The Roundhouse gig guide: where to stand, drink and get there

The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8EH. Doors are usually 19:00 and the curfew 23:00 for the shows listed below. Bring a card, because every bar is card only.

What is on in March

The listings below come from the Roundhouse and Ticketmaster. Line-ups change, so check the event page before you leave the house. Ticket prices are on each event page, and fees run at 15% plus a £2.40 restoration levy per ticket.

• Thursday 12 March: Hot Mulligan, 19:00.
• Sunday 15 March: Asha Banks, 19:00.
• Thursday 19 March: Kate Nash, doors 19:00, curfew 23:00. She plays 9 Sad Symphonies plus new material including the single GERM. Latecomers are admitted and the show is digitally ticketed.
• Friday 20 March: Mind Against present HABITAT. It is 18+, doors 19:00, curfew 23:00, digitally ticketed, and the space is rebuilt as a sensory environment.
• Friday 27 March: Happy Mondays, 19:00.
• Saturday 28 March: Scouting for Girls, 19:00.
• Monday 30 March: Dani Martin, 19:00.

Details for Kate Nash and Mind Against are on the Roundhouse event page and the HABITAT page. The rest are on Ticketmaster.

The building, briefly

It is a Grade II* listed railway engine shed from 1846 to 1847, a circular yellow-brick drum with 24 cast-iron Doric columns. Engineers Robert Stephenson and Robert B. Dockray were behind it. By the 1860s the engines had outgrown it and it became a liquor store, then a theatre in the 1960s. Arnold Wesker’s Centre 42 took it over in 1964, and it opened as a venue in October 1966 with an all-night rave that had Soft Machine and Pink Floyd on the bill. After a roughly £27m rebuild led by John McAslan & Partners it reopened in 2006 and now runs as a charity, with a Young Creatives programme for ages 11 to 30. Historic England has the listing.

Where to stand

Capacity is 3,300 standing or 1,700 seated. Level 1 standing is the main floor, and there are standing tickets on Level 2 as well. Standing is general admission, so getting in at doors gets you the best spot. The centre of the floor gives a direct view of the stage and the sides give angles.

• Level 1, front and centre: usually the best view, according to London Theatre Direct.
• Level 2: a good overview of the stage and, by one ticket blog’s account, usually less crowded.
• Mind the pillars: those cast-iron columns can block views. Fans on A View From My Seat report a front edge of the stage clipped from some seats, so move if you can.

Wheelchair users in Level 1 standing get priority access to the Main Space and should arrive 15 minutes before advertised doors. An unobstructed view is not guaranteed. The access information has the detail.

The bar

There are bars on every level, and the box office and all bars are card only. A gig blogger rates the ales as pretty good and tips the downstairs bar at the rear of the main auditorium as the one to use. Separately, the Roundhouse Bar & Café is open from 10:30 on show days until 23:30, and 10:30 to 17:00 on other days, so it works for a drink before doors.

Getting there

• Bus: 24, 27, 31, 46, 168 and 393 stop on Chalk Farm Road, according to the Roundhouse.
• Train and tube: the Roundhouse lists Kentish Town West Overground and Camden Town Underground as 800m walks each.
• On foot: from Camden Town through Camden Market, or along the canal towpath from Regent’s Park.
• Bike: there are a small number of racks.
• Car: the venue strongly advises against it, as local parking is restricted. Blue Badge spaces can be reserved by emailing access@roundhouse.org.uk, first come first served.

Step-free access covers the box office, all performance spaces, accessible toilets and all bars. There are accessible toilets on every floor, and hearing loop and Sennheiser systems. The travel page has the full list.

Eating before

Build in time to eat close to Chalk Farm Road, then be at the door when it opens. The Roundhouse Bar & Café on site is the safe fallback if you leave dinner late. Each event page has an Essential Info section, and arrangements vary by show.