Live music in Camden
Time Out's guide to the hottest live music venues in Camden
Camden Town has more than its fair share of iconic music venues. Up near Chalk Farm station, The Roundhouse has hosted Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix, and Koko (formerly Camden Palace) was the home of Britpop. But these days the best gigs in Camden tend to happen on small pub stages, at places like The Barfly, where up-and-coming indie bands keep the racket going seven nights a week. Here are the best places to catch gigs in Camden.
Camden's best gig venues
Roundhouse
A one-time railway turntable shed, the Roundhouse was used for experimental theatre and hippie happenings in the 1960s before becoming a rock venue in the '70s.
The Underworld
A dingy maze of pillars and bars below Camden, this subterranean oddity is an essential for metal and hardcore fans.
Koko
It's come a long way and survived numerous name changes since it first opened its doors on Boxing Day 1890, but this ornate, Grade II-listed venue relaunched in the late ’80s and has never looked back, despite closing its doors for major refurbishment in 2004.
Jazz Café
A recent spruce up (new seat covers, lick of paint) has given this venue, formerly a Barclays Bank, a fresh face without changing its layout, or informal atmosphere.
Electric Ballroom
Still shamelessly dining out on its place in Camden's music history, Electric Ballroom likes nothing better than to revel in the roll-call of rockers that have graced the venue: Sid Vicious, U2, The Clash, Red Hot Chili Peppers… the list is indeed impressive.
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Barfly
It's no exaggeration to describe this corner venue as an institution, since it's welcomed across the threshold of its rather shabby upstairs room early London appearances by Coldplay, Franz Ferdinand, Futureheads and The Vines, among countless others.
The Enterprise
Describing itself as 'the one and only true pub left in Camden', this warm (there's a fire in winter), dark wood-dominated, shabbily chic venue is frequently packed.
Dingwalls (Lock 17)
Bringing Camden the delights of guitar music since 1973, this venue in Camden Lock might largely put on bands that tend towards the lesser known, but they still manage to pull off the odd coup.