Showing 1-13 of 13 results
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Barbican
The Barbican is home to the wonderful London Symphony Orchestra, but scores of leading international musicians also perform here every year. The lesser known BBC Symphony Orchestra, City of London Symphonia and English Chamber Orchestra are also regulars.
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Bethnal Green Working Men's Club
This is a true rags-to-riches story: BGWMC was on the brink of bankruptcy, its working men about to become destitute and pintless, until a clever promoter spread the news of trashy burlesque nights taking place in the club's main hall. Whoopee, London's top burlesque bonanza people host regular nights, in addition to tassel-twirling contests, alternative Eurovision nights and other sweet selections. Check the website for what's on.
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Earl's Court Exhibition Centre
The kind of large, soulless venue that gave stadium rock its bad name, Earl's Court was where Justin Timberlake was famously photographed pawing Kylie Minogue's bum and where most of the gigs you'll see will be by massively expensive, high-flying stars, whose faces will be a dot in the distance and whose songs will echo in the sky. You'll see artists such as Kaiser Chiefs and U2 here.
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George & Dragon
Once a scuzzy local pub, the George (as ye shall dub it if you value your Shoreditch High St cred) was taken over and decorated with the owner's grandma's antiques and has since been the epicentre of the Hoxton scene for a decade. Some of the best DJ nights in London are on offer here, with cabaret performances taking place on window sills (Sunday cabaret is trés popular). It's total fun and mindless hedonism. Not a place for a quiet pint.
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Kenwood House
An outdoor concert on the grounds of Kenwood House for Proms on the Heath has been a highlight of any good summer in London. People picnicked on the grass or sat in deck chairs with strawberries and chilled wine and listened to classical music and opera - staying on for fireworks on select July and August weekend evenings. The concert season was cancelled in summer 2007, but the English Heritage committee is trying to revive the tradition.
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Madame Jo Jo's
The renowned subterranean cabaret bar and all its sleazy fun kitsch comes into its own with Lost & Found on Saturdays, where rhythm & blues, ska, northern soul and rockabilly attract all sorts of dressed-up ladies and gents itching to party. Keb Darge's Deep Funk night on Friday is equally legendary, attracting a cool crew of breakers, jazz dancers and people just out to have a good time. Look for weekly burlesque nights, too.
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O2
Formerly the doomed Millennium Dome, this pricey fiasco has now reinvented itself as one of the city's major concert venues, hosting all the biggies - the Rolling Stones, Prince, Elton John, Scissor Sisters and many others, inside the 20,000-capacity stadium. Ticket prices start at around £23 .
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Royal Albert Hall
This splendid Victorian concert hall hosts many classical-music, rock and other performances, but it is most famous as the venue for the (BBC) Proms - one of the world's biggest classical music festivals. Booking is possible, but from mid-July to mid-September Proms punters also queue for around £4 standing (or 'promenading') tickets that go on sale one hour before curtain up.
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Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is one of the best places for catching world music artists. Some of its most popular programmes are the so-called 'Meltdowns' - basically a list of favourite music and musicians compiled by the likes of David Bowie and Jarvis Cocker. Reopened in Summer 2007, the two-year, around £91 million renovations used the existing 1950s materials - concrete, leather and wood - to excellent effects.
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Shepherd's Bush Empire
Excellent musicians such as Björk, Coco Rosie or Antony and the Johnsons perform in this lovely mid-sized venue, and there's always something interesting going on. The floor doesn't slope, so if you're under 6ft tall, it's a little difficult to see from up the back in the stalls - it's worth paying for the balcony.
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Union Chapel
One of London's most atmospheric and individual music venues, the Union Chapel is an old church that still holds services, and concerts - mainly acoustic - in between. It was here that Björk performed one of her most memorable concerts to a candlelit audience. The chapel hosts a monthly comedy night.
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Wembley Arena
Some years and around £30 million later, the Wembley Arena has been vastly improved, though its size will never make you feel 'at one' with the artist. It's the place to come and see big names like Gwen Stefani, vintage artists like Lionel Richie, or dance and scream to Girls Aloud. Tickets can be massively overpriced (up to around £100 for really big names).
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Wigmore Hall
This is one of the best concert venues in town, not only because of its fantastic acoustics, beautiful Art Nouveau hall and great variety of concerts and recitals, but also because of the sheer standard of the performances. Built in 1901 as the recital hall for Bechstein Pianos, it has remained one of the top places in the world for chamber music.
Showing 1-13 of 13 results
