229 The Venue

Great evening seeing Ezio. Friendly people. Reasonably priced wine. Music to dance to. An evening well spent.

229 club in London is the worst music venue ever! Paid £6 each to watch 4 bands, only 2 bands turned up, not offered even an apology!!! Doorman drunk chugging beer — avoid this place! We told the batman that we had come to watch 4 bands as shown on website, the claimed that this want the case. And since we didn’t get to see the main featured band lazlo, we should have been offered a refund or at least an apology!!!

I’ve been here twice. Once in 2010 and the second time, just a couple of weeks ago for a Bad Manners gig.
The gig was excellent –by the way– but the venue was nothing out of the ordinary.
I have to admit, people were polite and nice. Now I don’t know if that was their tactic for «no trouble» in a room full of skinheads or they’re just really nice people?!
The guys working at the bar were completely overwhelmed and I suggest hire more staff when you’re having a gig with such an important band, because loads of people will show up.
Of course, being The Venue– the prices are sky high — I suggest go to the pub next door and have a couple of pints before attending a gig here ‘cuz you’ll easily become poor with what they charge you for a lousy beer.
The cloth room is small– again– only one poor guy working there– and they charge £1.50 per item!
Anyways, people were great, gig was super great and I had a blast.

A strange one. Part sports hall, part students union, part gig venue and (apparently) part student exam hall.
Because of the strange mix, it doesn’t reallllly cut it as a gig venue. It’s a big old box with a strangely high stage at one end (I guess you won’t have the problem of starting at the back of a tall guy’s head here) and a heavily strained bar at the other.
The student accomodation above means you may well feel quite old at a gig here.

This Club has many different rooms so dont be confused by the other reviewers that may not know this as I have been in all of them. This week I was at 229 to see Secret Affair in the larger hall which as a capacity of 800. It was a sellout and pretty damn hot. The bvar is at the back of the hall and the stage is set up high so everyone gets a good view. The stage lighting sound and lighting is first class-​one of the best gigs I have seen for many years.
The second room is much smaller and used as an after show party venue for dancing etc and hasd a smaller bar. Very nice though. Then there is a smaller bar area for staff to use which my guests and I were able to enjoy.
The venue is licensed until 3am depending on the number of punters and is closely situated opposite Great Portland Street Station.
Highly recommended venue-​will definately go back to see some other cool bands.

Remember the student union bar? It’ll all come flooding back when you enter this large but rather basic performance space opposite Great Portland Street station. There is a stage, bar area and a big space in between to jump around in — and that’s basically it.

I go here every couple of weeks to salsa and as a venue it is useful, a good space and a cheap bar although when dancing I am not usually drinking too much. The place is nothing special and could do with a makeover.

As a promoter I like the sound.
We use the small room for presenting new music.
With students living above it, the bar can be quite reasonable.
Our crowd bring their own good vibe and it’s location makes it handy for audiences and music industry checking out new talent, alike.

I have been here twice, or maybe three times — I was quite drunk!
As a music venue, for a big band it’s great. I managed to blag some Xfm VIP tickets for Glasvegas a while back and supported by Blood Red Shoes they filled the space and gave it a good vibe. The problem with this venue is that it is too empty. It’s a box where talented people play to enthusiastic fans who are almost always disappointed by the ambiance.
There is a room at the back which is better for dancing and what not but seriously this place is hollow and it’s such a shame. Pace it with people and it’s bearable but the bar can’t handle it — shame!

The 229 is the answer to a chill night of sound and conversation. Situated on Great Portland Street close to the tube station, this venue is laid back and intimate. I came here for a friend’s gig and was amazed by the relaxing vibe. The focus of 229 is not sitting, lounging and looking good, it’s all about the music. The stage is rather large along with the dance floor area. There are a few coaches, but be prepared to stand and sing or dance along. The entry is cheap and the crowd is made up mainly of young students.

love it, great atmosphere, cheap bar, cool selection of bands. Top notch

An Ace place, cheap, easy to find.
Has 2 main venues, a smaller one of 160 capacity and the larger one with a 700 capacity.
The stage is high, so you can see wherever you are, the bar is very cheap and they have a good range of nights on.
Some HUGE events (Primal Scream, Gnarls Barkley, Keane, Razorlight etc) and some smaller intimate nights, like the weekly Club Fandango.
Video link:

This club isn’t much more than a cube of a room with a stage at one end and a bar at the other. They have DJ nights and the occasional band. Its only benefit is that its small, so if someone you want to see is playing there you’ll have a good view.