Brixton club guide

Brixton:clubs

It's getting harder to distinguish between clubs and pubs with music these days, so we've included some bars/pubs in the listings. Our advice is to try and avoid the big weekend nights and check out some of the less packed nights in the week.

***BRIXTON ACADEMY Brixton/Ferndale Rd
One of the most famous major venues in Britain, the Academy plays host to regular major concerts and occasional club nights. We've had some blinding nights there. www.brixton-academy.co.uk tel: 0207 7771 2000

****BUG BAR St Matthews Church, Brixton Hill, SW9
Situated in the crypt below St Matthews Church, the Bug Bar is a great starting point for a night on the town. Intimate, dark and friendly, there's good nights with drum'n'bass, reggae and house on the decks along with the occasional live band and comedy night. Beer's a bit expensive but it's usually free to get in on weekdays and stays open till 1am (2am Fri/Sat). www.bugbar.co.uk tel: 020 7738 3184

**CLUB SALSA Loughborough Hotel, SW9
Popular and long running Salsa night at the Loughborough Hotel on Fridays. It doesn't rattle our maraccas but others love it. www.dancesalsa.co.uk tel: 0207 7733 9305

****CLUB 414 414 Coldharbour Lane, SW9
One of our favourite clubs anywhere. Small, dark and relaxed, the 414 plays thumping hard house and techno from Thurs to Sunday, open till 6am with reasonable admission prices - especially if you get there early. Our favourite night has to be Nuclear Free with the Liberators - loud, hot and sweaty. Nice! www.club414ent.co.uk tel:0207 7924 9322
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****THE DOGSTAR 389 Coldharbour Lane, SW9
Conveniently just down the road from the urban75 tower block, the Dogstar is one of Brixton's most popular bar/clubs. In the week it's free to get in and stays open till 2am (4am Fri/Sat) with the reasonably priced beer and excellent DJs pulling a very lively Brixton crowd. We recommended Sun to Thur nights. Come the weekend, however, and it's a very different story as the place is transformed into Cheesy High-Heel Disco Hell. Hordes of Cla'am Tamara's and Tarquin's descend en masse, leaping straight out of their taxis (no need to mix it with those nasty rough Brixton types) and into the drunken chat-up inferno inside. It is ghastly. Avoid at all costs. www.dogstarbar.demon.co.uk, tel: 0207 733 7515

** THE FRIDGE 1 Town Hall Parade, Brixton Hill
This used to be one of our favourite haunts, but the continuing heavy handed security, trickling water taps and overcrowding have made us less inclined to visit. If prancing around with a load of fluoro'd up tranceheads is your thang, you'll probably like Escape From Samsara. If - for some reason - you find yourself with an unstoppable urge to "invoke the Celtic Tribal Spirit", you should get down to Pendragon - once you've forgotten the cod-Arthurian tosh you should be in for a good night of banging techno and hard trance. The Fridge also hosts several popular gay nights. Admission varies but is generally around £8 - £12. www.fridge.co.uk tel: 020 7326 5100

*** FRIDGE BAR 1 Town Hall Parade, Brixton Hill
Right next door to the Fridge, this is a small and friendly joint with a busy street level bar and a delightfully sleazy dark dancefloor downstairs. It attracts a busy mixed gay/straight crowd on weekends, but we like it best as a chill out on Sunday nights. Admission is free weekdays (open till 2am, 4am weekends). For the serious clubber, the bar opens at 6am on Saturdays with a charge on the door. www.fridge.co.uk tel: 020 7326 5100
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**** LIVING ROOM 443 Coldharbour La, SW9
Starting life as a timewarp old fogies pub called 'The Coach and Horses' before being yuppified into the IsoBar in 1999, the Living Room comes as close to a New York bar as Brixton can get. Go there on a good night and you can have an excellent time, enjoying the quirky DJs, reasonable beer and laid back vibe. Go there on a (increasingly more common) bad night and expect to put up with masses of security, big queues, heaving crowds, hurling punters, loud cheesy music and even a "couples only" policy - and the prospect of admission charges. Open till 2am every night (free), weekends open till 4am free b4 10pm / £5 after www.livingroombar.co.uk, [email protected], tel: 020 7326 4040

**** MASS CLUB St Matthews Church, Brixton Hill, SW9
Situated above the Bug bar, Mass is a sizeable venue with a good reputation for their hard house nights on the weekend. A converted church, it's dark and dingy interior plays host to some of the best nights in London, although the two rooms can get a bit rammed.www.massclub.co.uk tel: 0208 555 5423

*** SUBSTATION SOUTH 9 Brighton Terrace
Gay/mixed bar with friendly crowd and DJs playing soulful deep house and garage.

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