Former nightclub. It opened in the 1970s (or 1959 - see below), in the premises once occupied by the Flamingo Club. The name was adapted from the 'Whiskey a Go Go' club in Hollywood. We know nothing about running a music club but we'd guess that the Flamingo and Whisky shared premises, using them on different nights. Can anyone confirm that?
2017: Following a comment from Kate Cackhanded Viscardi, who remembers being in the Whiskey-a-Go-Go in the 1960s (and her husband says he was there in Feb '63), we did some digging. We can’t find any site that gives a date when the Flamingo became the Whisky but on eBay we found a mock British Passport (the old blue hardback with the window for the number) for the “Kingdom of Whiskey a’GoGo”. The sales blurb includes: “From the research I have done it appears this "Passport" and the stamp inside saying "Students United Social Association" indicate that this club was attempting to get around the royalty laws in England at the time. Evidently, if the establishment was a school or associated with learning they didn't have to pay royalties to play the music on their jukeboxes in their clubs. It is stamped {21} Jan 1965 and has the personal info of the individual on the inside. When closed it measures 2.5" X 3.75".
Confusingly the address of a Manchester club is printed on the back but inside the Wardour Street address is printed. Whatever the relationship between these two similarly-names clubs may have been this does seem to be evidence that the Wardour Street Whisky-a-Go-Go existed in January 1965.
2021: Rob Prince wrote to say: "The Whisky A Go Go club was launched in 1959 (per London phone directory for that and subsequent years) and was always spelled 'Whisky,' without the 'e.' " Which indicates a leaning towards the Scots rather than the Irish. We haven't changed the title of this page because that would lose the amazing string of Facebook comments.
2023: Sam Bussey wrote to say: " My father and grandfather owned the club in the 60s. I think my grandfather opened it in ‘59/60. The Whisky was on the first floor and the Flamingo in the basement of 33 Wardour St. They also owned the club in Cheetham St, Manchester. Sadly the clubs went bankrupt because they lost their alcohol and gambling licences. My father always suggested that it was because he refused to give back-handers to people."
Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk
