Fire Ruins Razorlight's Favorite Pub

A Camden, North London fire that broke out Saturday night has destroyed a large piece of the Camden marketplace, including a famous pub that served as a prime hangout for several of London’s notable bands, NME reported Sunday.

Razorlight warmed its barstools and used it as a base for area gigs, the Libertines and Dirty Pretty Things have been known to drop by, and more recently Grammy-winner Amy Winehouse has been seen holding its benches down – barely – but the Hawley Arms, a staple pub in the British rock scene, was partially destroyed in Saturday night’s fire, along with the music memorabilia inside.

Though the cause has yet to be nailed down by British authorities, the fire is thought to have started behind or near the pub, where it spread to the rest of the Camden market, one of the most densely populated nightlife areas and tourist traps in London, BBC News reported. News photos of the Arms show its broken-out windows as fire hoses drench its exterior.

NME photog Andy Willshire was particularly bummed, as he had used the place to stage his photo exhibitions featuring Razorlight. “It made sense to stage the Razorlight exhibition at the Hawley because it was the band's favorite drinking den,” he said. “On some nights it felt like the center of the music industry.”

The pub’s walls were also home to several pieces of rock memorabilia, including unique signed prints of Razorlight, the Libertines, Dirty Pretty Things and The Mighty Boosh. “I guess [those] have been destroyed,” Willshire said.

Razorlight drummer Andy Burrows also reflected on his band’s hangout, saying to NME, “We started going there as soon as Dougie (Charles-Ridler, the landlord) moved in, and he really put a lot of effort into turning that place into a cool pub. We just started going there all the time as he would cook me and Johnny (Borrell, Razorlight frontman) lasagne.”

The pub’s landlady, Ruth Charles-Ridler, told BBC News she was “devastated,” saying “everyone I’ve spoken to is in complete shock.” Burrows said, “It’s such a beautiful pub, hopefully it will be back very soon.”

News reports of Amy Winehouse’s rehab stint and Grammy participation unfortunately give her an alibi, while mentions of noted pipe-lighting ruffian Pete Doherty remain suspiciously absent. Nonetheless, this writer knows where he is placing his suspicions….