You’d think that a city as grand as London would be home to more music venues and although it is to some of the world’s most prestigious venues, they are few in number. It is estimated that 40% of music venues in London have closed over the past 10 years, for a variety of reasons from complaints about the noise to making space for other structures such as train lines. Through all of this, the Music Venue Trust,  a charity which aims to “protect, secure & develop the future of Grassroots Live Music Venues in the UK” have been working to prevent the number of music venues being shut down from increasing. Here are the details about some venues in London which are still standing.

Electric Ballroom – Camden Town

The Electric Ballroom is a rock nightclub situated in the vibrant and eccentric town of Camden. Its location, two doors away from Camden Town tube station gives easy access to visitors travelling from all parts of the city. It’s hosted some of the world’s most renowned bands and artists.

The Electric Ballroom holds regular club nights, its most popular being ‘Sin City’. It is also host to the ‘Camden Film Fair’ which takes place several times a year. 16 year olds and over are not required to be accompanied by an adult and no one under 14 can be admitted into the venue.

Legendary Bands/Artists to Have Performed There: U2, The Smiths, Kings of Leon, Snow Patrol, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Sir Paul McCartney.

The Garage – Highbury and Islington

The Garage is an indie and rock venue situated in the heart of Highbury. It’s only half a minute away from Highbury and Islington station so thanks to London’s handy transport network, is easily accessible regardless of the part of the city you’re travelling from. The venue is split into two parts, ‘The Garage’ (the main venue) and ‘The Garage Upstairs’, which has a 150 person capacity, its overall capacity totalling 750. Its small capacity makes for some nice, intimate gigs, enabling you to get up close to your favourite band or artist and take some great photographs.

Legendary Bands/Artists to Have Performed There: Oasis, Kings of Leon, Radiohead, Muse, Arctic Monkeys, Jeff Buckley, Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

The Roundhouse – Chalk Farm

The Roundhouse is a music venue situated on Chalk Farm Rd in the London Borough of Camden. The roundhouse is an arts centre which holds theatre, dance, spoken word and circus performances, as well as other performances of a wide variety of genres. Its capacity of over 3,000 makes it the biggest venue on this list. It is also home to the annual Apple Music Festival (formerly iTunes Festival). It is a unique venue in that it offers fantastic opportunities for 11-25 year olds through its ‘Young Creatives’ scheme, enabling them to kick-start their careers in the creative industries.

Legendary Bands/Artists to Have Performed There: The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin Pink Floyd, Ramones, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Black Sabbath, Elton John.

Koko - Camden Town

Koko is a music venue situated in Camden town. It holds performances by bands and artists of a wide variety of genres and from all around the world. Despite its current mainstream appeal, the venue was said to have “found a place at the heart of punk” when it reopened in 1970 as ‘The Music Machine’.

Legendary Bands/Artists to Have Performed There: Madonna, The Sex Pistols, Iron Maiden, The Cure, Coldplay, Elton John, Christina Aguilera, Amy Winehouse.

You can get involved and support small live music venues by visiting www.musicvenuetrust.com. They have lots to get involved in, such as attending their events and supporting their campaigns. If you represent a grassroots live music venue in the UK, you can join their Music Venues Alliance and they will help support your venue, support your work and protect your business. And of course, keep attending gigs!