Union Chapel, Islington (London)

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• Address: Union Chapel,Compton Avenue, Islington N1 2XD
• Music Type : Various + Comedy
• Owners: Union Chapel
• Capacity: 800 Seated (Upper Balconies and Stalls)
• Nearest station: Highbury & Islington
• For hire:  spacehire@unionchapel.org.uk
• Website: http://www.unionchapel.org.uk/

Just a short walk from Highbury and Islington station, the iconic Gothic style Union Chapel is one of our favourite London venues. It was the winner of 'Time Out's' favourite London music venue of the year for two consecutive years and for good reason. It is a beautiful music venue. The Union Chapel hosts a variety of music and comedy nights and has a variety of rooms to hire including the church itself.

The Union Chapel is one of London's most characterful venues. A typical gig here involves sitting on a church pew (bring a jacket or jumper for a cushion), drinking tea from a mug whilst enjoying great music in one of London's most beautiful churches. For atmosphere it cannot be beaten.

As you enter the Union Chapel you can literally grab a pew and wait for the gig (seating here is unreserved) or you can head back to the back of the church where there is a full licensed bar on the first floor. The bar also serves home cooked hot food, with proceeds going to help the Chapel's 'The Margins Project'. No alcoholic drinks are allowed in the chapel, but you can buy hot drinks, soft drinks, ice cream and snacks from the kiosk in the chapel foyer.

The interior of the church is beautiful, with the ground floor being a large octagonal shape with a balcony wrapped around above, all stone arches, stained glass windows and the like. The domed ceiling and stone walls mean the acoustics are superb, and every act I have seen here sounded fantastic. I would recommend getting here early enough to get a seat downstairs, as you feel a little bit further away from it all upstairs. 

Top tip (1) Seating is unreserved so arrive in good time before doors open (2) They have lovely hot chocolate too....with marshmallows and cream...yum! Very important for winter gigs (3) Bring a cushion as the pews can be a little hard or of course you can join the Union Chapel and they will lend you one.

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The Slaughtered Lamb, Farringdon (London)

• Address: The Slaughtered Lamb, 34-35 Great Sutton Street, Clerkenwell. EC1V ODX
• Music Type: Various
• Owners:
• Capacity: 100+ (Mixed standing and seating)
• Nearest Station: Farringdon
• Website: http://www.theslaughteredlambpub.com/
• Contact:

The Slaughtered Lamb is a famous pub music venue a close to the City. It's gigs are held in the basement. The Lamb is a very intimate space and is great for acoustic music. Many musicians have chosen to release their EP's or albums at the venue. Try the craft beers as well, they are very good.

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The Lexington, Angel (London)

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• Address: 96-98 Pentonville Rd, London N1 9JB
• Music Type: Various
• Owners:
• Capacity: (TBA) Mix of standing and seated.
• Nearest Station: Angel (Northern Line)
• Website: http://www.thelexington.co.uk/
• Contact:

The Lexington is one of Islington's finest music venues and lounge bar. A slow burning glow of downbeat decadence and bluesy class - with perhaps just a dash of burlesque elegance thrown in for good measure. The Lex is a short walk from Angel tube station. The music performances are held in the large upstairs room of the venue.

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Islington Assembly Hall, Islington (London)

• Address: Islington Assembly Hall, Upper Street, London N1 2UD.
• Music Type: Various
• Owners:
• Capacity: (See below)
• Nearest Station: Highbury & Islington or Angel
• Website: http://www.islington.gov.uk/assemblyhall/Pages/default.aspx
• Contact:

Just a short walk from the Union Chapel is the very beautiful art-deco Islington Assembly. It was built in 1929 and was officially first opened on 15 March 1930. It soon became a popular venue, hosting dances and variety shows, and continued to be regularly used by local organisations, community groups and individuals for awards presentations, tea dances and weddings, up until its closure in the 1980s.

It lay dormant for almost three decades, being used as extra storage for Islington Town Hall next door. In 2009, Islington Council raised funding for its restoration with a vision that it could once again be at the heart of life in the bustling north London borough.

Many of the original features were kept – even down to the ashtrays in the tiered balcony, which, although now redundant, add to the charm of the building. The original art deco interior combines with some modern twists to help create a unique feel to any event held here.

Since reopening in March 2010, many music promoters, traders, national companies, community organisations, happy couples and council departments have made use of the flexibility this stunning space offers. Thanks to its renovation, people from all over the country and further afield have trodden the luxurious red carpet on arrival and the original sprung dance floor to experience an event here.

Once the home of tea parties and variety shows, the historic building has adapted well to life in the 21st century, becoming an important venue in the capital’s exciting live music scene, while continuing to provide to the local community.

The main hall holds up to:

• 600 people standing for a concert
• 230 in a theatre-style layout for conferences, film screenings, award ceremonies and civil ceremonies
• 170 people on our round tables in a cabaret style for a seated dinner or wedding reception (following which, they can remove some tables to make room for a dance floor)
• 130 people on our round tables, allowing space for a dance floor throughout. 

A tiered balcony seats a further 200 guests and is used at the majority of concerts held here. They offer dressing rooms for performers at gigs and performances, and they can arrange break-out areas for conferences in the adjacent Town Hall on request. 

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