Barfly - Camden

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by Scott van Dort (subscribe)

I'm a freelance writer currently living in L.A. Home is where the heart is and my heart is in London. I'm a massive music, travel and Arsenal fan.

Published December 11th 2012

Come hang with the indie elite

Few places are as important to the indie-rock scene in London as Camden's Barfly. In fact chances are if you're into indie-rock and you live in London then this is likely to be your second home.

Voted London's number one small venue in an NME readers poll, Barfly plays host to quality live music 7 nights a week as well as a selection of club nights several times a week.

Consisting of two rooms, an upstairs room and a downstairs room, Barfly is known for promoting up and coming indie rock bands. Over the years The Killers, Friendly Fires, The Horrors, Kasabian, The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Adele, Franz Ferdinand, Muse, Coldplay, Scissor Sisters and countless others have all graced the stage at Barfly.

Club nights are an essential part of Barfly and there are many quality nights including Casino Royale, which is held on the 1st & 3rd Saturdays and is now in it's fourteenth year. Upstairs plays classic guitar cuts from the 70s 'til now while downstairs plays an eclectic mix of 60s garage, northern soul, and psychedelia.

For popular events, your best bet is to order tickets in advance via TicketFly.

The main room is on the street level and is a sophisticated looking room; awash with maroons and purples right down to the velvet drapes that hug the windows and cast away the outside world. There are several plush leather booths with mahogany tables located along the windows as well as leather stools and high tables scattered around the main room.

Upstairs is the band room and it's basically one large "corridor" with the stage at the far end as you walk up the stairs. It doesn't take much to pack out this room with the capacity somewhere around 200 people. On a busy night things can get hot and stuffy very quickly.

The crowd is younger (think University) and always hip; expect lots of noise, cutting edge indie fashion, cool haircuts, and quality music.

Check out their calendar and get down to this indie rock haven.

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