Hammersmith Palais to be demolished
Contributed by aubin, Posted by The Clash

The Hammersmith Palais de Danse, the popular English club, has been condemned for destruction, where apparently a new office building will be built in it's place. The club was immortalized in the Clash classic, "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais", a reference to the days when reggae performances were popular at the establishment, and is heralded by many fans as one of their band's more mature and stylistic tracks. The song was later covered for a Clash tribute album by pop/rock/reggae-influenced group 311.

The club opened in 1919, where it served host to a plethora of the time's best jazz bands, and in the 1930's was converted to an ice skating ring and home to an English hockey team. In recent years, the venue has also been used for private events, a dance club, and continued live concerts. The last two performances scheduled before the club's destruction are Kasabian, an English electronica-indie rock fusion group; and Jamie Treays, a singer/songwriter who, irconically enough, was recently described by UK magazine Canvas as "like the bastard lovechild of Billy Bragg and Mike Skinner doing his best Joe Strummer impression".