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The pub’s story
La Belle Angele is a live-music and club venue on Hastie’s Close whose present form carries a clear break in its history. The original venue was founded in 1992 and became a major 1990s stage: the Edinburgh Gig Archive documents Oasis there in 1994 and Radiohead in 1995. A Cowgate fire on 7 December 2002 devastated the building and destroyed the original venue. The site was later redeveloped, and La Belle Angele returned in 2014 after a twelve-year absence. That means today’s room continues the name, programme and cultural memory, but is not untouched 1990s fabric. Current listings cover both live music and late club events; entrances are reached by stairs from Guthrie Street or the Cowgate, so plan that approach before you go.
What to notice
- 01
The present venue is a post-2002 reconstruction: its cultural lineage is older than its current fabric.
- 02
Access is by staircases from Guthrie Street or the Cowgate; there is a handrail on the Guthrie Street route.
- 03
There are different standard times for live music and club nights, so check the individual event before travelling.
The time rail
The building, the pub and its interior may date from different periods. The timeline keeps documented dates separate from tradition.
Local venue histories date the founding of the original La Belle Angele to this year.
The Edinburgh Gig Archive records an Oasis performance at the original venue.
The Edinburgh Gig Archive records a Radiohead performance at the original venue.
The Cowgate fire devastated the site and destroyed La Belle Angele.
La Belle Angele returned after the site’s redevelopment and a twelve-year absence.
The venue continues to programme live music and club events.
Sources & confidence
The venue’s official history, contact and current listings establish the 1990s identity, exact 2002 fire, 2014 return, approach and present operation. Edinburgh Gig Archive provides an independent music-history context. The profile explicitly prevents the current rebuilt room from being mistaken for original pre-fire fabric.
Research reviewed
- La Belle AngeleLa Belle Angeleofficial
SupportsCurrent live-music and club programme, plus the venue’s own historical summary.
- About La Belle AngeleLa Belle Angeleofficial
SupportsOperator account of the early-1990s venue, 2002 fire and 2014 return.
- Contact & InfoLa Belle Angeleofficial
SupportsCurrent address, access route, standard event times and accessibility information.
- Fire devastates Edinburgh’s Old TownThe Guardianeditorial
SupportsContemporary reporting on the 7 December 2002 Cowgate fire and damage to La Belle Angele.
- La Belle AngeleThe Edinburgh Gig Archivearchive
SupportsIndependent performance archive for the original venue, including 1994 Oasis and 1995 Radiohead listings.
- Cowgate hotel development completesUrban Realmeditorial
Supports2014 redevelopment context and planned reinstatement of La Belle Angele.
- La Belle AngeleEdinburghGuide.comeditorial
SupportsIndependent account of the 1992 founding, 2002 loss, redevelopment and current venue role.
