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UFOria

The UFO Club was a famous but shortlived club in London during the 1960s, venue of performances by many of the top bands of the day.

It was founded by John Hopkins (usually known as "Hoppy") and Joe Boyd in an Irish dancehall called the "Blarney Club" in the basement of 31 Tottenham Court Road, under Berkeley Cinema and opposite the Dominion Theatre. It opened on December 23 1966. At first, the club was called "UFO Presents Night Tripper", the word "Night" indicating the gigs were always all-nighter events. Many UK Underground artists were featured, such as Syd Barrett’s Pink Floyd who had a contract to provide the lights and sounds. UFO also attracted many of the new bands, notably Soft Machine, Sam Gopal, Arthur Brown, Tomorrow, and Procol Harum, who played there when "A Whiter Shade of Pale" was No 1 in the charts.

Were All Doomed!!!

An advertisement featuring the Flammarion woodcut in the Feb 13–26 issue of The International Times for "UfOria! Festival of Love 10.30 till dawn" [sic] announced "feb.10 — the bonzo dog doodah band • flix–dali–bunuel • ginger johnson african drums" as well as "feb 17 — soft machine • mark boyle projections • movies • food • erogenius 3 + 4".

Poster for Pink Floyd at the CIA-UFO club, July 28, 1967, by Hapshash and the Coloured Coat

Hapshash and the Coloured Coat, consisting of Michael English and Nigel Waymouth, designed psychedelic posters to advertise events.

The UFO Club’s success was its downfall — being too small to accommodate the increasing number of visitors. The crunch came in June 1967, when Hopkins was imprisoned for drug offences. Police pressure on the club increased in the following weeks, and the landlords revoked the lease. The club moved into The Roundhouse for a few months but, despite the building being almost derelict, the rent was exorbitant. If a big name such as Jeff Beck was playing, UFO broke even, but the club usually lost money. In October 1967 the UFO Club at the Roundhouse folded.

There was also a UFO Club in Berlin in the late 1980s. It was associated with early techno music and was a precursor to the more famous Tresor.

• Boyd, Joe, White Bicyles - Making Music in the 1960s, Serpent's Tail. 2006. ISBN 1-85242-910-0