The 1929 art deco theatre on Stockwell Road reopened in April 2024 with 77 new safety conditions after the December 2022 crush, and it remains the most resonant mid-size touring room in the country.
Tip: The raked floor gives sightlines from anywhere, but front-of-stage on a sold-out night is a serious push, take a balcony seat for comfort.
Address: 211 Stockwell Road, Brixton, London SW9 9SL
The Victorian railway engine shed converted in 1964 is Camden's circular theatre with a programme that runs from Glen Hansard and Rilo Kiley to the Roundhouse Comedy Festival in August.
Tip: The standing pit is the only place to be for a guitar band, the upper circle has obstructed views from the back rows.
The 1900 Camden Hippodrome reopened in 2022 after a fire and a top-to-bottom rebuild, and is now a five-floor venue with a theatre, a members club and a domed roof terrace.
Tip: The Saturday DISKOKO electronic night is the way to see the rebuilt room without paying touring-show prices.
The Oxford Street basement that hosted the 1976 Punk Festival is the longest continuously running music venue in London and still books across genres from punk through Northern Soul.
Tip: There are no bad sightlines, the stage is at floor level. Get a drink before the headline, the bar queues 12 deep on a sold-out night.
The 10th-floor multi-storey carpark bar built by Practice Architecture for Bold Tendencies in 2009 is the summer fixture, with a Negroni view across south London and zero pretense to anything more.
Tip: Card only, no advance bookings, no table service. Get there before 18:00 on a Friday or you queue down the ramp.
The James Stirling postmodern roof garden above No.1 Poultry is the City rooftop institution, with a sunken lawn, a French restaurant and a bar terrace that catches the Bank of England light.
Tip: The garden is the bar, the restaurant is the formal room, sit in the garden for a drink and skip the menu unless you are expensing.
The 10th-floor terrace on Finsbury Square belongs to the Montcalm Royal London House and runs an all-day operation with City skyline views and a weekend Birdsong brunch that gets a DJ in.
Tip: Sunset slot 18:30 to 20:00 is the best light, book the terrace not the indoor section.