There can be no argument that Pioneer can justifiably claim to be an iconic venue that in the early days witnessed some of the biggest names of the era with bands such Wishbone Ash and Motorhead being regular visitors. It is widely known and the stuff of legend that The Zombies of “She’s Not There” fame were formed at Pioneer and to this day members of the band still maintain an active involvement as Friends of Pioneer. Some years later The Zombies morphed into Argent and many of the songs that have become worldwide best sellers were written at The Pioneer Club.
But that is only the start of it! Enter Shikari are another hugely successful St Albans band, The Pioneer Club provided the platform for the band to hone its skills in a live environment before moving on to become one of the most successful bands currently on the circuit, playing to packed festival audiences all over the world, headlining Download Festival 2021, Two Thousand Trees Festival 2018 and selling out Alexandra Palace three times. There is no question that the band is now embedded in UK rock culture.
Following the success of Enter Shikari, other major bands have subsequently appeared on our stage including Bring Me the Horizon, Trash Boat, Declan McKenna, Don Broco, Gallows and Your Demise.
And as we go to press, another homespun band, Trash Boat have been a rising band in the UK rock scene with multiple appearances at Download Festival, Reading Festival and supporting the likes of Skindred, AS IT IS and our very own Enter Shikari.
More recently, Bright Conclusions were a consistent presence at The Pioneer Club from 2014-2016. Shikari Sound System have made multiple appearances at Pioneer. Bands such as All These Years, Cold Callers, Count Paris, Daga, Jamch, Blue Hour, Ramona Marx, Art Fair, Carla Coyne, EL MOONO and Loud Minds have also appeared on stage.