Dublin Castle

The Dublin Castle is one of Camden's most famous music clubs, popular with Madness in the late 1970's and the London indie scene of the late 1980's. It was somewhat overshadowed by the Good Mixer in the 1990s, the rival Camden boozer which found favour with the Britpop pack.

Today it regularly hosts live gigs, including secret warm-ups from the likes of Babyshambles. The bar area itself is a pleasant enough space to enjoy a drink, with plenty of seats, mirrors on every wall, friendly bar staff, a great jukebox and low-key red lighting. Unfortunately, on the occasions we have visited, the place has been let down by the toilets. We're not fussy here at London Venue Guide, and whilst we only consider toilet paper and a lock to be nice things to have on a cubicle, we believe a door is pretty essential, and there was rather a nasty mess in the Gents on both of our visits. Nevertheless, this is the Camden music scene. Live music takes place in a room to the back of the pub.

Unlike the Windmill, where you pay as you enter the pub, at the Dublin Castle you pay as you enter the back room, usually £5. Whilst this does separate the main pub from the live music, it means performances are quite intimate affairs. The rooms has a rectangular stage and a bar beyond to the left hand side. The acoustics are good, as is the viewing. Pick a busy night and there is a great atmosphere here.