100 Club

The 100 Club is a small music venue on Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. It opened in 1942 as the Feldman Swing Club inside a restaurant called Macks. The room still looks much as it did in the 1970s, with the same decor and a capacity of about 350. It sits above street level, reached by a narrow staircase. The walls carry posters from past gigs and faded photographs of musicians who have played there. The club has hosted jazz legends and punk pioneers in equal measure. In its early years it drew figures such as Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman and a young Victor Feldman. Later it became the birthplace of British punk, with the first international punk festival in 1976. Bands like the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned launched their careers on this stage. More recently it has kept a busy programme of jazz, soul and occasional secret gigs by major artists. Visitors climb the stairs to a single room with a low stage at one end. The dance floor fills quickly when bands play, and the bar runs along one wall. Monday nights feature swing dancing with live bands. Once a month the Limelight series presents classical music in a rock setting. The Coda Club gathers surviving musicians from the Feldman era for informal evenings. The atmosphere remains intimate, the sound clear, and the history still visible in every corner.