Colleagues, clients and friends of the late Steve Strange gathered at the O2 Academy Brixton in London last night for the second of three commemorative events celebrating the life of the beloved agent.

X-ray Touring director and co-founder, whose roster included Coldplay, Eminem, Queens of the Stone Age, Phoebe Bridgers, Eagles of Death Metal, Ash, Snow Patrol and The Charlatans, died in October at the age of age 53 from a short illness. .

Approximately 500 people attended the private event, hosted by X-ray and supported by Live Nation, Metropolis and SJM Concerts. The Northern Irishman’s longtime friend, Scottish music mainstay Donald MacLeod, hosted the evening. Artists to play included Ash, Saxon, Eagles of Death Metal and Ian Broudie of Lightning Seeds. Coldplay frontman Chris Martin was among those who videoed for the evening.

It was an amazing night. he would have loved

“It was a tough gig to do and emotionally draining because Steve represented the world to me, as he of course did with everyone,” said Holdfast Entertainment Group general manager MacLeod. IQ. “I think he would have been delighted with the participation and the reaction. I hope I made him proud.

“It was an amazing night,” adds Josh Javor, Strange X-ray Touring sidekick. “He would have loved that.

Dubbed “The Farewell Tour”, the celebrations also took place in Los Angeles on November 17th and will end in Belfast on December 19th.

McLeod’s speech at last night’s Brixton event is reproduced in part below:

“Steve Strange, a man whose light shone so bright and whose warmth and radiance, we and all who knew him are so grateful to have taken his place, taken help and been fully enriched. burned so hard that it burned our souls.

“Her unique laughing strength could brighten up the darkest days and her snores, my god, her snores were so loud they could shake your wallies… it was right off the Richter scale.” Steve was the only man I had ever met who could fall asleep standing on the phone.

“I met Steve over 30 years ago watching a group of rock bands, whose names escape me, on an equally unforgettable dive in London. He barged in, with his long flowing red hair, resembling one of King Charles I’s poodles, tapped me on the shoulder and bellowed in my ear: “I’m Steve Strange, and I want to talk to you. “

“‘Strange? That you are Steve, that you are, I replied. And so began a rich, vibrant and fruitful friendship, a friendship that I never thought for a second would end, only three decades later in Los Angeles.

IQ published a surprise article in May 2018, to celebrate Strange’s 50th anniversary.

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