{"id":67061,"date":"2026-06-22T07:00:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T06:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/?p=67061"},"modified":"2026-06-21T20:44:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T19:44:39","slug":"lost-music-venues-exhibition-at-the-va-south-kensington-london-15-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/lost-music-venues-exhibition-at-the-va-south-kensington-london-15-photos\/","title":{"rendered":"Lost Music Venues exhibition at the V&#038;A South Kensington, London &#8211; 15 photos"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.urban75.org\/pics\/lost-music-venues-01.jpg\" alt=\"Lost Music Venues exhibition at the V&amp;A South Kensington, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p>There seems to have been a spate of London exhibitions recently looking back and celebrating the music and culture of the past.<\/p>\n<p>In just over a year, I&#8217;ve seen an interactive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/david-bowie-youre-not-alone-at-lightroom-london-a-stunning-deep-dive-into-the-world-of-this-iconic-artist-in-photos\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">David Bowie installation<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/blondie-in-camera-1978-at-the-barbican-celebrates-the-work-of-photographer-martyn-goddard\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">archive Blondie photos<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/in-photos-recreate-the-new-romantic-glory-days-at-the-design-museums-dazzling-blitz-exhibition\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">a New Romantic retrospective<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/stunning-punk-and-reggae-photos-by-dennis-morris-on-display-at-the-photographers-gallery-london\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">punk and reggae photos by Dennis Morris<\/a> and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/the-face-magazine-culture-shift-london-exhibition-charts-the-work-of-the-iconic-style-publication\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">major exhibition charting the work of the iconic Face magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.urban75.org\/pics\/lost-music-venues-02.jpg\" alt=\"Lost Music Venues exhibition at the V&amp;A South Kensington, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This free V&amp;A exhibition focusses on \u2018lost\u2019 performance spaces from the 1980s to 2010s.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.urban75.org\/pics\/lost-music-venues-03.jpg\" alt=\"Lost Music Venues exhibition at the V&amp;A South Kensington, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Smiths in Swansea. Tidy!<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.urban75.org\/pics\/lost-music-venues-04.jpg\" alt=\"Lost Music Venues exhibition at the V&amp;A South Kensington, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Backstage passes. I imagine Sabbath and Queen could have been\u00a0 lively.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.urban75.org\/pics\/lost-music-venues-05.jpg\" alt=\"Lost Music Venues exhibition at the V&amp;A South Kensington, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Doors from London&#8217;s much-missed The End club.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.urban75.org\/pics\/lost-music-venues-06.jpg\" alt=\"Lost Music Venues exhibition at the V&amp;A South Kensington, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Band posters from across the UK.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.urban75.org\/pics\/lost-music-venues-07.jpg\" alt=\"Lost Music Venues exhibition at the V&amp;A South Kensington, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Membership cards.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.urban75.org\/pics\/lost-music-venues-08.jpg\" alt=\"Lost Music Venues exhibition at the V&amp;A South Kensington, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Merch.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.urban75.org\/pics\/lost-music-venues-09.jpg\" alt=\"Lost Music Venues exhibition at the V&amp;A South Kensington, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p>A club toilet mock up &#8211; which frankly looks positively pristine compared to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/life-in-a-new-york-dive-bar-20-photos-of-the-double-down-saloon-in-the-east-village\/\">what you&#8217;ll see in New York these days.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.urban75.org\/pics\/lost-music-venues-13.jpg\" alt=\"Lost Music Venues exhibition at the V&amp;A South Kensington, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Dressing room mock up. Again, it looks pretty vanilla to the ones\u00a0 I&#8217;ve seen (and I&#8217;ve seen a lot!).<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.urban75.org\/pics\/lost-music-venues-11.jpg\" alt=\"Lost Music Venues exhibition at the V&amp;A South Kensington, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.urban75.org\/pics\/lost-music-venues-12.jpg\" alt=\"Lost Music Venues exhibition at the V&amp;A South Kensington, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Handwritten lyrics from Oasis and a set list from Blur at the Bull &amp; Gate in Kentish Town. The pub is still open, but it&#8217;s no longer putting on gigs.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.urban75.org\/pics\/lost-music-venues-14.jpg\" alt=\"Lost Music Venues exhibition at the V&amp;A South Kensington, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"67076\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/lost-music-venues-exhibition-at-the-va-south-kensington-london-15-photos\/astoria\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/astoria.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"735,496\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"astoria\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/astoria.jpg\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-67076\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/astoria.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"735\" height=\"496\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/astoria.jpg 735w, https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/astoria-300x202.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>I was particularly moved seeing these signs from the Astoria <a href=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/london\/astoria-london-music-venue.html\">which was flattened in 2009.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Below you can see the sign in situ before the venue&#8217;s demolition.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"67077\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/lost-music-venues-exhibition-at-the-va-south-kensington-london-15-photos\/ast1\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ast1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"735,503\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"ast1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ast1.jpg\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-67077\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ast1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"735\" height=\"503\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ast1.jpg 735w, https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ast1-300x205.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ast1-135x93.jpg 135w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.urban75.org\/pics\/lost-music-venues-15.jpg\" alt=\"Lost Music Venues exhibition at the V&amp;A South Kensington, London\" \/><\/p>\n<h4>More info<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vam.ac.uk\/exhibitions\/lost-music-venues\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lost Music Venues<\/a><br \/>\nCloses Saturday, 30 October 2027<br \/>\nV&amp;A South Kensington<br \/>\nCromwell Road<br \/>\nLondon, SW7 2RL<br \/>\nTheatre &amp; Performance, Room 104<\/p>\n<p>Admission free<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d2483.9032716785705!2d-0.17475492345785243!3d51.49664251148928!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x48760543b17e57c3%3A0x9eb7094dfdcd651f!2sVictoria%20and%20Albert%20Museum!5e0!3m2!1sen!2suk!4v1782070886439!5m2!1sen!2suk\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There seems to have been a spate of London exhibitions recently looking back and celebrating the music and culture of the past. In just over a year, I&#8217;ve seen an &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":67062,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1765,196,194,43,456,17,193],"tags":[34,37,1422,10,1195,968],"class_list":["post-67061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art","category-nightlife","category-london-features","category-music","category-news","category-photos","category-places","tag-art","tag-clubs","tag-exhibition","tag-london","tag-photos","tag-va"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/lost-music-venues-01.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pQI7P-hrD","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67061"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67061\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67080,"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67061\/revisions\/67080"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}