify by the street’s owner even comes from this completely skewed perception, where he wants it to be “established as an international destination famous in its own right”.
Apparently, he must not have read the articles of incorporation of the “business” he just bought: This just in – Carnaby is already famous in its own right.
You remember that one guy, Paul McCartney – or that other guy – the Rolling Stones guy? They used to hang out in Carnaby.
Carnaby is alreadyan international destination, that’s why 44 million people a year visit it.
“’We don’t want to dis-acknowledge Carnaby’s history, but at the same time we don’t want to look back. We want it to be established as an international destination famous in its own right for dining, as well as shopping,’ adds Bain-Mollison.”
“We don’t want to look back”.
No – why look back at Swinging London and the huge reach London has had on the world, and music, thanks to people who walked this street, played on this street.
It really does make sense to add another few shops when you think about it. Maybe another Puma? I feel like Puma can be a very edgy brand; or maybe Coca-Cola? Didn’t they do that one advertisement where it was about black lives matter? That was edgy, right? Yeah, let’s add a Coca-Cola dispensary.
“Carnaby has reinvented itself throughout the decades, with both mods and punks calling the area home,” says Samantha Bain-Mollison, head of retail at Shaftesbury, the company that owns the district. “It has never lost its reputation as a trend-led hotspot and its influence has grown. It’s now home to a mixture of unique boutiques and global flagship brands.”
Strange, I didn’t know Adidas was a unique boutique? Let’s face it Pretty Green was the coolest shop on the block, and the most authentic. Not even Liam Gallagher could outlive the culling for long though.
But, as with the clubs and history of old – will anyone remember it existed? Will anyone care that it is now all gone?
While they reconstruct the bomb site that is Carnaby with £32 million and make it relevant and famous, let’s take a look at some of the best images and timeless fashion statements made on this epic street:
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