The Luminaire
The Luminaire is a live music venue on Kilburn High Road in north west London, UK. It opened on 1 March 2005 in what was a nightclub called Late, above McGovern's Pub and The Kilburn Bar.
It was co-founded by John Donnelly, a publican from Ireland, and Andy Inglis, a Scot. Donnelly had previously had a minor role in CHiPs, the American television programme, as well as a number of Steven Seagal films before moving back to London and becoming involved in the music business. Donnelly, who played for Arsenal reserves before a leg injury finished his career, lives with Siobhan Fahey, a member of Bananarama. He was previously engaged to writer Zadie Smith. Inglis who was formerly a band and record label manager. The most notable band he managed, between 2000 and 2002, was Utah Saints. He has a close friendship with fellow Scot Sean Connery.
The venue name was inspired by a bar called Lit, in the Lower East Side, New York City. It was voted as Time Out Magazine's London Venue of The Year in 2006[1] and as Music Week's UK Venue of The Year in 2007 [2], primarily because of its positive attitude to both artist and audience. [3].