Vince Power

John Vincent Power (born 29 April 1947 in Kilmacthomas, County Waterford) is an Irish music venue and festival owner, and founder of Mean Fiddler who lives and operates in London. He moved to London at the age of 15 and resides there with his eight children.

On arrival in London from County Waterford, Power worked in various manual labour jobs, eventually moving into demolition, house clearances and most notably trading in second-hand furniture. Pioneering new methods of advertising his business, he soon had a host of second-hand furniture shops all over North West London. The success of this business allowed him to pursue his first love, music, more specifically country & western.

A trip to Tennessee and a desire to bring the sound of Nashville to London prompted Power to open the original Mean Fiddler, his country & western club, in 1982, in Harlesden, North West London, establishing it as a key venue for up and coming talent, Irish music, country stars and true music legends. It was the start of a £60m empire that expanded to eight major music festivals, 14 live music venues and a string of successful nightclubs and restaurants. This background in authentic music has seen him repeatedly promote many of the remaining legends of the rock and roll era including Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Roy Orbison, Paul Weller and Neil Young.

He is a controversial figure in the UK music scene, and has a reputation for his hands on approach to business, spotting gaps in the market and quickly moving into them. He has earned the nickname 'The Godfather of Gigs'.

In 1982 he opened The Mean Fiddler on the site of an old boxing gym in Harlesden. The venue quickly gained a reputation for its Irish music nights, showcasing new bands such as The Pogues and Billy Bragg. Within five years The Mean Fiddler was staging high-profile gigs by superstars such as Roy Orbison, who played his last UK gig there in 1987, and Johnny Cash.

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