1900–1945: Theatre and cinema The
Camden Theatre opened on
Boxing Day 1900. With a capacity of 2,434 it was one of the largest theatres in London outside the
West End. The theatre was designed by the theatre architect
W. G. R. Sprague.
Ellen Terry opened the theatre, then the most celebrated actress in England, who had lived in nearby Stanhope Street as a child. The
St Pancras Gazette, a local newspaper, commented as follows in a review of the theatre's production of an opera called
The Geisha in 1901: On 6 December 1909 it reopened as a
variety theatre and became the Camden Hippodrome Theatre. By 1911 films were being presented as part of the variety programme and in January 1913 it became a cinema known as the Camden Hippodrome Picture Theatre. In January 1928, the theatre was bought by the
Gaumont British cinema circuit. Among the first weekly series to be broadcast live from here was The
Richard Tauber Programme, from 1945 to 1947. Later recorded at the theatre were
The Goon Show and the first ''
Monty Python's Flying Circus'' album (2 May 1970). After the BBC left in 1972, the building remained empty for a number of years. It was even the subject of demolition proposals until it was
Grade II architecturally listed in late 1972.
1977–1982: The Music Machine In 1977 it re-opened as a live music venue named The Music Machine. The venue was the central location for the 1979 Disco Dance film,
The Music Machine. After the early 1980s
New Romantic scene, for which both the club and
Steve Strange and
Rusty Egan became world famous, the Camden Palace featured as a home for early 1980s dance and
new wave club music imported from New York City, as well as pioneering early house music night "Delerium," which was run by Robin King in 1987 and featured resident DJs
Colin Faver of
Kiss FM and
Eddie Richards. Famously
Prince performed at the Camden Palace in 1988 on his
Lovesexy Tour with
Ronnie Wood of
The Rolling Stones as guest guitarist, he later that evening held an invite only after party in the club and performed a couple of further impromptu numbers that night. Prince appeared and performed further full concerts at the club in later decades.
Hüsker Dü played their first show outside of the US at the venue in 1985. The early 1990s saw "Delerium" leave the Camden Palace club, and as rave music took hold Camden Palace became a mecca for the burgeoning
rave music scene from 1989 to 1992. The DJs during this period were
DMC DJ John Saunderson and Chris Paul. Early PA performances included both
The Prodigy and
N-Joi. Appearances from live bands continued, however, including
Blur and
Cardiacs. Later in the 1990s, the venue was famous for holding weekly rave events and was illuminated with UV lights, state of the art sound system, and décor of the rave scene. During this time the legendary weekly house/acid house event, "Clockwork Orange" was held on a Saturday with Andy Manston and Danny Gould running until 2001, "Frantic" (
hard house/
trance) and the iconic house/trance event "Peach" with
Graham Gold, Pele,
Darren Pearce and Dave Lambert running until the Camden Palace closed in 2004.
2004–2020: Restoration and relaunch By 2004, the Camden Palace was run down and in disuse. That year, the theatre was purchased by
Oliver Bengough and his company Mint Entertainment.
The Daily Telegraph described the modern interior amenities and the building's historic facade as "lend[ing] a sense of grandeur to any gig". In the 2010s, some events held at the Camden Palace returned to the venue, including reunions of "Peach" and "Clockwork Orange".
2020–present: Fire and reopening A large fire at the building during renovation work was reported at 8:56pm on 6 January 2020; eight fire engines and about 60 firefighters tended to it, and the blaze was declared under control at 2:37am. The cause of the fire is not known , but the damage appears to have been contained to the roof of the building. Following a multimillion-pound refurbishment, Koko reopened in April 2022. The inaugural concert featured
Arcade Fire, marking the release of their sixth studio album
We. == Sustainability programme ==