venues - bars

Bartok	Location: 78/79 Chalk Farm Rd. (Opposite the Roundhouse) Chalk Farm Tube. Hours: Midday till 1am Friday to Saturday Midday till midnight Sunday – Thursday. What you pay: Nothing, it’s free!	What you get: Bartok is open to chic clientele at chic drink prices – but it’s all worth it for the warm atmosphere of deep citrus coloured walls and big comfy seating. How many bars in the world specialise in contemporary classical music? Every night it offers a range of DJs, artists and groups such as Cello Man, DJ Deep East, The Brilliant Strings and DJ Cadenza. Apart from the music and drinks, a simple menu of generously filled Ciabattas, Falafels, Pitas complete the picture. It’s great for the intellectual tut tut’s that enjoy many a bottle of wine and an argument about the politics within the first string section of an orchestra.
Bar Vinyl	Location: 6 Inverness St. Camden Town Tube. Hours: 11:30am – 11:00pm 7 days a week. What you pay: Nothing, it’s free!	What you get: Bar Vinyl is three operations in one. Upstairs you have the offices for the label Finger Lick’n records, while in the basement you have Vinyl addiction, a specialised record shop. The bar itself offers a very calm atmosphere with simple breakbeats spinning from the decks that have been mastered by the likes of Plum DJ’s, Tummy Touch, Fatboy Slim, Soul of Man and Lee Coombes. You can grab a cheap bite to eat from the well selected café style menu all day until 9pm. Perfect for loungers’ who like great music at conversational htz.
Jazz Cafe	Location: 5 Parkway, Camden Town Tube. Hours/ What you pay: Check forthcoming gigs, prices and times by clicking here.	What you get: The Jazz Café is not for just a night out – it’s an ‘Outing’. It’s like going to the Theatre or the Opera, it’s classy, refreshing and composed. Being one the oldest and most established Jazz Clubs in London, it’s not hard to appreciate why it’s home to the best Jazz performers in the world today. You’ll more than likely need to purchase tickets prior to turning up and these are available from the ticket office next door, or you can order them over the phone by calling.
Lock 17 (formerly Dingwalls) www.lock17.com	Location: Middle Yard, Camden Lock. Camden Town Tube. Hours: Sunday – Thursday 7:30 – Midnight (Downstairs in the venue) Fri-Sat open till 2am. What you pay: There is only a cover charge for Downstairs (anywhere between £5-£16 depending on the night), the rest of the venue is free. However, you’ll need to book tickets for the big names beforehand (ticket line: 0207 4280010)	What you get: Split into four different sections, Dingwalls has a genre for everyone. The main live part downstairs, has staged bands like The Coral, The Beta Band, Nora Jones, Goldie and Desmond Decker, but also offers great Comedy run by Jongleurs, (the biggest Comedy brand in the UK) listing only the best stand up acts. Upstairs in the Market bar, the split Mezzanine level allows you to spread out, chat and enjoy what’s playing through the speakers. In summer time, it’s great to sit outside on the terrace beside the lock and observe the activity of the markets. This place is not only in a great location, but also has a distinctive easy mood about it.