Live music trail celebrates London borough of culture’s rich heritage

A borough is celebrating its rich cultural heritage with a music trail next weekend.

Croydon’s Music Heritage Trail is launching as part of the borough’s year as London borough of culture.

The trail will explore the past and present musical culture of Croydon, supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. 

The breakthrough genres of punk, dubstep, grime and drill, run through Croydon’s DNA, spanning the eras from classical music composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor to grime artist Stormzy, from punk singer Captain Sensible of The Damned, to dub music producer Mad Professor and rapper Nadia Rose.

Ms Rose said: “I’m an incredibly proud Croydoner and a foodie so I decided to have plaque located in front of a hometown favourite, Tasty Jerk, just down the street from Crystal Palace Football Club, where my dad took me to watch my first match.”

Croydon’s music scene crosses many genres with jazz and soul in the 1960s, punk and indie rock in the 1970s, electronic club scene in the 1990s and grime and drill in the 2000s and 2010s.

Music performances will take place across different venues including The Brit school in the Crescent, Selhurst, Fairfield Halls in Park Lane, East Croydon and Lloyd Park in Coombe Road, South Croydon.

Each venue will be celebrated with a permanent plaque commemorating the artist, location or organisation.

A new, free-to-use app will serve as the trail guide, highlighting the top 25 artists and venues around the borough, voted for by 11,000 people from the local community. 

The trail app will be a guide through the streets of Croydon to the commemorative plaques and will also include photos, videos, audio clips, and a selection of oral histories from people including Saint Etienne’s Bob Stanley, Mad Professor, and more.

A spokeswoman from Croydon council said: “Unfortunately many of Croydon’s music venues that supported the production of music through the decades have closed, been redeveloped or knocked down and a lot of the music heritage has been lost. 

“This includes the Davis Theatre where Bill Hailey, Buddy Holly and Etta James performed and The Underground where The Stranglers, The Fall and Sputnik played.

“These venues may be lost but the memories of music lovers from that time are still here – the Croydon Music Heritage Trail plays an important role in continuing the legacy of the borough’s musical history.”

Deputy Mayor for culture and the creative industries, Justine Simons said: “For the first time, Londoners and visitors will be able to explore the people and places that tell this story through this brilliant trail.

“Music has the power to inspire, educate and unite. Croydon is bringing communities together to celebrate its creative heritage, as we build a better London for everyone.”

Pictured top: Stormzy attending the Brit Awards 2023 at the O2 Arena, London (Picture: PA)