Are you a music fan and a pub fan?
North London has a rich rock'n'roll heritage and we've put together a pub crawl taking in just some of Camden Town's musical landmarks.
The Dublin Castle
94 Parkway, London NW1 7AN
As you enter this great Irish pub, you will walk the same steps and breathe the same air of great musicians that started their careers there. The Dublin Castle was built for Irish navvies working on railways in London. But, this would change.
With the help of Madness, who built their live reputation at this pub, this tavern grew in prominence during the 1970s.
Dublin Castle helped put Blur on the musical map and was frequented by Amy Winehouse.
The Good Mixer
30 Inverness St, London NW1 7HJ
Next stop, we go to The Good Mixer. Continuing the Blur vibe, this pub was Britpop Central. It featured in the Oasis vs Blur feud, when Noel Gallagher reportedly met Graham Coxon and said: “Nice music, sh*t clothes.”
Elastica were just one of the bands to sign a record deal there.
Despite the indie liggers, The Good Mixer is a “proper London boozer”, pool tables and all. A quick three-minute walk from Dublin Castle, you turn left past the Odeon, and you're there.
The Black Heart
3 Greenland Place, London NW1 0AP
Next stop is The Black Heart, and this crawl is going to get intense. The pub serves three things: "Beer, bands, and booze."
A proper rock venue, it has an all-black interior and exterior, and a range of bands play live every week. As one reviewer puts it: “Came here to avoid hipsters, successful visit!”
As you come out of The Good Mixer and go past the Odeon on Parkway, once again. Across the High Street, go down a small alley past NatWest. There you will see a massive black heart hanging from the rooftop of the place, and you will know you have arrived.
The World's End
174 Camden High St, London NW1 0NE
The Worlds End is just a short walk and opposite NatWest, this is a great location right along Camden high street.
It once boasted Charles Dickens as a patron, but these days it is a regular meeting point for anyone travelling by tube.
The Underworld downstairs has played host to rock greats including At The Drive-In, Frank Black, Hole, Kristin Hersh, J Mascis, The Offspring, Placebo, Queens Of The Stone Age, Radiohead, Sepultura, Slash’s Snakepit, Smashing Pumpkins, Foo Fighters and Soundgarden.
The Devonshire Arms
33 Kentish Town Rd, London NW1 8EZ
"Camden town's oldest and most famous heavy metal, punk and rock'n'roll pub and venue."
This haven for goths and metalheads is just a short walk-up along Kentish Town Road from The Worlds End.
Like many of the pubs on this list, the Devonshire Arms or “The Dev” for short, has many famous regulars, not least Shane MacGowan in his pomp.
Hawley Arms
2 Castlehaven Rd, London NW1 8QU
To finish off this gentle crawl, the wonderful Hawley Arms. From the Dev, you turn left onto Hawley Crescent and then turn right onto Camden High Street. Just by the Camden Town railway Bridge, in Castlehaven Road, Hawley Arms was restored after a fire in 2008, and saved through a crowdfunding campaign in 2019.
It was the local pub of Camden's greatest, Amy Winehouse, and everyone from Noel Fielding to Kelly Osbourne has been spotted there.
It has a fantastic atmosphere and celebrates Camden's great musical heritage, while providing friendly eating drinking and socialising.
Now, there's just about still time for kebab from by the station.
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