Scala (club)

The Scala was originally built as a cinema to the designs of H Courtney Constantine, but construction was interrupted by the First World War and it spent some time being used to manufacture aircraft parts, and as a labour exchange for demobilised troops before opening in 1920 as the King's Cross Cinema.[1] The cinema changed hands and names several times through its life and also changed focus, ranging from mainstream to art-house to adult film over 70 years, as well as spending a short time as a primatarium.[2]

In the summer of 1972, the Scala (then known as the King's Cross Cinema) played host to the one and only UK concert by Iggy & The Stooges (who were in London recording the album Raw Power). All photographs later featured in the Raw Power album sleeve (including the famous cover shot) were taken that night during the show. The cover shot of Lou Reed Transformer LP was also taken this summer at the Scala by Mick Rock.

Intended to be an alternative National Film Theatre, the Scala Film Club (which took its name from Scala House on Tottenham Street) moved to this venue in 1981.[3] However, when the Scala showed the film A Clockwork Orange, then withdrawn from UK distribution, the copyright holder Warner Brothers sued at Kubrick's insistence, and won.[4] As a result, Scala was almost bankrupt and closed in 1993; however, the club was re-opened in 1999. The cinema had been refitted, with the lower seating area incorporating the new stage, DJ booth and dancefloor, while the upper seating area incorporated a second room and a DJ booth.

Scala now plays host to many eclectic club nights, and has featured live music acts including Jon Boden, The Midnight, Smoke Fairies, Shed Seven, The Libertines, Deftones, Slaves, Outlandish, London Elektricity, Coldplay, Tash Sultana, Foo Fighters, The Killers, Gorillaz, Big Talk, Moby, HIM, Wheatus, Adam Ant, Sheryl Crow, Sara Bareilles, Gavin DeGraw, Ray LaMontagne, Trampled by Turtles, Doomtree, Super Furry Animals, The Chemical Brothers, Avril Lavigne, Enslaved, Gorgoroth, Lacuna Coil, Maroon 5, The Script, Melanie C, KLOQ, Gabrielle Aplin, Bastille, Wolf Alice, JAWS, Kaiser Chiefs, Jedi Mind Tricks, P!nk, Louis Tomlinson and The Iterations.

In the 1980s, the Scala Cinema was known for its Shock Around The Clock horror all-nighters which would programme films such as The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue and Martin. Shock Around The Clock would be a precursor to the London FrightFest Film Festival which would run in the 21st Century at various cinemas in and around Leicester Square.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]

• Scala – official site
• Scala review