About

Carnaby Echoes is a commission by artist Lucy Harrison that reveals the hidden stories behind the music heritage of the Carnaby area. From 1930s jazz clubs such as the Nest and the Florence Mills Social Parlour, to the introduction of Ska to the UK by Count Suckle and Duke Vin at the Roaring Twenties Club in the 1960s.

This history encompasses several diverse musical styles (including jazz, reggae, rhythm and blues, rock and hip hop) as well as a wide range of venues including nightclubs, record companies, magazines and shops that attracted particular music fans and sub-cultures. It is these curious and unknown narratives that Carnaby Echoes uncovers by connecting the sounds, stories and characters from locations around Carnaby with a series of embedded commemorative plaques. These plaques then link to film and audio interviews accessed via this website and an audio walking tour app in which contributors including Boy George, Count Suckle, Dynamo and Mark Ellen are brought back to buildings that hold significant music memories for them.

You can watch and listen to the stories relating to each plaque location on the map.

Music and fashion remain at the heart of world famous Carnaby. Many fashion stores have links to musicians and Carnaby continues to support emerging music through live events. Carnaby Echoes has been commissioned by Shaftesbury PLC.