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Picture source: Brian Mortimer
The Cartoon was situated on London Road. This pub was a popular music venue until closure in 2006.
I used to regularly attend live gigs at legendary bar and music venue, The Cartoon (179-183 London Road, West Croydon CR0 2RJ) from around 1989 to the mid-1990s. If you managed to get past the group of bikers hanging around outside with their Harley-Davidsons, you could get into the place for a small fee. Once inside, you'd trudge through the beer-soaked carpets and grab a few Newcastle Brown Ales, or whatever your favourite poison was, and enjoy a grand night out. I played drums live at the Cartoon a few times with a couple of bands, including progressive rock band Sphere3 and a local indie group called Etta Stone. Other bands I remember from those days included a great local three-piece rock outfit called Slap in the Face who had a very loyal following in Croydon. Those of you lucky enough to have seen them live may remember the drummer going walkabout through the audience with a set of Rototoms on a frame attached to his waist and shoulders. Another frequent live act in Croydon was pop-rock band Skittle Alley, previously called Remember This, which was largely made up of the staff at local Croydon music shop Rockbottom. Their regular haunt was the Gun Tavern on Church Street where you could also catch brilliant soul act Atlantic Soul Machine, complete with full brass section. Those were the days!
Frank Watson (December 2021)
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Other Photos
Date of photo: 1984	Picture source: Jill Lane