Venue Spotlight: The Windmill, Brixton
This week, we find out more about The Windmill in Brixton.
We spoke to head booker, Tim Perry, who tells about the importance of Independent Venue Week, being a key part of the community, and the legend of Roof Dog!
See full listings for The Windmill in Brixton here.
Vital stats
- The Windmill, 22 Blenheim Gardens, Brixton, London, SW2 5BZ
- Established: 2001
- Capacity: 150
Tell us a little about the venue and your role there.
Windmill Brixton and we're in South London, hold 150 people, and I do bookings, social media and other promotion.
We started the venue, probably late 90s, but we got into gear around 2001.
Has the venue gone through any major changes since it opened (location, renovation, style of music, etc)?
A few paint jobs and better equipment and lights, but we have always tried to be on the left side of the musical spectrum from the start.
How many gigs or club nights do you host per year?
About 300 gigs a year.
Which band that's played your venue has gone on to be the best known?
The War On Drugs, The xx, Florence + The Machine (but they were without 'The Machine' in those days), Fat White Family.
Which band that played your venue deserved/deserves to be better known than they are?
Clor - local Brixton band from the mid-00s, who signed to Parlophone, and then imploded due to musical differences.
Do you host events besides gigs and club nights?
The occasional quiz and spoken word night.
Goat Girl (Photo: Lou Smith)
Has your venue ever been threatened with closure? If so, what could have been done to prevent it/support you?
We had neighbours complain about syringes and condoms on the street a decade ago. The council threatened action, but the police were sensible and pointed out these came from elsewhere. We make a point to get on with the neighbouring community.
What's been your proudest moment working at your venue?
Selling out all seven nights of Independent Venue Week in 2017, not because they were capacity shows, but because all the bands who headlined were either from south London or did their first ever gig here. So thank you Shame, Insecure Men, The Big Moon, Warmduscher, HMLTD, Phobophobes and Goat Girl, and all the local support bands for a wonderfully hectic week.
Childhood (Photo: Lou Smith)
Are there any interesting facts/stories about the venue that people might not know, but should?!
We had the most amazing and proud Rottweiler called Ben, who lived on the roof (it's flat and the owners have an apartment above the venue, so its like an elevated yard) between 2007 and 2015. He built up a cult following, and he still has a page on Facebook, a beer named after him, and we also sell loads of 'Roof Dog' t-shirts.
Track The Windmill here to keep up to date with all forthcoming events. You can also catch them on their official website, Facebook page, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.