Coffee Culture in the UK

The legendary 2is Coffee Bar in London

A three- year study by Glagow University has found that “the young and old, homeless and upper-class, taste conscious and tasteless have all taken coffee shops to their hearts and created a new kind of socialising.”

Quite why it took a bunch of thumb-twiddling academics north of the border three years to arrive at this conclusion is beyond me. And in fact, whilst it is true that the high street cafe it is currently where a vast amount of socialising takes place, ever since the Friends culture hit our screens in the 90’s , it is by no means a new phenomenon. Perhaps these academics forgot to major in history. back in the 1960’s , coffee bars were an incredible magnet for young people, and the melting pot for a burgeoning music scene.

The Kardomah Coffee House chain was particularly popular from the 50’s onwards, a place for young couples to meet, sometimes making a single cup of coffee last an entire evening! -But its cultural influence can be traced back even further – in the 1930’s, Dylan Thomas, Welsh and metropolitan poet, and fellow artists frequented the Kardomah Coffee house in Cardiff, where it was described as an “avantgardist outpost.”

And who can imagine now, an actress of the standing of Gina Lollobrigida, opening a new coffee bar, as she did in London in 1953?

But the coffee bar that arguably had the most impact on culture was the 2 i’s. It is widely regarded as the birthplace of British rock’n'roll. In the late 1950’s Tommy Steele and Cliff Richard performed there regularly and became overnight stars after being discovered there.  As a result new musical talent began beating a path to its doors. And speaking of doors, for a time, the doorman at the 2 i’s was none other than Peter Grant, legendary manger of the even more legendary Led Zeppelin. the list goes on. The Who auditioned for producer Shel Talmy in the basement, Ginger Baker, later of Cream, was a regular there. Richie Blackmore from Deep Purple and legendary producer Mickie Most all put in appearances. All this history finally achieved official recognition when in 2006, a heritage plaque was put up on the site, officially proclaiming it the “birthplace of British rock’n'roll and the pop music industry.”

If anything, the “new wave” of coffee culture, chiefly exemplified by the Starbucks chain – puts the emphasis on the staggering variety of blends and types of coffee available, albeit for equally staggering prices – but the corporate quality of the outlets lend a generic, anodyne aspect to the experience, there is no room for individuality in Starbucks world. So I say to those academics -A new kind of socialising?  maybe, but it ain’t rock’n’ roll!

Kev Moore

Official recognition in 2006