Four of the Best

Gig Venues

Café Oto

Café Oto is the jewel in the crown of London’s experimental scene. Time and again it has proved worth a 40 minute trip to Dalston. This is in no small part due to its civilized atmosphere, where good gig etiquette is the rule rather than the exception. More notable, though is its reputation for presenting the upper crust of unknown artists as well as momentous collaborations and residencies from some of the biggest names in free jazz and experimental music.

Birthdays

Although a bar which I’ve heard has recently entered the burger serving scene, the basement makes for a rather ominous gig venue. I remember my first experience there; walking down into the dimly lit basement to be enveloped by a pulsating wall of sound. In a way the venue lends itself to this, representing how live music was meant to be: intimate, cramped, sweaty, intense and thoroughly enjoyable.

Union Chapel

Union Chapel is a fully operational church in Islington. It is a gig going experience like no other. Instead of a can of lukewarm Red Stripe you can have a flapjack and choose from a selection of speciality teas. Instead of standing for hours waiting for the bands to start you sit in pews. In keeping with the environment they tend to have fairly folky or downbeat music and it’s the perfect venue for such acts. So when your favourite folk singer comes to Union Chapel, don’t think twice about grabbing a ticket!

Old Blue Last

The Old Blue Last is the place to be seen. Located in Shoreditch, this pub / live venue hosts the best in up and coming bands along with some more esoteric favourites! They’ve played host to Arctic Monkeys, Foals and Hot Chip before they hit the big time. You’ll be able to find the freshest new acts in everything from hardcore punk to indie pop. There’s something new and exciting on almost every single night. Best of all, the majority of gigs are free!

Record Stores

Phonica

Phonica is conveniently located in Soho’s Poland Street. Just about the perfect place to go when it comes to recent releases in electronic music, providing great and often rare records. The selection manages to strike possibly the best balance of quality and quantity in London and probably best of all, is that the shop has turntables with headphones set up to allow previewing of the records, perfect for those vinyl only editions.

Honest Jon’s

Honest Jon’s is both a label, which has released the likes of London-based badman Actress, as well as one of London’s best record stores. The shop, located on Portobello Road, is best known for its amazing selection of jazz, with quality recs from the knowledgeable staff, but has a solid electronic range in addition to some real gems of experimentalism and obscurity in the ‘Oddities’ box.

Rough Trade East

Rough Trade East is an independent record store just off Brick Lane. At 5,000 square feet it’s pretty massive by independent standards, so it’s possible to waste (or lose) hours browsing. There’s a great selection of indie, post-punk and alt rock, with smaller specialist sections ranging to doom metal and post-hardcore. There’s a great selection of vinyl and a fair trade café if you need a break from browsing! They also have lots of free release shows, with 65daysofstatic, Local Natives and Savages having played in recent months.

Music & Video Exchange

Music & Video Exchange is exactly that. You can sell unwanted CDs and records to them, but, perhaps more excitingly, you can pick up second hand goods at ludicrously cheap prices to restock your collection! There’s a large quantity of shit, but if you’ve got the patience then you can uncover some absolute gems at good prices. With branches in Notting Hill, Soho and Greenwich, you’re always close to the world’s greatest bargain bin!

Clubs

Plastic People

Situated below a Vietnamese restaurant, just off Old Street, Plastic People is a tiny club that is dark and claustrophobic. Speakers hidden in the walls fill the space with impeccable sound. The club has just undergone refurbishment so should be brand spanking, not that you’ll notice though; it’s too dark. Expect nights encompassing disco, house and twisted techno. Oh, and dress to sweat.

Coronet

If you like your club nights huge then the Coronet is a good place to start. Situated in the heart of Elephant and Castle the Coronet is an ex-cinema that still has many of its 1920’s Art-Deco features. Due to its size the Coronet attracts big names; both bands and DJs. Grab a bunch of mates, book a night and at 5am when the music stops you’ll wonder where all the time went.

XOYO

Located just off the big Old Street roundabout, XOYO in Shoreditch is definitely worth the trip east from South Ken for a big weekend night. Split over two floors, the main room is down in the basement with the more chilled out second room and (very cramped) smoking area on the entrance level. Nights vary from live indie bands to monthly raves hosted by Bugged Out! and EYOE. The only downside is the often long queues coupled with the over touchy bouncers, but once inside you’re sure to have a good one.

Corsica Studios

With the entrance through a small door under the railway arches just minutes’ walk from Elephant and Castle Underground station, Corsica Studios is a small club with a huge personality. Inside there’s the main bar, 2 nice size rooms with a great sound and a decent sized outdoor area all interconnected with a maze of white brick walls. The crowd is always friendly, drinks are reasonably priced and entrance rarely goes above £10, meaning if you want a big night with great music without breaking the bank this is the place to go.

Club Nights

Deviation

Last year Deviation, the club night headed by Radio 1 DJ Benji B, moved from its small weekday night slot to XOYO. The night runs on the first Friday of every month and in the past has showcased some of the best DJs and producers from London and around the world, including Jackmaster, Jamie XX, Mala and Actress. While the night usually focuses heavily on the bass-centred house and techno, upstairs there’s also usually some grime being laid down to get stupid to.

Floating Points Residency

A neuroscience PhD student by day, Floating Points hosts a residency at Plastic People every last Saturday of the month. The man has exceptional taste and crate-digging skills, filling the club with rare Brazilian beats and undiscovered disco gems. Every now and again Floating Points enlists guest DJs to add a further twist to the night. Past guests include DJ Food and Marcellus Pittman.

OneMore

OneMore is a relatively new and exciting underground event held in the now disused Hearn street car park and more recently at the Scala. Combining the best underground DJs around with sell out crowds of ‘old school ravers’, OneMore is a monthly night with an atmosphere and lineup like no other. If you’re looking for a night in an unconventional setting coupled with a high quality sound with a truly passionate following then look no further.

White Heat

White Heat is a weekly club night held on a Tuesday night at Madame JoJo’s in Soho. There’s usually a couple of great bands playing in the early evening and then the resident DJs take over. Playing a mixture of alternative electro, hip-hop and indie it’s inately danceable and it’s hard not to have fun. If you’re struggling to enjoy yourself, then there’s some impressive drinks deals (I’m talking £1 tequila shots) that will certainly help! There’s also a sister night at the Lexington on a Friday called White Light.