The Spitz, the music venue at Old Spitalfields Market that closed in 2007, will be marked with a commemorative plaque at 5pm on Tuesday 17 November, 30 years after it first opened.
The Spitz Music Charity, which was set up after the venue closed, will unveil the plaque at the market entrance between 109 and 111 Commercial Street. Musicians who played at the original venue will perform from 5.30pm.
The plaque reads: “The Spitz, 1996–2007. This building was home to the much-loved independent music and arts venue. Its legacy lives on through The Spitz Music Charity.”
The charity has organised it with the permission of Old Spitalfields Market. It is not part of an official council blue plaque scheme, the charity says.
Who played there
The Spitz opened in 1996 with the folk guitarist Bert Jansch on the first night, according to the charity. Over the next 11 years it programmed jazz, folk, blues, Afrobeat, punk and new bands.
The charity says its stages hosted Amy Winehouse, Adele, Sia, Beth Orton, Goldfrapp, Keane, Cat Power, Tony Allen, Courtney Pine, Soweto Kinch and Florence and the Machine, often before they were widely known. It says David Bowie, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Chrissie Hynde, Brian Eno and Damon Albarn were among those reported to have been in the audience.
The venue lost its home when the market was redeveloped. Its last concert was on 27 September 2007, with Beth Orton, Sandy Dillon and Seb Rochford among those who played.
The unveiling
The event falls during the EFG London Jazz Festival. The musicians listed to perform are the vocalists Silla Mosley and Izo Fitzroy, the trumpeter Jay Phelps, the pianist Pete Lee, the drummer Wesley Gibbens and the double bassist Edmondo Cicchetti.
Jane Glitre, who was involved in The Spitz from its early days, later became its managing director and went on to set up the charity, said: “The Spitz holds a special place in so many people’s hearts. It was about so much more than the music – it was a place where people from all walks of life came together, made memories and felt part of something special.”
“Having a permanent plaque here at Old Spitalfields Market feels like a fitting tribute,” she said.
The charity now works with professional musicians to bring live music into care homes, hospitals and community settings. Several musicians who played at the original venue are part of its core team.
The essentials
- What: Unveiling of a commemorative plaque to The Spitz, with live music
- When: Tuesday 17 November 2026. Plaque unveiled at 5pm, music from 5.30pm
- Where: Old Spitalfields Market, Commercial Street, London E1. The plaque is at the entrance between 109 and 111 Commercial Street
- More information: spitz.org.uk