The Queens Hotel in Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff-on-Sea, is one of the key venues in Southend Punk history. Now sadly demolished, the venue once rang out to the sounds of The Damned, Slaughter and The Dogs, Killing Joke and many, many more. It really started as a Rock club in the early 1970's, putting on bands such as The Pink Fairies, Stray, Genesis, The Groundhogs and Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel amongst others. By 1974 / 1975, with the wind of change slowly starting to blow, bands such as Kilburn & The HIgh Roads and Be Bop Deluxe began to play there, with local bands such as Raw Power also getting the chance to play there regularly.

It was in 1977 however that The Queens really came to the fore in terms of the local Punk scene, as The Kursaal had banned several early Punk shows, whereas The Queens was happy to embrace the movement, and staged the first main Punk concert in the area - The Damned & The Adverts on Sunday June 19th, 1977. Following the success of this show, several further Punk gigs were staged, including Slaughter & The Dogs, Generation X and 999. Also, in August 1977, The Queens started hosting a series of 'Rock Contest' gigs, and Southend Punk band The Machines shocked audiences by winning their heat (whilst playing their first gig).

Other venues such as Shrimpers and Crocs began staging regular Punk / New Wave gigs and the action moved away for a while, but by the early '80s, The Queens returned with a vengeance in terms of putting on live bands, and for several years became a mainstay in the towns alternative live rock scene. In the early-mid 1980s, local artists such as Le Mat regularly played there, and this era saw the start of a series of gigs by Queens regulars Dr and The Medics. As well as the main Ballroom, bands also played in the hall at the back of the venue, which hosted many great nights.

In 1985 / 1986, the venue really hit a high, putting on a series of gigs by Nick Turner's Inner City Unit, Killing Joke, The Exploited / UK Subs, The Blow Monkeys, King Kurt, Dr Feelgood, Wilko Johnson, Zodiac Mindwarp, Divine and many more. Often at these shows local artists would support the main acts, getting them exposure to a larger audience.

By the end of the decade, less bands were put on, and slowly the venue began to fade from prominence, and following a fire it fell into a state of disrepair, eventually being levelled and remaining as a car park for many years, before being developed into retirement community housing. Sometimes when walking past where the building once stood though, and if the wind is in the right direction, it is still possible to hear 'Cranked up Really High' reverberating along Hamlet Court Road...