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100 Club
This legendary London venue has always concentrated on jazz, but it's spreading its wings also to swing and rock nowadays. It once showcased Chris Barber, BB King and the Stones and was at the centre of the punk revolution as well as the '90s indie scene. There are lunchtime jazz sessions from to once a month (around £5 ).
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606 Club
A lovely, but slightly out-of-the-way basement jazz club and restaurant that gives centre stage nightly to contemporary British-based jazz musicians. The club frequently stays open until , although you have to dine at weekends to gain admission (booking is advised). There is no admission charge, but you'll be charged a music fee at the end of the evening on top of your food/drink bill (around £8 during the week and £12 on weekends).
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At Proud
It's a bit tricky to find, hidden among the nooks of Camden's old Stables Market, but once you step onto the sunny roof terrace overlooking the industrial but attractive skyline, you'll be charmed into submission. It's really a summer venue, though it's open in winter too, with live bands playing most nights (when there's a cover charge of around £5 ), a crowd of socialites and beautiful people, and, most importantly, an excellent atmosphere.
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Bar Rumba
A small club just off Piccadilly with a loyal following and fab DJs, specialising in hip hop, Latin and drum'n'bass. Head down here on Thursdays for Movement, a drum'n'bass night with a star-studded DJ selection, or Get Down on Fridays for a hip hop party. There are also salsa and Latin urban dance parties on Tuesdays.
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Barfly@The Monarch
Barfly, Charles Bukowski, lounge lizards - you get the picture. This typically grungy, indie rock Camden venue is full of small-time artists looking for their big break. The focus is on rock from the US and UK, with alternative-music radio station Xfm hosting regular nights. There's a new sister venue, the Fly (36-38 New Oxford St WC1), with a similar set up.
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Bartok
Here's a true oasis: an elegant classical music lounge bar unusual not just in grungy Camden, but in the whole of London for that matter. Named after the Hungarian composer and pianist, Bartok specialises in classical concertos, live jazz or brilliant DJ sets blending jazz, classical, electro and world music. There are fantastic cocktails (try the Espresso Martinis), low sofas and intimate lighting, with fun until the wee hours.
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Big Chill House
Want to celebrate the spirit of the Big Chill festival all year round? Well, head out to King's Cross and party at this huge bar, where the owners' idea is to give Londoners a place to feel free and festive by naming parts of the 'House' after the eponymous festival's different musical areas and hosting lots of live and exciting music nights. Sister to the popular Big Chill bar (7392 9180; Dray Walk E1) off Brick Lane.
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Boogaloo
'London's Number 1 Jukebox' is how Boogaloo flaunts itself and how it's been described in the local media, thanks to its celebrity-musician-fiddled-with jukebox playlists, featuring the favourite 10 songs of the likes of Nick Cave, Sinead O'Connor, Howie B and Bobbie Gillespie, to name but a random few. There's plenty to boogie to with the live music on every night of the week. If you're into music in a big way, it's worth going out to Archway.
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Brixton Academy
Not everyone will get to Brixton, one of London's edgy but brilliant multicultural districts, but if you're heading south on the Victoria Line, one of the highlights is Brixton Academy, a scuzzy but lovely former theatre, with good sight lines and a great range of gigs for a 4000-strong crowd.
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Brixton Bar & Grill
This stylish bar under the railway arches is a superb choice for 'slinky' (their word) cocktails and listening to live music. It also has an interesting menu of small and large 'plates' as well as tapas.
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Bull & Gate
The best place to see unsigned-but-promising talent, the legendary Bull & Gate's old-skool, smoky music venue still pulls in the punters eager to see guitar bands that might just turn out to be the next big thing.
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Carling Academy Brixton
It's hard to have a bad night at the Brixton Academy, even if you leave with your soles sticky with beer, as this cavernous former theatre (holding 5000) always thrums with bonhomie. There's a properly sloping floor for good views, as well as plenty of bars. You can catch international acts of the ilk of Madonna (once), but more likely artists are Amy Winehouse, Basement Jaxx or DJ Shadow.
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Carling Academy Islington
Many complain about Islington Academy's lack of atmosphere - it is, after all, set in a shopping centre - but all agree that the artists' line-up is pretty top class: Franz Ferdinand, Kings of Leon, and even Tom Jones have played here. The acoustics are excellent and the discerning crowd is serious about their music. The adjacent Bar Academy hosts up-and-coming groups and can be a great place to see new talent.
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Castle
The Castle gets lively on Saturdays, when the market crowds pour in to rest their feet on the comfortable armchairs and sofas and enjoy the odd décor of industrial meets Moorish charm. There's Leffe and delicious strawberry beer, and the place is mainly populated by a crowd of local characters who keep it buzzing all day long. There's a full menu and live jazz on Saturday and Sunday evenings.
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Downstairs at the King's Head
A club hailing from the 1980s, with success stories of starting Eddie Izzard and Mark Lamarr's careers in its busy, smoky and intimate room. It hosts newbies and biggies in equal proportions.
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Dublin Castle
A great place to catch indie bands trying their acts and hoping they'll make it as big as Madness (which launched its career here). It's also great for catching people like Blur and Amy Winehouse for an intimate gig.
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Dusk
This rather remote stretch of Battersea Park Rd seems a truly unusual location for this glamorous, recently refurbished (and award-winning) bar but it's worth the trek. Staff make killer cocktails and there's a DJ (and sometimes live music) at the weekend.
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Forum
You can find your way to the Forum - once the famous Town & Country Club - by the ticket touts that line the way from Kentish Town tube. It's a really popular venue for seeing new big bands, and the medium-sized hall, with stalls and a mezzanine, is spacious enough and perfectly intimate.
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Foundry
Everything about the Foundry is truly bonkers. It's 'decorated' with genuinely shabby (not chic) furniture that clutters the space, the bar is made out of a plank of wood and propped by a yellowing old man, and the floor is icky. There's usually a nutter poet reading their verse on the makeshift stage, or a piano rendition of vintage David Bowie that'll stay with you for a long time, while downstairs is a live gig venue. The Foundry rules.
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Fridge
Poor old Fridge has hit hard times after years of being one of London's best and longest-running venues, with closing-down threats and suspicions for drug offences (hence the heavy searching at the door). Despite its problems, the Fridge is pulling through. This is an excellent bar and club venue that has a wide variety of club nights and live music, from African gospel and Cuban salsa to reggae and punk.
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Garage
This sweaty, indie-strong venue was closed for refurbishment at the time of research and should reopen in 2007 - though the management was iffy when we inquired - so we don't know what wonders they will have installed to amp-up the space.
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Herbal
You'll recognise Herbal by all the plastic grass stapled to its front wall. Inside is a two-level bar/small club. The laid-back, grown-up loft upstairs has a small dance floor, seating and a window overlooking Shoreditch. Downstairs is more minimalist and can get very sweaty. There's a mix of drum 'n' bass, house, funk-house and hip hop, interspersed with live shows.
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Jazz Café
Though its name would have you think that jazz is this club's main staple, its real speciality is the crossover of jazz into the mainstream. It's a trendy industrial-style restaurant with jazz gigs around once a week, while the rest of the month is filled with Afro, funk, hip hop, R&B and soul styles with big-name acts and a faithful bohemian Camden crowd.
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Koko
Once the legendary Camden Palace where Charlie Chaplin, the Goon Show, the Sex Pistols and Madonna all played gigs in the past, Koko is keeping its reputation as one of London's better gig venues - Madonna played a Confessions on a Dance Floor gig here in 2006 and Prince gave a surprise gig in 2007. The theatre has a dance floor and decadent balconies, and attracts an indie crowd with Club NME on Fridays. There are live bands almost every night of the week.
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Luminaire
The Luminaire has been getting nothing but the best of grades since it opened in 2005. Time Out named it Music Venue of the Year in 2006, and Music Week gave it its British Venue of the Year award in 2007. It deserves everything it gets -small but not crowded, with a big emphasis on friendly service and silence while music is playing. Babyshambles, Bat For Lashes, Editors, Dirty Pretty Things, Hanne Hukkelberg and others have played here.
