808 State head up Dingwalls 50th birthday celebrations

A month of celebratory shows is planned for late 2023

808 State are the first of a series of live acts announced for London’s Dingwalls venue as it celebrates its 50th birthday later this year.

The Mancunian rave legends, led by founding member Graham Massey, will play the venue on Friday October 13. Further acts playing the month of special shows will be announced in the coming months.

Dingwalls, located at Camden Lock, is one of the London gig circuit’s oldest venues and has played host to pub rock acts in the 70s including Kilburn & The High Roads – Ian Dury’s band before The Blockheads – and Blondie, Madness and Desmond Dekker. In the 80s it became knowm as the place to see Gilles Peterson and Patrick Forge playing the fledgling sound of acid jazz at their Talkin Loud & Saying Something night.

Other stadium-filling bands to tread the boards at Dingwalls include R.E.M., Red Hot Chili Peppers, Coldplay, Basement Jaxx, The Strokes and Imagine Dragons.

The venue was bought by seasoned promoter Vince Power in 2020 and after a brief stint under the name PowerHaus due to wrangles over the use of the Dingwalls name, its original name was restored.

In the meantime, 808 State’s Massey will join Groove Armada in lending DJ support to Orbital at their show at Halifax’s Piece Hall on August 25.