london club guide
there's a fantastic range dj bars and clubs in london which hold a diverse range of regular club nights, with new ones turning up each month. to find out the what's going on this week check out weJamming's london club listings. here's a guide to what you can expect
house & techno
house comes alive at the weekend with fabric, turnmills, the end and ministry of sound all putting on house club nights on fridays saturdays or both often hosting the latest international djs swinging into town
but if the superclub scene is just too big for you there are also plenty of smaller and more intimate house nights to be lived such as neighbourhood in west london, the rhythm factory in whitechapel and the line of dj bars that snake up from angel to highbury corner.
r'n'b/hip hop/garage
soho is home to hip hop london club nights, with sunday night's indelible marker at soho institute madame jo jo's top dog on the good time night out stakes, having hosted the hip hop kings de la soul!
but hey, the rest of the week is cool too, with smoove at the ministry of sound kicking things off on fridays, metparties at nyt club and xtravagant at the academy islington holding the candle on saturdays and the listings for bar rumba always being worth a look through the week
reggae
london has always had a special relationship with reggae. bob marley had a couple of legendary gigs here back in the '70's (including the live version of woman no cry on multi million selling legend), the base for island records that helped bring reggae out of the carribbean plus the strong jamaican population in the capital means that reggae holds a special place in london.
some top nights include rodigan's reggae on wednesday nights at mass, brixton, tighten up's trojan records sponsored mix of reggae, ska, rocksteady, old-school-dancehall, roots & dub @ catch on the first saturday of each month, and the zinc fence residency plays @ soma two mondays of the month
indie
even though most of the bands that have made up indie, britpop and present have come from the regions, they've all pretty much had to spend time in london for exposure and there are a number of excellent club nights where you can hear anything and everything from panic to disco 2000 to some might say
if you're central and it's friday night then you might want to check out the queen is dead at the borderline, alan mcghee's friday night indie club that features some indie gems past & present and regularly hosts live bands picked by mr mcghee's a&r ear, while he's putting together shows at notting hill arts club on wednesday nights.
but if you're really looking to keep your indie options open, camden town is your destination with loads of indie venues most of whom are hosting indie bands every night.
club seal at the academy in islington is a new addition to the indie clubnight circuit, spinning everthing and anything indie, alternative or rock 3 out of 4 fridays and entry just £2-£4
there's the nme club night at koko on friday with a mix of nme dhs and guests spinning indie classics & hosting live acts, saturday night clubbing at the barfly, three live bands on stage at the pub with a stage dublin castle.
and when the weekend is over, there's always monday night's trash at the end club - where you can see where all the house heads get jiggy at the weekend to an indie rock 'n' roll soundtrack
you can check out london gig listings, club listings and the venue directory to find out what's going on this week
latin
if you're feelin blue the latin spirit will see you through and just because every night is party night, tuesday night is when you should be at guanabara, while the brazillian theme continues at the brazillian love affair hosted by notting hill arts club on various night during the month
d'n'b & breakbeats
wednesday night's nag nag nag at the ghetto, down an alleyway behind the atoria has built up a bit of a good time following and it's the place to be midweek nights.
bar rumba takes pole position on thursday night d'n'b with movement and all kinds of heavyweight djs and mcs directing the action on this long running big night out
for your weeklend fix it's time to head out east to old street. 333 fridays and saturdays showcase some new d'n'b beats amongst the house discs. sunday night sees herbal hosting the awesome dj grooverider on sunday night's grace & playing on a kick ass soundsystem with precision and clarity.
asian beats
the london scene for young asian music continues to grow - from the down to earth dj magazine top ten listed eastern drum and breaks night at herbal that features tabla fuelled breaks & more mellow abstract vibes to the exclusive monthly kuch kuch nights every last saturday playing movie favourites, eastern beats & bhangra @ the millenium club complete with asian style bureacracy - you need to be on the guest list to gain entry - but hey, keep smiling cos you're a star
chart & pop
ok, if you're looking for the latest chart hits and special drink deals with a dancefloor to boot. the leicester square/piccadilly circus area is where it's at and the place you're likely to meet tourists, office party workers out on the night and passer bys somehow lured into a night on the town.
probably the most obvious destination here as long as you could look at least 25 is tiger tiger, a three floor bar/club/restaurant for ladies & gentlemen. free entry before 10pm fridays and saturdays, sofas, a decent dancefloor and your change comes in silver trays where you can leave tips if you feel that way.
just round the corner on leicester square is the hippodrome, an old relic of a disco that has a slight old cinema theatre feel to it that hosted charlie chaplin back in the 1930's.
smaller and more informal to both of these venues is the zoo bar - a dj bar on the east side of leicester square
and if you're looking for something spontaneous and you've got a sense of adventure too you van always check out the buttoned down disco nights - a series of mystery club nights who's location can be determined by logging onto buttoneddowndisco.com - where not only will you find the top secret location but the chance to print off a flyer for free entry. how good is that?
