What is the London Borough of Barnet to most people? A leafy suburb that slumbers away?  Well it has a proud history of involvement with the Rock and Roll scene. Yesterday  – Friday 1st February 2013, Modestep set out on a world tour from Mill Hill Music Complex. Tonight they play the first gig in Newcastle. To celebrate and wish them well on their way, we’ve put together a short list of things which have put the London Borough of Barnet on the Rock and Roll map.

Modestep embark on their world tour from Mill Hill Music Complex!

Modestep embark on their world tour

Here is a list of ten events that put the LBB on the Rock and Roll map !

1. 1958 – Teddy boys run riot at Hendon Classic Cinema and are confronted by 50 riot police at screening of Blackboard Jungle – The news makes the Sunday Times !

2. 1962 – Telstar by the Tornados reaches No 1 in the UK & US charts (first Uk single to top UK charts) – Barnet residents Ray Randall and Stuart Taylor joined the band in 1963.

3. 1966 – Jimi Hendrix Plays the Golders Green refectory

4. 1976 – The Stranglers play the Torrington in Finchley and their fans become known as the Finchley Boys.

5. 1977 – Marc Bolan is buried in Golders Green

6. 1979 – Mill Hill Music Complex opens, second customers are UK Rockabilly band The Polecats, who have a chart hit with a cover of John, I’m only dancing

7. 1983 – Bully Fury is buried in Mill Hill

8. 2003 – Amy Winehouse appears on Jools Holland for the first time. Amy is from the Borough of Barnet and regulalry rehearsed at Mill Hill Music Complex

9. 2005  Kate Nash Performs at Mill Hill Squash Club, she started her career reheasring atMill Hill Music Complex.

10. 2013 – Modestep set off on their world tour from Mill Hill Music Complex.

Here is a list of some of the other bands and artists who have rehearsed at Mill Hill Music Complex (The Foundations, The Damned, Eddie Floyd, The Black Kids, Morrissey, David  Soul, Lee Thompson (Madness), Huw Lloyd-Langton (Hawkwind), Imelda May, Matchbox). You can read more about the rock and roll history of Barnet here.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/image_galleries/music_barnet_pop_exhibition_gallery.shtml