On 17:30 Thursday 14th July 2022
On the weekend of 14-15th July 1972 London’s King’s Cross Cinema (now the Scala) was hired by music promoter Tony Defries to showcase the first UK concerts of Lou Reed (1942-2013) and Iggy Pop (b.1947) simultaneously to David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust tour.
The music journalist Nick Kent (b.1951) was at both King’s Cross gigs, vividly describing the events which have attained mythic status over the last 50 years.
The photographer Mick Rock (1948-2021) was also there both nights, his pictures became the iconic album covers for Lou Reed’s Transformer and Raw Power by Iggy and the Stooges, records which have been a central fixture of youth culture worldwide ever since.
The Blue Plaque honouring Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, and Mick Rock, will be unveiled at 17:30 on Thursday 14th July 2022 by musician Thurston Moore who has described the events as “blueprints for my entire life”
The plaque was the idea of local musician Darren Van Asten (Sister Mercedes band). The unveiling will be filmed for the forthcoming BFI-funded feature-length documentary Scala Club Cinema (dir Jane Giles & Ali Catterall) scheduled for cinema release in 2023.
Press Quotes
Tony Defries: “July 14 1972 was a Perfect Day in rock history and for my management organisation, MainMan. While David Bowie prepared to play Aylesbury Friars, Lou Reed took a Walk on the Wild Side at the Scala in King’s Cross followed the very next night by a napalm-fuelled performance from Iggy and the Stooges. A weekend of Raw Power indeed!”
Scala owner Ryan Bissett: “We’re pleased to celebrate these moments in the history of our iconic building. We’re proud to continue to host so much new music talent at Scala. It’s a building that holds a lot of great memories for many generations”
For press information including interviews with Tony Defries and original photo requests to the estate of Mick Rock please contact flower.zoe@googlemail.com