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For the Minnesota golf facility, see Town & Country Club (Saint Paul, Minnesota). For the far-right forum, see London Forum (far-right group).

The O2 Forum Kentish Town is a concert venue in Kentish Town, London, England, owned by Live Nation Entertainment and originally built in 1934.

History

The venue was built in 1934 and was originally used as an art deco cinema. The venue was designed by John Stanley Beard with the interior designed by William Robin Bennett.[1] It featured a Compton organ. The venue opened on the 17th December 1934.[2] Originally owned by Herbert Yapp, the venue was acquired by ABC Cinemas in 1935.[3]

After the cinema was closed in 1970, the venue re-opened as a bingo hall and later became a music venue, known as the Forum Dancehall. In 1985 it became a live music venue under the name Town & Country Club.[4][5][6]

The building became grade II listed in 1990.[7]

In 1993, Mean Fiddler Music Group purchased the venue and renamed it the London Forum. The final show at the Town & Country Club was Van Morrison on 21 March 1993.[8]

From 2009 to 2013 the venue was named the HMV Forum. In 2010 the building obtained a licence allowing the venue to stay open until 6am, for Friday night events.[9]

In 2007, MAMA & Company purchased the Forum from Mean Fiddler and spent £1.5 million on renovations, increasing the capacity to 2,300. In 2015, the venue was acquired by Live Nation, and re-branded as O2 Forum Kentish Town as part of the O2 Academy Group.[10]

The venue attracted protests in November 2025, after hosting a gig by Bob Vylan, in the aftermath of their controversial Glastonbury set. Opposing groups, Stop the Hate and Palestine Coalition, held counter protests, with a number of arrests made.[11] Stop the Hate had previously attempted to get the show cancelled.[12]

Noted performers

References

  1. ^ “O2 Forum Kentish Town in London, GB – Cinema Treasures”. cinematreasures.org. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  2. ^ “The Forum Theatre, 9 Highgate Road, Kentish Town”. www.arthurlloyd.co.uk. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  3. ^ “Forum, Kentish Town | Theatres Trust”. database.theatrestrust.org.uk. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  4. ^ “The secret history of Britain’s most popular gig venues”. Radio X. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  5. ^ “The mourning after: RIP the T&C? North London’s best-loved concert venue is set to close in March”. The Independent. 17 December 1992. Retrieved 22 April 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  6. ^ “About Us | O2 Forum Kentish Town”. Forum. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  7. ^ “The Forum, Non Civil Parish – 1379018 | Historic England”. historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  8. ^ White, Jim (24 March 1993). “My old man said follow the Van: Jim White sees Van Morrison mark the end of an era at the Town & Country Club, London”. The Independent. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  9. ^ “HMV Forum in Kentish Town wins bid for 6am Friday licence”. Camden New Journal. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  10. ^ “LIVE NATION RE-BRANDS 3 EX-MAMA VENUES AS ‘O2’ IN THE UK”. Nusic Business Worldwide. 12 October 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  11. ^ Donnelly, Luke (12 November 2025). “Five arrests made after protestors clash outside Bob Vylan concert”. My London. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  12. ^ Rosenberg, Michelle. “Protest expected at O2 Forum as Kentish Town set to host Bob Vylan show – Jewish News”. www.jewishnews.co.uk. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  13. ^ Ramsay, Mel (15 July 2017). “So What Exactly Did Conor McGregor Say Off Camera?”. LADbible. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  14. ^ Diver, Mike (5 August 2009). “Devo – London Forum”. Clash. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  15. ^ “Nine Inch Nails Setlist at the Forum, London”. setlist.fm.
  16. ^ The Sparks Brothers
  17. ^ “May 21, 1992: Kingmaker / Suede at O2 Forum Kentish Town London, England, United Kingdom | Concert Archives”. www.concertarchives.org.
  18. ^ Harle, Regan (10 August 2021). “Yungblud at the Forum”. The Upcoming. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.