Sunday, May 25, 2008

Brian Eno in Camberwell

Roxy Music were the greatest of early 1970s glam rock bands, and they were at their best with Brian Eno on keyboards. When Brian Eno moved to London in 1969 he and a group of friends lived as an artists commune at 100 Grove Park in Camberwell, next door to his friend, the artist Tom Phillips (who lived at 102). Eno played with the experimental Scratch Orchestra at Morley College in Westminster Bridge Road, SE1. A chance encounter with his old friend Andy MacKay on a Bakerloo line train at Elephant and Castle led to him being asked to join the embryonic Roxy Music, who were soon rehearsing in Grove Park on their way to Top of the Pops and beyond. They played South London gigs in 1972 at Croydon Greyhound and Crystal Palace Garden Party.

Tom Phillips, incidentally, did the cover art for Eno's Another Green World album as well as for King Crimson's Starless and Bible Black.

2 comments:

Ben.H said...

Phillips also made a series of very small paintings, one of which was reproduced actual size as the cover art for Eno's CD Thursday Afternoon.

roberto said...

Sorry to be pedantic it was actually 104 Grove Park... as I lived there when Roxy started..