January 2026 marks three years since we released our collection of limited edition London Astoria prints...and seventeen years since the infamous LONDON ASTORIA closed its doors on Charing Cross Road. Destined for demolition, the night before its closure, the iconic venue was given a proper send-off with a Demolition Ball. In honour of this infamous live-music theatre, we are looking back at the London Astoria's best moments - all paid homage to in our limited edition London Astoria artworks.
The London Astoria, perched on the edge of Soho, was scruffy, sweaty, and utterly essential - London’s musical centre of gravity. Its sticky floors and cramped dressing rooms hosted moments that became legend: Nirvana supporting Mudhoney in 1989; Oasis on the brink of debut-album stardom in 1994; Richey Edwards’ final UK performance with Manic Street Preachers; U2’s smallest gig in a decade; and Blur’s record-breaking six-night residency in 2003. Even future giants like Enter Shikari sold it out before having a record deal.
Opened in 1927 as a cinema and reborn as a 2,000-capacity music venue in 1985, the Astoria hosted over 2,000 gigs and club nights, from acid house institution The Trip to the iconic G-A-Y. Forced to close in 2009 for Crossrail, it bowed out with a defiant Demolition Ball, raising money for charity and celebrating everything the venue stood for. Demolished months later, the Astoria joined the ranks of London’s lost venues - but its legacy still roars.
And you can take a piece of that legacy home - with our limited edition LONDON ASTORIA prints!!
Since our collection's release in 2023, we've grown brighter and bigger, introducing our SPECTRUM edition alongside our classic RED and GOLD. All are available in A3 and B2 sizes, with our iconic RED edition available in stunning A1 size. They remain a limited edition run of fifty signed, stamped and numbered prints - one of a kind.
10% of 45 Original’s London Astoria Retrospective Edition sales profits will be donated to the Music Venue Trust to protect, secure and improve UK Grassroots Music Venues and to provide industry experts to assist venues in jeopardy.
Music Venue Trust is a UK registered charity which acts to protect, secure and improve Grassroots Music Venues. Registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales. Registration No: 1159846.
