Venues
The Windmill
22 Blenheim Gardens, Brixton, SW2 5BZ, prices vary, 8pm-late
South London's finest small venue. New music seven days at week at this
atmospheric pub just off Brixton Hill. Don't be fooled by The Windmill's
rough'n'ready exterior - inside lie fairy lights, wooden tables with
candles and Brixton's freaks and hipsters determined to have a good
time.
(www.windmillbrixton.co.uk)
The Lexington
96-98 Pentonville Road, London N1
Owned and run by the same people who owned the late lamented Buffalo
Bar, this 200 capacity venue boasts a gorgeous bar downstairs, and a
cool venue upstairs.
(www.thelexington.co.uk)
Shacklewell Arms
71 Shacklewell Lane, Dalston, London, E8 2EB
An excellent gig pub just off the main drag in super hip Dalston, the
Shack boasts a regular front bar and atomospheric covered back yard
(festooned with fairy lights and heated in the winter), and a cool gig
and club room. Many of the best indie gigs and clubs now happen here.
(www.shacklewellarms.com)
Sebright Arms
31-35 Coate Street, London E2 9AG
Not one of our favourite live venues by any means, but a popular gig
venue right now, so well worth listing. The pub upstairs is a decent
east end boozer, but the gig room in the basement is cramped, windowless
and claustraphobic, with just one small winding staircase for access.
(www.sebrightarms.co.uk)
Old Blue Last
38 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3ES
This once hip pub, owned by VICE magazine, was left behind slightly
when the hipsters migrated en masse to Dalston, but it's still a decent
place to see live bands, often for free.
(www.theoldbluelast.com)
100 Club
100 Oxford Street, London, W1D 1LL
Historic 300 capacity family-run venue in the very centre of London
that's played host to everyone from Jackie Wilson, The Who and The Rolling
Stones to the Sex Pistols and Oasis. The legendary 6Ts northern soul
all nighters are currently based here.
(www.the100club.co.uk)
Scala
275-277 Pentonville Road, London, N1 9NL
Once a down-at-heel cinema famous for its smokey and boozy all night
movie and rock'n'roll sessions (Hawkwind and Iggy Pop both played here
in the 70s, while Blitz-era Spandau Ballet did the honours in the early
80s), the Scala is now a modern, air-conditioned 900 capacity venue.
(www.scala-london.co.uk)
Power Lunches
446 Kingsland Road, London E8 4AE
This super intimate concrete basement makes The Sebright Arms look like
the Albert Hall. Just 80 capacity, it hosts some of the best queercore,
riot grrrl and DIY shows in the capital, but it's not for the faint
hearted, and the dripping air conditioning unit above the stage is probably
best ignored.
(http://powerlunchesltd.co.uk)
Bush Hall
310 Uxbridge Roadm London, W12 7LJ, prices and times vary
West London's finest small venue. Well, relatively small venue. This
early 20th century dance hall is elegance personified - chandeliers
and red velvet carpets are the order of the day here. When the likes
of Nick Cave or R.E.M want to throw a stylish secret gig, this is where
they come.
(www.bushhallmusic.co.uk)
Barden's Boudoir
38-44 Stoke Newington Road, London N16 7XJ
Indie venue in the hip Stoke Newington/Dalston strip. Fans of avant
noise, left field indie and forward thinking underground music will
find something to delight them here.
(www.bardensbar.co.uk)
ULU
Malet Street, London WC1E 7HY
Short for University Of London Union. A mid sized, 800 capacity, rites-of-passage
gig for any band heading seriously for the big time. Ricky Gervais of
The Office fame was once Events Manager here.
(www.ulu.co.uk/ululive/)
The Star Of Bethnal Green
359 Bethnal Green Road, London E2
Bethnal Green's best small venue, a 150 capacity bar renouned for new
bands and small club nights.
(www.pleasureunitbar.com/)
Jamm
261 Brixton Road, London, SW9 6LH
As the Old White Horse, this 200 capacity Brixton venue regularly played
host to punk bands like The Clash, and these days they host techno,
house and reggae clubs at the weekend, as well as after show parties
for bands playing at the Brixton Academy down the road.
(www.brixtonjamm.org)
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