Gig venue guide: The Electric Ballroom, London

This Camden club is a hangover from a previous generation of gig venues – but it still feels like a natural home for rock’n’roll

Capacity: 1,100

Who plays there: The backbone of the Electric Ballroom has always been rock and indie. It has hosted legendary shows from the likes of the Jesus and Mary Chain and the Birthday Party, and its current schedule includes Royal Blood, Ty Segall, Against Me! and Mallory Knox. Hip-hop and pop make occasional appearances – Deltron 3030 and Tove Lo are booked for November – but guitars are at the centre of the Electric’s offering.

Cloakroom: Yes.

Admission: Typically between £10 and £20.

Bar: If a VIP area has been cordoned off upstairs, the bar there becomes out of bounds for ordinary punters. Downstairs there’s an in-the-round bar as you enter the venue and a long one at the back of the main room. The Electric employs a bizarre anti-theft system that means the person serving you your drink is not the person who cashes up, which could slow things down, but in practice service is usually fairly brisk. The drinks are nothing to write home about – £4.50 for a pint of one of the generic lagers or ciders. Cans are available and the usual range of spirits.

Food: No.

Toilets: The Electric is one of the venues that has people in its loos trying to force scents and lotions on you, making you feel guilty if you don’t leave a tip after washing your hands.

Wheelchair access: The venue’s website says: “The front door staff will assist wheelchair users to a raised platform which is near the stage and adjacent to a fire escape. They will also direct people to a disabled toilet and a low counter-bar area where there is a small ramp, so that they can be easily served. Others not in wheelchairs but needing special seating should contact the venue in advance and suitable seating will be arranged. One carer or each wheelchair user will be admitted free of charge.”

Sound: Not bad. The fact that the Electric is a long, low room means there isn’t the boom of the high-ceilinged theatres. It was one of the last venues in London to keep an analogue sound system, but earlier this year completed the switch to a fully digital system, making it one of the highest specced venues in the city. DB Audio, which has supplied the sound system to the Electric for more than 30 years, is proud of the new equipment, and on recent visits to the venue, we’ve found the sound punchy and clear.

Where to stand: If you want space, go to the back. You will find it easier to get a drink and go to the loo, but you’ll also be surrounded by the talkers and your sightlines will be atrocious. If seeing the stage is your main priority, get there early and head upstairs to grab one of the spots by the balcony window frames. (If you don’t arrive early there’s no point in going upstairs: only people at the very front see anything.) The strange layout of the Ballroom – you enter the dancefloor from the side, not the back – means you can get reasonably near the front without getting there hours early. My preferred place is halfway forward, at the right-hand edge of the dancefloor. The advantage is that you have a decent view and an easy exit. The disadvantage is that every single person who goes to the loo or the bar will bump into you. There is no ideal spot here: it’s all about weighing up the relative disadvantages of any given perch.

Overall: The Electric Ballroom is a hangover from a previous generation of gig venues: it’s scuzzy, grimy, tired and badly laid out. But there’s also something marvellous about it. It feels, undeniably, like a rock’n’roll club, whereas many of the newer venues feel like purpose-built, multi-format entertainment spaces that happen to host gigs. The Electric Ballroom feels as if it was built only for bands and their fans (despite also hosting club nights and daytime record and clothing fairs). That’s maybe reflected in the fact that it can be the rowdiest of comparably sized venues in London: its very scuzziness suggests that being rowdy is encouraged. Its future remains in doubt, with Transport for London keen to redevelop the neighbouring tube station, but it has fought off threats so far. With Camden’s position as the hub of the capital’s music scene diminishing, the Electric Ballroom is a living reminder of the glory days – and a still vital home for live music.

Address: 184 Camden High Street, London NW1 8QP

Telephone: 020-7485 9006

Website: electricballroom.co.uk

Public transport: Camden Town tube, for the Northern line, is next door. Camden Road station, for the London Overground, is five minutes’ walk. Buses C2, 14, 27, 29, 31, 134, 135, 168, 214, 274, N2, N5, N20, N31, N134, N253 and N279 pass nearby.

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