Yellow plaques have been installed outside former acid house rave venues in London popular through the 1980s and 90s. The iconic smiley face artist George Georgiou is responsible for the plaques and memorials for venues like Special Branch and Velvet Underground, where Nicky Holloway, Pete Tong, and Gilles Peterson launched their club nights. Shoom which hosted the first flyer featuring Georgiou’s yellow smiley in 1988 holds a special place in the artist’s heart. Other venues adorned with yellow plaques include Sin and The Milk Bar.
The George Georgiou Gallery has launched just before the installation of the yellow plaques. It’s an “open-world experience” displaying flyers from the 80s and 90s raves. Additionally, it also has an interactive map of former acid house sites that have been commemorated with yellow plaques, allowing fans to see every venue. The gallery was created with the intention of digitalising flyer designs and displaying them to the younger generation and to inspire them. Georgiou’s goal is to give them a taste of the history behind the music that originated in these venues.
During a tour of London’s shuttered venues, Danny Rampling described the pivotal time as a DIY and organic period that existed before the commercialisation of the music during the youth culture era. The unison, optimism, and love the period brought created an exciting feel for young people seeking escapism.
Pictures of each venue and the yellow plaques are available to view in the article on Mixmag
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