The big Camden gig venues: Roundhouse, KOKO, Electric Ballroom and more

Camden has four rooms that hold four figures, and two more at 450 and 500 that punch well above their size. The Roundhouse is the biggest at 1,800 standing. KOKO and the Electric Ballroom both hold around 1,500. Then come the Jazz Cafe, Dingwalls and the Underworld for the nights you want to see the drummer sweat. Here is what each room is for, what it costs, and where to stand.

The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, NW1

The Roundhouse is a Grade II* listed engine shed built in 1846 and 1847 for the London and Birmingham Railway, and it only turned trains for about a decade before locomotives got too long for it. It spent 50 years as a gin warehouse for W and A Gilbey. Music arrived in 1966, when Soft Machine and Pink Floyd played the all night launch of the underground paper International Times, and The Doors played one of only two UK shows here in 1968.

The Main Space holds 1,800 standing across the floor and the balcony, and because the room is a circle, the balcony wraps right round the stage. Tube to Chalk Farm, not Camden Town: it is the closer station. The building is also a creative centre for young people, with courses, drop ins and studio space for 11 to 30 year olds, and the Roundhouse Rising strand puts new acts on the bill. Check what's on for the current run; it mixes big touring names with poetry, circus and club nights.

KOKO, 1a Camden High Street, NW1

KOKO opened on Boxing Day 1900 as the Camden Theatre, designed by W. G. R. Sprague and opened by Ellen Terry. It has been a cinema, a BBC radio studio (The Goon Show was recorded here), the Music Machine from 1977 and the Camden Palace from 1982. A fire in January 2020 took out the dome mid restoration, and the venue came back after a £70m project with a 1,500 capacity auditorium.

The nearest Tube is Mornington Crescent, at the bottom of Camden High Street. Gigs run most nights of the week, and on Fridays and Saturdays the room turns into KOKO Electronic, with house and disco DJs until late. KOKO's listings are the place to check doors and age limits, because the club nights and the gigs run to different times. Cafe KOKO does pizza and small plates if you want to eat before.

Electric Ballroom, 184 Camden High Street, NW1

The Electric Ballroom started as an Irish ballroom in the 1930s, took its current name in 1978 and was owned by Bill Fuller until his death in 2008. It is a two storey building with two dance floors, four bars and a ground floor stage, and it holds 1,500. The venue's own roll call runs from Sid Vicious, Joy Division and The Smiths to Paul McCartney and Prince.

It sits right next to Camden Town station, which is why Transport for London twice tried to knock it down for a station rebuild; both attempts were rejected. Gigs run in the week and club nights take over on Fridays and Saturdays, so read the ticket for stage times.

Jazz Cafe, 5 Parkway, NW1

The Jazz Cafe moved to Camden in 1990, into a former Barclays bank, and holds 450 over two floors. The name undersells it: the programme runs through soul, funk, hip hop, reggae, Brazilian and Afro jazz as well as the straight stuff. On a typical live night the listed times are 19:00 to 22:30, and some acts play an early and a late show on the same night.

The choice that matters is the ticket type. Standing puts you on the downstairs floor; the restaurant ticket gets you a table upstairs with a guaranteed view, and it costs more. On one recent listing standing was £25 and the restaurant £35. Book upstairs if you are going for the music and want to sit; stand if you are going to dance. The what's on page filters by genre.

Dingwalls, Camden Lock, NW1

Dingwalls opened in 1973 as the flagship of the new Camden Lock, in a Victorian timber warehouse that still carries T. E. Dingwall's painted name. It holds 500. Blondie made their UK debut by the Lock, and the pub rock and punk years made its name. Vince Power bought it in 2020, ran it as the PowerHaus while he fought over the name, and has traded as Dingwalls again since 2023. There is a smaller canal side room for about 100 that books unsigned acts, plus the Lock 17 and Terrace bar for a drink over the water first.

The Underworld, 174 Camden High Street, NW1

Under the World's End pub, opposite Camden Town station, the Underworld is 500 capacity, standing only, and the home of metal, punk and heavy rock in Camden. Foo Fighters, Radiohead, Queens of the Stone Age and Fall Out Boy have all played here. Most gig tickets on the current listings sit between £20 and £35 plus fees. Gigs are 14 and over, and 14 and 15 year olds must come with an adult. The gig curfew is 23:00 Sunday to Thursday and 22:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, because the club takes over at 23:00.

Which room for which night

• A big name in the round: the Roundhouse. Get the balcony rail.
• A big name in a theatre: KOKO, with the tiers stacked over the floor.
• A rock show that ends in a mosh: the Electric Ballroom or, louder still, the Underworld.
• Soul, jazz or Afrobeat with a seat: the Jazz Cafe, upstairs.
• A gig by the water: Dingwalls.

Every one of these rooms sits on or just off the line from Mornington Crescent up to Chalk Farm. Pick the gig, then pick the pub. Check the venue on the day: doors move, and support slots get added.