LISTINGS MUSIC

Music: Koko rocks

Chris Peacock visits Camden’s

ever changing venue, Koko, to

experience the theatre of music

Koko began its long and eventful life
more than 100 years ago as the
Camden Theatre, then one of the largest
theatres outside the West End and
hosting an array of stars, including Charlie Chaplin. The building was reincarnated as The Music Machine in the 1970s, changing hands yet again in 1983 to become the Camden Palace. The wayward Palace closed in 2004 for a facelift and since re-opening as Koko, it has again become a fi rm favourite with touring bands.

It’s one of the few venues left in the capital still capturing the theatre of music, thanks to its domed interior and refurbishment sympathetic to the venue’s original baroque style. On stage for my visit were The Bays, a live and improvised dance quartet that never rehearse, record or release music commercially.

Despite a lack of marketing, The Bays consistently create a buzz at festivals and gigs around the world with the unfl inching slogan ‘Performance is the Product’.

As the whole set is improvised, the band play off the mood of the crowd, with one continuous piece of music often encompassing several genres.

On a darkened smoky stage, the ad lib journey began with ambient trance-like sounds pulsating around the domed interior before Andy Gangadeen’s breaking drums sent the whole dance fl oor into a frenzy. Flitting between techno, house, electro and hip hop, the music fl owed seamlessly to the drum ’n’ bass fi nale.

The theatrical venue was the perfect backdrop to such a colossal sound-scope and with four equally worthy support acts over nearly six hours, the �16 tickets were an absolute steal. www.koko.uk.com

DINGWALLS

Middle Yard, Camden, NW1 8AB.
Camden Town

T: 01920 823098. www.dingwalls.com
One of Camden’s more esoteric venues, Dingwalls has a long history of showcasing the cutting edge in live music.

EARLS COURT

Warwick Road, SW5 9TA.
Earls Court

T: 020 7385 1200. www.eco.co.uk
This venue continues to play host to some of the world’s biggest pop and rock acts.

ELECTRIC BALLROOM

184 Camden High Street, Camden, NW1 8QP.
Camden Town

T: 020 7485 9006.
www.electric-ballroom.co.uk
Legendary rock venue that has hosted U2, The Clash, The Smiths and Public Enemy.

HMV APOLLO

Queen Caroline Street, Hammersmith, W6 9QH.
Hammersmith

T: 020 8563 3800.
www.hammersmithapollo.net
A 1930s art deco theatre that in its time has welcomed acts such as The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Bob Marley, Blondie, Kylie and Oasis.

JAZZ CAF�

5 Parkway, Camden, NW1 7PG. Camden Town

T: 020 7485 6834. www.jazzcafe.co.uk
One of London’s most consistent live music venues, showcasing funk, soul, dub, reggae, R&B, hip hop and jazz acts nightly.

KOKO

1a Camden High Street, Camden, NW1 7JE.
Mornington Crescent

T: 0870 432 5527. www.koko.uk.com
The Camden Palace, as it was, hosted Madonna’s fi rst ever UK gig in 1981. Following a refurbishment in 2004 and renaming to Koko, it’s thriving once again.

O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON

211 Stockwell Road, SW9 9SL.
Brixton

T: 020 7771 3000.
www.o2academybrixton.co.uk
The Grade II-listed art deco spot was voted Best Venue in the 2005, 2006 and 2007 NME Awards and it’s not diffi cult to see why.

MUSIC ROCK/POP

12 BAR CLUB

Denmark Street, WC2H 8NL. Tottenham Court Road

T: 020 7240 2622. www.12barclub.com Small but intimate, 12 Bar Club showcases around four acts a night, seven days a week, with diverse musical styles.

100 CLUB

100 Oxford Street, W1D 1LL.
Tottenham Court Road/Oxford Circus

T: 020 7636 0933. www.the100club.co.uk Many venues claim to be legendary, but the 100 Club truly is, with its performances including The Clash, The Sex Pistols, The Rolling Stones and Paul Weller.

BARFLY

49 Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AN. Chalk Farm/Camden Town

T: 020 7424 0800. www.barfl yclub.com
A place to ‘glimpse the stars of the future’.

BLOOMSBURY BALLROOM

37-63 Southampton Row, WC1B 4DA.
Russell Square/Holborn

T: 020 7404 7612.
www.bloomsburyballroom.co.uk
Art deco venue that’s held in high regard.

CARGO

83 Rivington Street, Shoreditch, EC2A 3AY. Old Street

T: 020 7739 3440. www.cargo-london.com Converted railway arch offering a restaurant, plus hip hop, blues, jazz and world music.

A

IMAGES: KOKO; SCAL

62 W2L SUMMER 2009