Rainbow Theatre
A Grade II*-listed former cinema and celebrated London music venue, now occupied by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Rainbow Theatre is the commonly used name of a historic entertainment building in Finsbury Park, north London. It opened on 29 September 1930 as the Finsbury Park Astoria, the last of five large venues developed by Arthur Segal. Designed as an atmospheric cinema, it combined film screenings with the immersive architecture and stage entertainment associated with the Astoria chain. Its exterior was relatively restrained, while its interior was conceived as a Hispano-Moresque fantasy, with a Moorish foyer, a fountain, and an auditorium intended to evoke an Andalusian village beneath a night sky. The building was exceptionally large for its period. Its original arrangement included approximately 4,000 seats, a deep stage, a broad proscenium arch, an orchestra pit, a theatre organ, cafés and bars, and numerous dressing rooms. The opening programme paired a feature film with a gala stage spectacle, reflecting the venue's original purpose as an entire evening's entertainment rather than simply a place to watch a film. The Astoria chain was acquired by Paramount Pictures in December 1930. In 1939, Paramount sold the buildings to Odeon Theatres, part of Oscar Deutsch's cinema business. Odeon discontinued most of the costly live entertainment and operated the venue primarily as a cinema, while retaining occasional concerts, variety performances, and organ recitals. The building was renamed the Finsbury Park Odeon in 1970 and closed as a cinema in September 1971. Its most influential period began when the former Odeon was converted into a dedicated concert venue and renamed the Rainbow Theatre. The Who inaugurated the renamed venue in November 1971. During the first half of the 1970s, the Rainbow became one of London's leading rock and popular-music halls, hosting artists such as David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Queen, Genesis, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Santana, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Frank Zappa, Fleetwood Mac, Bob Marley and the Wailers, and many others. Concerts at the venue were frequently recorded for live albums, films, radio broadcasts, and television, giving the theatre an influence well beyond its capacity. The venue was also associated with notable incidents and cultural moments. Jimi Hendrix set fire to a guitar there in 1967, and Frank Zappa suffered serious injuries after being pushed from the stage into the orchestra pit in 1971. The resulting safety modification covered the steep gap between stage and audience with a sloped structure. Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Queen, Genesis, and other performers used the venue for important concerts or recordings, while benefit events included Pink Floyd performances for the injured Robert Wyatt. After further operation as a music venue, the building closed again for maintenance in 1975 and reopened for Genesis concerts in January 1977. Its concert identity continued into the early 1980s, although changing economics, licensing conditions, and the evolution of London's live-music market reduced its role. It was later used at times for unlicensed boxing and other activities. The building received Grade II* listed status in 1974, unusually soon after construction, in recognition of its architectural and decorative importance. It is now used by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God as a church, while its former name remains strongly associated with the history of British rock performance.
History
The building was constructed for Arthur Segal's Astoria circuit and opened in 1930 at the junction of Isledon Road and Seven Sisters Road. It was designed by Edward A. Stone, with the interior work attributed to Somerford & Barr and decorative contributions from Marc-Henri and G. Laverdet. Its atmospheric design used Moorish and southern-European motifs to make a cinema visit resemble an evening outdoors in a Mediterranean setting. A large stage, orchestra pit, Compton theatre organ, cafés, bars, and backstage rooms allowed the venue to present films alongside live music and stage entertainment. Paramount Pictures took control of the Astoria chain late in 1930. The costly combination of performers, orchestras, and film presentations proved difficult to sustain, and after the 1930s the venue moved toward conventional cinema operation. Odeon Theatres acquired the building in 1939 and removed most of the live-entertainment programme, retaining film screenings and occasional concerts or variety events. This made the building more commercially efficient but reduced the distinctive format for which the Astoria theatres had been designed. The rise of rock and roll and youth-oriented popular music gradually restored the building's importance as a performance space. The success of acts associated with London's 2i's coffee bar and the growth of concert culture helped demonstrate the commercial potential of large halls. The venue hosted important appearances by early British rock performers and later became increasingly identified with rock concerts rather than cinema. Although it was called the Finsbury Park Odeon from 1970, the cinema closed in 1971. Following conversion, the Rainbow Theatre opened its concert era with a performance by the Who on 4 November 1971. The hall quickly became a prestigious stop for British and international artists. Its steep stage arrangement contributed to the serious accident involving Frank Zappa in December 1971, after an audience member pushed him into the pit. Safety work subsequently created a sloped barrier between the stage and floor. The venue also became known for unusually important or heavily documented shows: Pink Floyd played a multi-night engagement in 1972, David Bowie staged key Ziggy Stardust concerts, Yes recorded material used in the Yessongs film, and Eric Clapton's 1973 benefit concert generated the live album Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert. The Rainbow served as both a performance hall and a recording location. Van Morrison's concerts were broadcast by the BBC and contributed material to It's Too Late to Stop Now. Queen recorded its November 1974 shows, while live recordings by Focus, the Sweet, Genesis, Golden Earring, and other acts further embedded the venue in popular-music history. Benefit events, including Pink Floyd's 1973 concerts for Robert Wyatt, showed that the hall could also function as a focal point for the wider music community. The venue closed for maintenance in 1975 and reopened with Genesis concerts at the beginning of 1977. It continued to host significant performances, including dates by Fleetwood Mac and Bob Marley & the Wailers, but the period of greatest cultural concentration was the early and mid-1970s. Later use included occasional unlicensed boxing. The building's architectural value was formally recognised with Grade II* listing in 1974. In the present day, it is occupied by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. The structure survives, but its role is no longer that of a cinema or commercial music hall.
- 1977
Reopening with Genesis
[1]Genesis opened the Wind & Wuthering tour at the venue with three consecutive concerts.
- 1977
Bob Marley and the Wailers performances
[1]Bob Marley and the Wailers played four Rainbow Theatre dates during the Exodus tour.
- 1975
Temporary closure for refurbishment
[1]The building closed after a final multi-artist concert and underwent maintenance before reopening.
- 1974
Grade II* listing and Queen recordings
[1]The building received Grade II* listed status, and Queen recorded concerts there in November for later release.
- 1973
Benefit and broadcast performances
[1]Concerts by artists including Pink Floyd, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Genesis, Santana, and James Brown demonstrated the venue's importance for recordings, broadcasts, and benefit events.
- 1972
Major rock-concert period begins
[1]The Rainbow hosted important engagements by Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Alice Cooper, the Faces, and other leading acts, establishing its international music reputation.
- 1971
Conversion to the Rainbow Theatre
[1]After the Odeon closed in September, the building was converted into a 3,040-seat music venue and reopened under the Rainbow Theatre name in November.
- 1971
Frank Zappa stage accident
[1]Frank Zappa suffered a fractured leg and head injury after being pushed from the stage into the pit during a December concert.
- 1967
Jimi Hendrix guitar-burning incident
[1]Jimi Hendrix set fire to a Fender Stratocaster during a performance on 31 March; he subsequently required treatment for burns to his fingers.
- 1956
Growing connection with popular music
[1]The venue presented Tommy Steele soon after his discovery at the 2i's coffee bar, illustrating the changing relationship between cinema theatres and rock-and-roll performance.
Products and positioning
A landmark London entertainment venue whose identity shifted from atmospheric cinema to major rock-concert hall, before its later conversion to religious use.
Cinema and stage entertainment · 1930
Atmospheric cinema
The original offering combined feature-film screenings with live stage spectacles, orchestral music, organ recitals, cafés, and bars. Its elaborate interior was designed to make a cinema visit feel like an immersive evening in a Mediterranean setting rather than a conventional film presentation.
Live music · 1971
Rainbow Theatre concert venue
From 1971, the renamed and redesigned venue operated primarily as a large-scale concert hall. It presented rock, pop, soul, progressive music, and other genres, and became a prominent location for live recordings, radio broadcasts, filmed concerts, and artist benefit shows.
Listed architecture · 1974
Heritage building
The surviving structure is valued for its Grade II* listed architecture, including its faience exterior, Moorish foyer, fountain, and richly decorated atmospheric auditorium. It is currently used as a church rather than as a cinema or music venue.
Brand decisions
1971
Conversion into a dedicated music venueStrategyBackground
The former cinema had become increasingly associated with concerts as rock performance grew more commercially and culturally important.
Action taken
After the Odeon closed, the building was refurbished, reduced to approximately 3,040 seats, and relaunched as the Rainbow Theatre.
Aftermath
The venue entered its best-known period, hosting major international artists and producing recordings and broadcasts that extended its influence beyond London.
1939
Shift from mixed entertainment to cinemaStrategyBackground
Paramount's combination of films, orchestras, organ recitals, and stage performers was expensive to operate at the scale required by the Astoria buildings.
Action taken
After selling the venue to Odeon Theatres, the operator largely ended the full entertainment format and concentrated on repeated film screenings, with occasional live events.
Aftermath
The change improved operating efficiency and kept the building commercially viable as a cinema, but reduced its original theatrical character.
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