London’s indie scene is huge these days – there are so many places that play ‘indie’ music (and alternative music in general) that you’ll find it hard to decide where to go. We've come up with a guide of a few of the best places to try.
THE METRO: A cosy little nightclub on Oxford Street that hosts regular club nights, not only on the weekend but during the week as well. It is also the place to go to see live bands; gigs normally start in the early evening and are followed by whatever club night is on that day. The ‘club’ Metro is open from 11pm - 3am (weekdays) and from 11pm – 4am on Fridays and Saturdays, there are live bands during the week before 11pm.. You get a discount on the entry price if you have a flyer (people around Oxford Street/Tottenham Court Road hand them out so watch out for them!). Entry is between £3 - £8 depending on whether you have a flyer/which night you go.
The Metro’s regular club nights are: BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE on Tuesday where you can expect nu-metal, emo and skate punk; I BET THAT YOU LOOK GOOD ON THE DANCEFLOOR on Wednesdays - an indie night where you’ll hear stuff of the best new bands and the typical indie club classics; Thursdays it’s ELECTRIC CIRCUS - a night of r’n’r, post-punk, new wave, glam rock, electronic and other stuff; then comes Friday with BEDROCK – djs spinning indie, alternative and retro tunes and on Saturday theres BLOW-UP for fans of mod, punk, soul, retro pon and new wave.
PUSH at Astoria 2: used for live music as well as for club nights. The music will be indie, alternative and electro, depending on who is Djing the Saturday you choose to go. They’ve also always got amazing live bands, that usually play around midnight. The night starts at 11pm and finishes at 4am. It’s £10 to get in, but discounts are available if you collect a flyer.
AFTER SKOOL CLUB at The Quad: This is a weekly club night on Saturdays all about indie, electro, retro and pop music. The night starts at 10pm and finishes at 3am. Without a flyer it’s £6 all night, but discounts are available with a flyer.
SILVER ROCKET at the Buffalo Bar: has a club night every third Friday of the month - less mainstream indie than most other places. This is great for lovers of unusual indie, alt-rock and post punk. It usually starts at 8pm and finishes some time between 2am and 4am. It’s £5 without a flyer for the gigs, and you can stay for free for the club night. If you’d only like to go to the club night, it’s £3 after 23.30. Check their website for upcoming dates and live acts: www.silverrocket.org/
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EAT IT! Upstairs at Sin Charing Cross Road has a weekly club night (on Saturdays), with former ‘Frog’ DJ Dannyboy playing the usual indie/electro/retro records supported by guest DJs. There’s a second room where Little Chris (who also DJs at Metro’s ‘bedrock’) plays everything from Blur to The Cure. The night starts at 10pm and finishes at 4am. It’s £5 before 11pm, then £7 to get in.
BE at Proud Galleries Stables Market, Camden is a club night on Saturdays, for the maybe more mature, more fashionable indie crowd. Fed up with mainstream indie and guys dressed up as the libertines? This is the place to go. Not only the right place for a bit of dressing–up (in a fun way) but also a good chance to see the best new live bands. For more info re upcoming nights and tickets go to www.be-at.co.uk/
KOKO on Camden High Street is a venue that offers amazing (indie) live acts during the week as well as on the weekend. From Monday to Thursday doors open at 19.00; support acts are
on stage early, headline acts usually start between 8.30 and 9pm. The gigs end at 11pm. On Fridays the gigs end at 10pm and are followed by Club NME (anyone who has been at the gig can stay at Club NME for free), a well-known indie night. For Club NME it’s generally £5 to get in before midnight and £7 afterwards. Ticket prices for live bands vary, check www.koko.uk.com for details and upcoming shows.
PANIC! At the Roxy in Rathbone Place W1 is a weekly club night on Tuesdays, much cheaper than similar nights – if you sign up to their mailing list, you can get in for £1! If you don’t want to do that, it’s still fairly cheap at £5 without a flyer. The music will be punk, electro, hip-hop, rock n roll & whatever the DJs feel like playing.
The venue is small and cosy and drinks there are also quite cheap – you can get 2 Kronenburg/Grolsch for £3 and a double Vodka & Mixer for £2.50
Check their website for further information: www.panicclub.net
BUTTONED DOWN DISCO at secret locations: These change their location constantly - you’ll go to one of their nights in East London and the next one will be in Camden - that’s how it works. Now they also have a monthly night at Koko’s. All of their parties are invite-only parties. The easiest way to get an invitation is to go to their webpage and sign up for their email list, they will then send you an invitation email that also contains information about the location where the next BDD will take place. www.buttoneddowndisco.com/. The parties are free before 11pm and or £7 afterwards. Music-wise it’s pretty much anything goes, so expect to hear Indie, Pop, Punk, Electro, Funk & Disco, as well as Dub, Reggae, Ska, Soul, Motown, Psychedelic Garage Rock, Bubblegum Pop, and New Wave.
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UNZIPPED at The Fly on New Oxford Street are the people who also organize Panic! (at the Roxy) & Bedrock (at the Metro). With two floors of music, they’ll be spinning records at The Fly (which is part of the Barfly family). The music will be all about indie, 80s pop, electro, post-punk: PANIC! DJs Max & Gaz will play their usual mix of electro/indie mash up disco while Metro Djs Little Chris & Nik Nak will play indie, soul and whatever they feel like. You can get £1 shots and other cheap drinks all night, so it’s one of the city’s less expensive Saturday night clubs.
CANDY BOX: Thursdays at Moonlighting on Greek Street is notorious for it’s cheap drinks - you pay £1 for a spirit and mixer or a bottle of beer. The music will include classic indie acts such as Bloc Party, Maximo Park, The White Stripes & Editors but you’ll also hear retro stuff and 90s indie. It’s £5 to get in (with flyer) or £3 before 11pm. You can get print-out flyers if you go on their website: www.candy-box.co.uk
POPSCENE at the Astoria 2: A weekly club night on Fridays from 11pm until 4am. Dj's include: DJ MAC, MICHAEL (Candybox), HERB (Collide-A-Scope), and various guest DJs. The music is mainly indie, but you’ll also hear everything from Britpop to Grunge. It’s £8 to get in without a flyer or £6 with a flyer.
THE QUEEN IS DEAD: on Fridays at The Borderline Manette Street W1 is another night of indie, rock, punk and more. They’ve also got live bands each week. The nights start at 11pm and finish at 3am; it’s £7 to get in.
WHITE HEAT: Tuesdays at Madame Jo Jo's: Nights start at 8pm and finish at 3am. It’s £5 to get in, or less with a flyer. Expect to hear punk, new wave, and electro from DJs Olly and Matty; they’ve also got live acts.
Hopefully that's given you a few ideas to be getting on with, but please let us know via the contact e-mail if you know of any other great Indie/Alternative nights/clubs!
NOTE This information was correct at time of writing July 2008. Before going to any of these nights, please check the details with the club/promoter.
