The Original Soho Punk Tour
5
The Original Soho Punk Tour
By FlipsideLondon Tours
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About
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 16-75, max of 20 per group
Duration: 2h 30m
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
More
- Full commentary
What's not included- Bottled water
- Start:
- Oxford Street, Oxford St, London W1D 2DH, UKOutside Exit 1, opposite The Flying Horse Pub
End:- 100 Club, Century House, 100 Oxford St, London W1D 1LL, UKWe finish outside the 100 Club which is about 200 yds from the starting point
- Wheelchair accessible
- Pushchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 171350P2- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Most travellers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travellers
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 171350P2
From
AU$54.62
per adult
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Itinerary
- Oxford St, London W1D 2DH, UKOutside Exit 1, opposite The Flying Horse Pub
- 1See legendary sites where punk gestated and grew into the worldwide phenomenon it became
- Century House, 100 Oxford St, London W1D 1LL, UKWe finish outside the 100 Club which is about 200 yds from the starting point
About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- alfief1430 contributionsStrummer WalkGreat and insightful tour! Aidan really knows his stuff and shares in depth knowledge on the band and the surrounding area of where the band began.Written 10 February 2025
- 856JohnG8560 contributionsJoe Strummer walkFantastic tour of an area I was not too familiar with, this tour not only included the clash and 101 ers , but a bit of social history of the area, from race riot is to squatters.Written 8 February 2025
- niallmL9637CI0 contributionsLoved it (and I’m not even a real Clash fan!)Had a cracking day yesterday walking around Joe Strummer and the Clash’s old stomping ground. Aiden certainly knows the area and certainly knows his subject. He’s a fan but not a fanboy and slags the Clash when they deserve a slagging but does it all with enthusiasm and humour. Well worth the money and an enjoyable day.Written 2 February 2025
- andrewshere0 contributionsStrummer Walk: More than just a musical history lesson"The locals don't call it Notting Hill round here," he says. We're standing outside Ladbroke Grove station, where we've gathered at the start of the tour. "It's North Kensington," he says. "It's always been North Kensington. Most people round here hate that film. Think about it," he continues. "Where are the black people in that film? Where are the Irish?" We've made a good start. This is Aidan McManus, our tour guide for the Strummer Walk - and I'll tell you right now you'll be hard pushed to find anyone better. He's a local, grown up around here from when he was a kid, which means he can tell you more about this place than you'd ever find from just reading a history book. "See, that's The Chippenham. Joe Strummer had a gig there every week with the 101ers. Me and my mate were drinking in there once. The place used to have a fearsome reputation. One night, I was in there playing pool and my mate said we had to duck beneath the pool table..." No, I'm not going to spoil the story, and I'm only saying this much to illustrate the first hand anecdotes you'll hear on this tour. Anyone can read the history of the 101ers or The Clash from a book, but Aidan brings it all to life. As we made our way round on the tour, I could hear Joe singing Keys To Your Heart in my head. This was the place that formed him. I could hear White Riot in my head as we stood under the Westway with Aidan pointing out 'the front line.' And I London's Burning was ringing in my ears, with its references to the Westway and Westbourne Park, where we were headed. You'll learn about the social history of the area, the squats, the social injustice, the riots, the artists, the creative forces that still exist to this day. These are the streets that formed Joe - and Mick, and Paul, of course. But don't walk them in reverence. Walk them to understand. Joe once said: "Punk rock isn't something you grow out of; punk rock is an attitude. And the essence of that attitude is 'give us some truth.'" You'll find that spirit alive and well on this tour. Nice one, Aidan.Written 26 January 2025
- JNNine0 contributionsNo notes, no nonsense: the Westway and a world-class walkGo go go! All the tour you'd hope it would be, and more. No notes, no nonsense: local lad, punk of a certain age and Portobello Radio presenter Aidan serves up enough Strummer/101ers/Clash insights and sights to satisfy the trainspotteriest of us, all delivered with wit, good politics and sweary panache. It's especially welcome to hear such perceptive observations on how hippie Woody became driven, Springsteen-inspired Joe, hoovering up musical influences, left politics and angles on career opportunities along the way. Maybe even more valuably, Aidan excels at the vivid social history backstory we might not even know we're looking for: the 1970s' endemic no blacks-no-dogs-no-Irish racism down the Grove, violent and corrupt policing, weed-filled betting shops and (ahem) lively drinking establishments overseen by shillelagh-wielding guvnors, via seriously good insights into the who, how and why of the squatters' movement.... all the way to today's landscape of relentless gentrification, Hugh Grant films and selfie hordes, the ghost of Grenfell, ten-million-quid houses in giveaway shades of Fired Earth and the toffs and Tories who lurk in them, and entirely sound views on the tarting-to-extinction of proper boozers and local caffs. And some mischievous asides on the irony of Westminster Council carving a "working for the clampdown" quote into the newly refurbed Strummer "legacy stone" at Maida Hill Market (which now, thanks to Aidan, has Joe's correct birthdate on it, LOL). Can't recommend this walk-talk-and-gawp occasion highly enough. Two-plus hours goes by in a flash.Written 26 January 2025
- 644graemel0 contributionsJust the best thing I’ve done in London for years and years!The best 3 hours I’ve spent in London for years and definitely the very best guided walk I’ve ever been on. Aidan is an incredible raconteur. He has the ability to transport his audience back to the late 70’s with his atmospheric descriptions, fascinating facts and brilliant (and often very amusing) personal memories and extensive knowledge of his subject, on this walk, Joe Strummer and The Clash. I live in London and thought I knew these streets and stories but Aidan’s walk is literally a tour de force. Loved it! Thank you!Written 25 January 2025
- jonrD5256IF0 contributionsGreat day out with a guide immersed in the history and locations.Had a great day walking around Ladbroke Grove and beyond with Aidan. We covered all of the Strummer, Clash, 101'ers sites which was great but the best part of the tour was how Aidan evoked the times with personal stories of his upbringing in the area. After the tour I came home at watched the Hell W10 movie, which again evoked the times and included some great versions of Clash songs. Well worth the money and time.Written 20 January 2025
- nichola3910 contributionsInformative and entertainingThe tour was well done Was easy to find Aidan to start the tour. Really informative and good involvement with the group. Aiden made the tour very entertaining and a real insight into life in the area during the time Joe Strummer lived and played thereWritten 13 January 2025
- 57vincem0 contributionsAn excellent guide through the hidden history of an alternative London.Aidan is a funny, knowledgeable and informative tour guide. And he’s not afraid to slaughter one or two sacred cows as he takes you on a vivid journey through Joe Strummer’s Ladbroke Grove. If you’re interested in Strummer, the Clash and the 101ers, this is the tour you need to take. And even if you only have a passing interest in Rock ’n’ Roll lore, there’s a lot more to this walk than simply tracing Strummer’s transformation from Woody, the long-haired, acoustic guitar-slinging gravedigger, to the iconic “Punk Rock Warlord” we remember today. Aidan paints a graphic picture of the old pub rock scene that spawned punk, the hippy and counter-culture moment that informed and nurtured it (despite what the Never Trust a Hippie lot might say), and the burgeoning network of squatters and outcasts whose ingenuity and tenacity helped create a genuinely alternative West London scene. There’s stories of the great and the good slumming it with junkies and wasters. Memories of legendary auld Irish boozers full of characters and chancers; and music venues now sadly gone, sacrificed on the altar of gentrification. Tales of sound systems and shebeens, of dodgy betting shops and five pound wraps of weed scored from The Front Line. An exploration of the racism that led to the Notting Hill Race Riots of 1958, and the seismic eruption of righteous fury during the 1976 carnival which spawned the iconic image on the back of the first Clash album. Aidan pulls no punches in his delivery, and the passion he has for his chosen subject is undeniable. The history of Ladbroke Grove is the history of the Irish and West Indian immigrants who came to live here along with the weirdos and misfits who couldn’t fit in anywhere else. And as London becomes increasingly gentrified and soulless, that history is being erased and replaced. But as long as we have people like Aidan as custodian, those stories and tales will never entirely vanish. Do yourself a favour and book a ticket. It’s well worth it.Written 11 January 2025
- dreilly110 contributionsFascinating, funny, unfiltered - the only tour that mattersBooking a private Strummer-themed tour of Ladbroke Grove with Aidan was one of the absolute highlights of our week in London. It was exactly what we’d hoped it’d be and more — a stroll around the spots where the Clash became the Clash but also a ton of cultural history of this part of the city, helping explain *why* they became the Clash. Unlike tour guides who take you from one photo op to the next, Aidan felt more like a local friend of a friend who’d agreed to show you around a bit while you were in town. He brings the ‘70s feel of the now-gentrified Notting Hill area back with both the vintage photos on his iPad, which you can compare to the pub, bridge, or studio you’re at, and a mix of personal and musical anecdotes that took our conversations in all kinds of wonderful directions. It’s honest and unfiltered — he doesn’t deify the band or gloss over the politics of the time, he just tells it like it was, in all its squalor and strife. He’s a great storyteller and, two months later, I’m still laughing at some of the tales. As a bonus, Aidan gave us some recommendations of pubs and record stores of the old-school punk variety, places we never would’ve found on our own. All told, the tour feels like getting a behind-the-scenes look at this part of the city, guided by your new mate. Booking this jaunt with Aidan was one of the best decisions we made during our stay so don’t miss out.Written 5 January 2025
- L6943KSmarisab0 contributionsFollowing the footsteps of Joe StrummerThis was 1 out of the 2 tours we took with Aidan (The SoHo Punk Tour being the other) and I cannot recommend both enough. This tour was such an amazing experience immersing ourselves in Joe Strummer’s life and following the footsteps he once took. I would take this tour again if ever get the chance to.Written 10 December 2024
- Resort609815742770 contributionsAmazing gangland walking tour in SohoWow, wow, wow! What an amazing tour. 2.5 hours walking in and around Soho, looking at and chatting about the various gang activities in the heart of central London. Absolutely loved looking at photos from then and comparing with now. Aiden is amazing. Lovely man with so much knowledge and personal stories of the time. Would have loved to do even more, but as ever, all good things had to come to an end. Would recommend +++. Qurky and enthralling!Written 1 December 2024
- Relax405968048150 contributionsFun, informative tour, highly recommendWe thoroughly enjoyed the Strummer Walk with Aiden. He was very knowledgeable, entertaining and fun, providing a wealth of knowledge about the early punk music scene and culture of the Clash, Joe Strummer and the Ladbroke Grove neighborhood. Would definitely participate in another tour on our next trip to London. This is very different than the Soho Punk tour, which I also highly recommend.Written 24 November 2024
- Connector606642225380 contributionsBest walking tour everFun and informative tour with loads of social history of the area and commentary and storytelling from a guide that experienced early UK punk. I can’t wait to go back for another tour!Written 20 November 2024
- C6754YOmartinr0 contributionsClash City SpottersInformative and engaging walk around Notting Hill's Clashdom. Great street food at Portobello market too !! Mr Roper (anti-pasti)Written 15 November 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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5.0
212 reviews
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212
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1 contribution
Jan 2025 • Friends
Absolutely LOVED the tour!
If you’re even remotely interested in punk rock, do yourself a favor and book a tour with Aiden. He brings the era to life with so much passion that you feel like you’re right there in the middle of the movement. His knowledge is insane, but what makes this tour truly special is how much he genuinely loves what he’s talking about.
Thank you, Aiden, for an unforgettable experience!
If you’re even remotely interested in punk rock, do yourself a favor and book a tour with Aiden. He brings the era to life with so much passion that you feel like you’re right there in the middle of the movement. His knowledge is insane, but what makes this tour truly special is how much he genuinely loves what he’s talking about.
Thank you, Aiden, for an unforgettable experience!
Written 30 January 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gabi K
London, UK2 contributions
June 2024 • Solo
Excellent walking tour that focuses on the punk history of Soho, most specifically the Sex Pistols and their influence. Soho is the site of so much music history in London and I appreciated how this tour specifically highlights the contributions and experiences of punk musicians in the mid-to-late 1970s. I particularly enjoyed the emphasis on the live music history of the era, the concert venues and recollections of gigs. The tour brought out personal experiences from other attendees – on the day I went, people on the tour shared experiences about punk concerts of the time. It was also enlightening to learn about historical misrepresentations in particular locations in the area and intriguing to hear about the history of Chinatown. Aidan is a highly knowledgeable guide with a wealth of information. Book this tour.
Written 6 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
birbiebirdy
Bochum, Germany24 contributions
Nov 2024 • Solo
The tour was great fun! The guide really knows his stuff and is very charming. You feel really engaged and the overall vibe is so good. Really feels like doing some punk archaeology in the most fun way. Afterwards you know some significant places and have very vivid ideas of what it was like. The guide also has so many fun anecdotes and shows some great photos to help imagination along.
Definitely recommend it.
Definitely recommend it.
Written 29 November 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Todd C
Houston, TX17 contributions
June 2024 • Couples
Highly recommend this SoHo walking tour with Aiden. He was very passionate about the culture and music that became the launching pad for so many bands. The stories he was telling about Denmark St and the origins of who was creating music at the time was an outstanding walk through history. The stories he shared about the Marquee club were ridiculous. My wife and I love live music, this tour and the education we got about the true beginnings of the punk scene was amazing. Thank you, I’d love to catch a show with this dude…💯❤️
Written 2 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michael K
London, England, United Kingdom76 contributions
We love a walking tour, me and my wife and it’s always good when the guide knows what he’s talking about. This guide’s on another level. His knowledge of the punk scene alongside a faultless understanding of London made this tour something special. Somehow he managed to combine being punk to his core with being kind and caring of his group and their needs - I’m partially sighted but that was just quietly catered for. If you’re interested in punk or just London, take this tour. It’s amazing.
Written 24 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Noel M
25 contributions
Historical, Sociopolitical Punk Culture on a wet rainy day in Soho.
The weather was irrelevant as Aidan led us through the winding streets where we were drenched by his in depth knowledge of the period when punk exploded into our lives. I remembered some of the detail from my youth but being there brought it vibrantly to life. He knows lots of the characters who kicked off the movement and all his anecdotal titbits make this the best London walk I have ever done, and I have done a few. He does other tours too, so next time we are back in town, we will be on another one.
Thanks buddy, even my Mrs has told everybody what a great informative tour she had and you thought I had dragged her there!!
The weather was irrelevant as Aidan led us through the winding streets where we were drenched by his in depth knowledge of the period when punk exploded into our lives. I remembered some of the detail from my youth but being there brought it vibrantly to life. He knows lots of the characters who kicked off the movement and all his anecdotal titbits make this the best London walk I have ever done, and I have done a few. He does other tours too, so next time we are back in town, we will be on another one.
Thanks buddy, even my Mrs has told everybody what a great informative tour she had and you thought I had dragged her there!!
Written 12 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Magorian
2 contributions
Feb 2024 • Family
I booked this for my partners 60th person with our family. He normally hates arranged tours but read previous reviews and has loved punk since very young.
He has good knowledge of punk bands history but even he said learnt so much.
Aidan was really funny and had huge amount of knowledge including personal stories. It was not only fascinating but Aidan bought it all to life.
He was really easy to listen to and loved the history of the places in London where it all happened.
We would all definitely go on any tour he does. He’s so passionate about punk and the hours passed so quickly.
Even our sons loved every minute and their knowledge of punk very limited.
Don’t miss it if go London and are fans of Pistols, the Clash, the Damned as well as all the bands that were around Soho at that time.
Thanks Aidan, you’re a legend
He has good knowledge of punk bands history but even he said learnt so much.
Aidan was really funny and had huge amount of knowledge including personal stories. It was not only fascinating but Aidan bought it all to life.
He was really easy to listen to and loved the history of the places in London where it all happened.
We would all definitely go on any tour he does. He’s so passionate about punk and the hours passed so quickly.
Even our sons loved every minute and their knowledge of punk very limited.
Don’t miss it if go London and are fans of Pistols, the Clash, the Damned as well as all the bands that were around Soho at that time.
Thanks Aidan, you’re a legend
Written 11 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dan M
Naperville, IL3 contributions
July 2023 • Couples
Punk’s London beginnings have a deep, passionate soul, and his name is Aiden. Aiden’s tour goes back to the 40s, 50s, 60s, eventually touching on all things leading up to the why and what of Punk’s essence. What s fantastic trip down the Soho memory lane. He knows his stuff, he was there, he’s not at all a wankah. My wife also enjoyes ghe tour, she just married into punk!
Highly recommended for music lovers.
Highly recommended for music lovers.
Written 7 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stephen M
2 contributions
Jan 2024 • Couples
An absolutely riveting few hours spent in the company Aidan and his seventies punk rock encyclopedic knowledge. Aidan was there when it was happening and with amazing and hilarious tales of what really happened kept my wife and I totally engrossed. The Roxy, Vortex, Marquee, 100 Club and Denmark Street all get shaken out amongst tales that go way beyond punk and into London’s fantastic musical legacy. A few beers at the end of this brilliant tour with Aidan was the icing on the cake with more tales of punk rock lunacy. Thanks for the education Aidan and hopefully see you for The Clash tour in the summer. An absolute must tour for any decent music fans.
Written 9 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Barry N
2 contributions
Feb 2024 • Friends
Absolutely fantastic tour! Highly recommended to anyone who fancies an informative, entertaining history of the punk scene in London. Aidan was superb. His knowledge and passion could only have come from someone who lived through, experienced and managed to survive it all. His humourous delivery was perfectly aligned with the Punk genre. If you fancy something a bit different; you'll struggle to find a more entertaining way to spend a couple of hours than Aidan's Original Soho Punk Tour.
Written 17 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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