Hidden treasures
The best venues in London for gigging off the beaten track
Sometimes, being a music lover can be a tough job. You fork out £20 to go and see a really exciting new band at Brixton Academy or HMV Forum. You then queue for ages in the cold. Once you’re in the venue’s sound system sounds like it’s playing through four inches of cotton wool and a sweaty seven foot yeti man decides to stand half an inch in front of your face. Sigh. It’s not always that bad, but there is another way to see live bands that is cheaper, more intimate and often has better quality music than the main concert halls. Tucked away down side streets, in basements and attics away from the crowds, small gig venues give you the opportunity to see the bands that will be playing the big venues in a year or two’s time up close and personal at a fraction of the price. Here are a few of the best ones:
Ordinarily, this venue is host to a sleazy strip club, but on Tuesday nights it sees some of the most exciting breaking bands from all over the world gracing its doors for the excellent White Heat Club. You usually pay £5 to go down into the faintly lit basement, where three or four bands will play up on a curtained podium with DJs afterwards. Names such as The xx, Wild Beasts, Dan Le Sac, Noah and the Whale and The Kills have been on the billing before.
The Lexington is basically a pub for hipsters. Downstairs is the main pub area, which has some pretty crazy décor with chandeliers, buffalo skulls on the walls and big fancy sofas, making it look like a baroque hunting lounge. DJs play great music, the bar specialises in American brewed beverages and you can even get some hearty pub food. Climb the spiral staircase up to the attic and there is a second bar and gig venue where bands play most nights. Prices can be very variable, but if you keep your eye out there are a few free album launches held there, and White Light (the sister club to Madame Jojo’s White Heat) is held every Friday, with DJs playing until late afterwards.
100 Leonard Street, Shoreditch
This one is a really eclectic and crazy venue: it always offers something unusual and fun. You never really get a bog standard gig here. DJ sessions or Band nights can be accompanied by arts and crafts nights, film showings, life drawing classes, spoken word poetry or anything in between, and prices range from free gigs and £1 gigs to more expensive nights up to a tenner. They also host an infamous Electro Swing night where club goers dance their feet off to DJs sampling 1920’s tunes with hip hop beats.
That’s just a sample of the great fun that can be had on a budget and the fantastic hidden treasures of London’s small gig venues. If you like the sound of the venues above and are looking for people to head out to these places to with, feel free to message Imperial Alternative Music Society at [email protected] and you can come along with us.