Small gig venues in Camden: Dublin Castle, Barfly, Underworld and Green Note

Doors at 19:15, £10 to £15 on the door, four bands and a pint: that is a weeknight at the Dublin Castle, and it is still the best value night out in Camden. The small rooms are where the next lot come from, and Camden still has a run of them between Parkway and Chalk Farm Road. Here is where to go, what it costs and what each room does best.

The Dublin Castle, 94 Parkway, NW1

The back room at the Dublin Castle holds about 200, and it is where Madness built their name: they first played here on 16 January 1979, after pretending to be a jazz band to get the booking, and landlord Alo Conlon gave them a residency. Blur played early London gigs here, and Coldplay played their first show under that name here in 1998. Amy Winehouse was a regular, and sometimes helped behind the bar.

The format has not changed much. The current listings show doors at 19:15 most nights, three or four bands on a bill, and £10 to £15 on the door. Monday is the free open mic. There are DJs after the bands every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and drinks are cheaper before 18:00. Go on a Tuesday, pay a tenner, and watch somebody's first London show.

Barfly, 49 Chalk Farm Road, NW1

The old Victorian pub at 49 Chalk Farm Road was called the Monarch, then from 2000 the Barfly, then for ten years the Camden Assembly. Now it is the Barfly again: Propaganda Independent Venues bought it in December and relaunched it under the old name in June, with Frank Turner, who first played the room in 2001, on the opening night. The gig room upstairs holds 200.

The roll call is the reason people care: The Strokes played one of their first London shows here, and Coldplay, Franz Ferdinand, Adele and Amy Winehouse all came through. The refit added a vinyl listening bar and a 1959 jukebox downstairs. Barfly's own listings mix new band bills, indie and themed club nights, a music quiz in the pub, and the London International Ska Festival social club on Saturday afternoons. Our tip: the new band bills cost the least and teach you the most.

What happened to the Monarch?

This catches people out. The Monarch name that Camden gig goers remember from the 1980s and 1990s belonged to 49 Chalk Farm Road, which is the Barfly. A separate pub at 40 to 42 Chalk Farm Road later took the Monarch name and also ran gigs, but its Songkick page shows no upcoming shows and nothing listed since early 2020. If someone tells you to meet at the Monarch, they almost certainly mean the Barfly.

The Underworld, 174 Camden High Street, NW1

Below the World's End pub, right opposite Camden Town station, the Underworld is the heavy end of town: metal, punk, hardcore and rock, 500 standing. At that size it is bigger than the pub back rooms, but it still feels like a basement because it is one. Most tickets on the current listings sit between £20 and £35 plus booking fees, through DICE. Gigs are 14 and over, with 14 and 15 year olds accompanied by an adult. The gig curfew is 22:00 on Fridays and Saturdays so the club can start at 23:00, which means weekend headliners are on early. No tracksuits; trainers are fine.

Green Note, 106 Parkway, NW1

Just up Parkway from the Dublin Castle, Green Note is a small independent venue and vegetarian cafe bar with gigs every night: folk, Americana, country, bluegrass, blues, roots, jazz and singer songwriters. Tickets on the current listings mostly run from £10 to £20, and some shows add a matinee with doors at 13:30. Evening opening is 19:00 to 23:00. Seats are first come, first served and they do not take table reservations, so arrive early if you want to sit. It is all ages, with children accompanied. The Basement Bar is down a steep flight of stairs with no step free access, and there is no accessible toilet.

Dingwalls canal bar, Camden Lock, NW1

The main room at Dingwalls holds 500, but there is a smaller canal bar room for about 100 that regularly puts on unsigned artists. It is a good way to see a band by the water without paying for a touring headliner. Check the Dingwalls listings for which room a show is in.

How to do a small gig night in Camden

• Cheapest night: Monday open mic at the Dublin Castle, free on the door.
• Best for new bands: the Dublin Castle on a weeknight or a new band bill at the Barfly, both around a tenner.
• Loudest: the Underworld. Bring earplugs.
• Quietest and best to sit down: Green Note, if you get there for doors.
• The double: early show at Green Note, then walk back down Parkway for the last band at the Dublin Castle.

Small rooms change their bills at short notice, and support acts get added on the day. Check the venue's own page before you set off, pay on the door where you can, and buy a drink at the bar: that is what keeps these rooms open.