Camden Market
Dingwalls
Camden Town is known for its street markets. The Camden Market is a bustling collection of shops, pubs, and food stalls. First up we have Dingwalls, which has hosted many bands over the years, and was a favorite watering hole of Charlie Watts, David Gilmore, and others. On July 5, 1976, the Ramones played their second UK show at Dingwalls, having debuted at The Round House the night before. Members of The Clash, Sex Pistols, and The Damned were all at the Dingwalls show. The Damned would make their live debut the next night. The Clash and Pistols had both played a few odd shows, but lacked confidence. Paul Simonon of The Clash was talking to Johnny Ramone before the show, telling him he was in a band but they weren’t very good. Johnny told Paul: “You’re going to see us for the first time. We suck, we can’t play. But don’t worry about it, just do it.” Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols was also inspired by that Ramones show at Dingwalls, saying later “We stink, stop rehearsing, start playing.”
Also at Dingwalls was Blondie’s first ever UK show. It’s been said it was the rowdiest show the venue ever hosted.
Clash Album Cover
A couple hundred feet from Dingwalls, just past the entrance to the Stables Market area of Camden Market are the steps where the cover image of The Clash’s debut album was shot. It looks a little different today, as the overhead beams are gone, and it’s now actual stairs, where before it was a ramp. Here’s me on the steps, followed by the actual Clash album cover, and finally a re-creation of the cover using the photo of me.
Here are some additional shots of Camden Market and surrounding area.
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