Walking into the 100 Club<\/strong> is a singular experience. Placed amongst the throng of Oxford Street shoppers, the climb down its staircase feels as though you\u2019re leaving the hyper-capitalist, sales-driven world behind. Noise hits you\u00a0half-way\u00a0down, just before the ticket booth, increasing in volume as you walk through the door and into one of Britain\u2019s most historic venues.<\/p>\n With a floor beaten down by both pogoing punks and the intricate moves of Northern Soul dancers, the 100 Club has stood for eclecticism and honesty for decades now. Owner and director Jeff Horton <\/strong>knows this more than most \u2013 his father built the stage that everyone from The Rolling Stones to IDLES have played on, while the club itself has been a part of his life since his sixth birthday. \u201cI think people love this venue for two things,\u201d he reflects. \u201cGenuine history and heritage\u201d.<\/p>\n \u2014<\/p>\n \u2014<\/p>\n Walking around the 100 Club, it\u2019s easy to get a sense of both. The walls\u00a0are decked in old posters \u2013 for iconic punk shows and jazz greats alike \u2013 while there\u2019s also a sense that the venue has staunchly stood still,\u00a0while the world outside has rushed forwards. \u201cI think people want the place to stay the same.\u00a0I<\/em>\u00a0want it to stay the same. That\u2019s why it looks like it does,\u201d Jeff feverishly explains. \u201cIt actually still looks like it used to when I first came here in 1967!\u201d<\/p>\n Everyone involved with the 100 Club is here through absolute love and devotion. One of the last surviving venues in central London, the staff adore their jobs \u2013 from security to the cloakroom, right down to the bar crew and the sound team. It\u2019s a family affair too \u2013 Jeff\u2019s son and daughter both work shifts when needed, practically born and raised in this dusky old basement. \u201cHere in Westminster and Soho, the community has died,\u201d Jeff shrugs. \u201cSince the turn of the Millennium it\u2019s become a completely different place. It\u2019s sterile now \u2013 it\u2019s lost a lot of its pizzaz\u00a0\u2013\u00a0and the reason that made London exciting. But when you come to the 100 Club you feel that again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014<\/p>\n \n![](\"https:\/\/www.clashmusic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/FP-X-100-4.jpg\")
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