A London pub where The Who played early in their career was heavily damaged in a fire just after midnight on New Year’s Day.
According to the Evening Standard, it took firefighters four hours to put out the blaze. Located in the Acton neighborhood, the Aeronaut was known as the White Hart in 1963 when The Detours — with Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle and drummer Doug Sandom — played there on Monday nights.
The Detours changed their name to The Who the following year — around the time they auditioned for Fontana Records. The label was unhappy with Sandom’s drumming, and he quit the band shortly after. His place was taken by Keith Moon.
Owners of the pub plan to rebuild, but the repairs will take months to complete.