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Rock Venues with a twist: some inspired a song, others were perfectly ordinary places that became special because a rock star came to visit… All of the places photographed in this series were promoted as attractions by the British Tourist Board in The Observer on 15 February 1998. Scenes from Rock History: The Gents at Fairfield Halls, Croydon, where Ray Burns and Chris Miller worked as toilet cleaners. As Captain Sensible and Rat Scabies they went on to form the Damned after feeling inspired seeing a T-Rex concert here. Many other famous acts have performed at the venue, including The Beatles, David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Elton John, Chuck Berry, Stevie Wonder, The Who, Queen, Status Quo, Kraftwerk, Genesis and the Stranglers. Fairfield Halls closed for a £30 million redevelopment in  2016, reopening three years later. Last year it served as a mass-vaccination centre. Image © John Reardon. Follow @johnreardonarchive for more unpublished & archive materials. @johnreardonarchive #ScenesFromRockHistory #fame #Rock #origins #RockHistory #Gentstoilets #CaptainSensible #RayBurns #RatScabies #theDamned #TRex #TheBeatles #DavidBowie #PinkFloyd #EltonJohn #ChuckBerry #StevieWonder, #TheWho #Queen #StatusQuo #Kraftwerk #Genesis #TheStranglers #johnreardonarchive #johnreardon #analoguephotography #film #pressphotography #fujifilm #monochrome