Genius singer, songwriter and performer, Amy Winehouse is featured in a new film about her life, “Back to Black.” The opportunity to take a trip to London.
An inimitable voice, a series of hits and an instantly recognizable look... Amy Winehouse has left her mark on memories and the history of music. Suddenly passing away at the age of 27 on July 23, 2011, the singer was the subject of a new film, entitled Back to Black - named after her successful album released in 2006. Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, this feature film was released in theaters this Wednesday April 24. We (re)discover Amy Winehouse in a troubled period of her life, that, paradoxically, of the explosion of her success, shared between her addictions, the writing of the songs for Back to Black and her destructive love affair with Blake Fielder-Civil.
Amy Winehouse lived this period in Camden Town, a vibrant district of London that she called her "playground" and where the memory of her, even today, is everywhere. So many places, pubs and concert halls, some of which were used for the filming of the film Back to Black, in which the artist is played by Marisa Abela.
The opportunity to take a trip to London and, after a quick Eurostar* journey, to discover the 10 most emblematic places in Amy Winehouse's Camden Town:
How to follow in the footsteps of Amy Winehouse in London without passing in front of her bronze statue, enthroned in the middle of the Camden Town market, its shoulders polished by the tourists and their selfies... Made in life size - 1m59 high therefore, this rather similar performance was inaugurated in 2014 – just three years after the singer’s death – by her parents.
Amy Winehouse is frozen in bronze with one hand on her hip, in heels and a short dress, a Star of David pendant and of course, her inimitable hairstyle.
A pub nestled in Camden Town, the Hawley Arms has often seen Amy Winehouse pass through its doors, as she worked there before becoming the famous singer we know. Once famous, the artist shared improvised concerts there, notably with Pete Doherty.
Ravaged in 2008 in the fire which damaged part of the neighborhood, the pub, which still has the same owners as at the time, was able to rise from its ashes thanks to donations and sales of items autographed by Amy Winehouse or memories that belonged to him. On the evening of the fire, while the pub burned, the artist became the first British woman to receive five Grammy Awards. Having failed to pass a drug test, Amy Winehouse was unable to travel to the United States to receive her trophies, but simultaneously performed a concert at London's Riverside Studios.
It is also in this pub that the singer is said to have drank her favorite cocktail, the "Rickstasy", a mixture of vodka, banana liqueur, Southern Comfort and Baileys. In any case, this is what she would have answered to a curious journalist, which will give rise to this legend which is in fact... a joke. She especially liked to drink vodka, preferably in shots.
Today, at the Hawley Arms, the memory of Amy Winehouse is everywhere, even the doors of the basement toilets, covered with inscriptions in memory of the singer.
A little on the outskirts of Camden, in the neighboring district of Chalk Farm, is this famous Roundhouse, a former locomotive depot, which has today become an essential place for culture and music in London. It is on this stage that Amy Winehouse will appear for the last time in public, on July 20, 2011, just three days before her death. It was by surprise that she joined the stage and her goddaughter, Dionne Bromfield.
Amy Winehouse was born on September 14, 1983 in Southgate, a district in north London, into a Jewish family. Having become financially independent thanks to her first album, Frank, she moved to Camden Town in 2003 and bought her first apartment located on Jeffrey's Place. On Saturdays, Amy Winehouse works at a candle stand in Camden Market, then in a clothing store... fetish.
A hill overlooking London and a splendid expanse of greenery, Primrose Hill Park is a popular place for Amy Winehouse, who loved to walk and lounge there with her grandmother, Cynthia, or her husband Blake Fielder-Civil. In the film Back to Black, we attend a bucolic picnic with the latter, but also a discussion with his grandmother, who tells him that she is suffering from cancer. At the foot of the park, London Zoo, which we also see in the film, during a joyful scene with Amy Winehouse (Marisa Abela) and Blake Fielder-Civil (Jack O'Connel).
In Camden, you don't walk more than ten minutes without coming across a street art representation of Amy Winehouse. From the huge, very similar mural installed on Castleheaven Road to the works of Pegasus, a London artist, Amy Winehouse is everywhere.
Another essential pub in Amy Winehouse's Camden Town, the Dublin Castle remains today a very lively drinking establishment in the evening, where Londoners of all ages meet. The singer has often performed there. Behind the bar, Peggy Conlon, now 86 years old and who already ran the pub at the time, tells various anecdotes about Amy Winehouse. "When she first came in, I asked her if I could help her. She said, 'I can help myself.' She went behind the bar and started pouring herself a drink and to serve other customers", says the manager of the establishment quite naturally.
At the height of her popularity, Amy Winehouse lived in a house in Camden Town, located a stone's throw from the first, on Jeffrey's Place. Who has never seen this famous grid on the thousands of paparazzi photos, who chased the singer day and night and camped in front of this house? Several scenes from the film Back to Black illustrate this period in Amy Winehouse's life, notably testifying to the consequences of her addictions and those of her husband, Blake.
Camden Town's legendary concert hall, the Jazz Cafe still welcomes many artists today. Since its opening in the 1980s, dozens have performed there: Eddie Harris, Jamiroquai, Her and Lana Del Rey. And of course, Amy Winehouse, who will give her very first concert there, on April 19, 2007.
Having become a place of pilgrimage for fans, Amy Winehouse's final home is located at 30 Camden Square, a quiet street lined with luxurious homes. It is here that the singer was found dead by her bodyguard on July 23, 2011. Since then, the 230m² property has been sold for more than 3 million euros, but remains haunted by the memory of the artist. On the wall in front of the house, fans left dozens of inscriptions in memory of Amy Winehouse, traces of lipstick and other cigarettes or hair accessories.
Resembling all kebab shops of the same type, the Marathon Kebab House is in fact renowned for being one of the best in Camden, but also a known place for the neighborhood's nightlife, where people come to eat and listen to music . Amy Winehouse performed there, as did Jarvis Cocker, the Gallagher brothers and Keith Richards. To protect herself from the paparazzi, Amy Winehouse also took refuge there, hiding in a room at the back of the restaurant.
Among the other restaurants frequented by the artist, Jamon Jamon, not far from Dublin Castle. Amy Winehouse's mother liked to say that if she wasn't at home, she was in the Spanish establishment.
*With a city center to city center route, Eurostar is the quickest, easiest and most environmentally friendly way to get to London from Paris (2h15) or Lille (1h20). Very generous baggage allowance and free seat selection. From 44 euros one way, free for children under 4 years old.
