1a Camden High Street,
Camden,
London,
NW1 7JE
0870 432 5527
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KOKO
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To say that the bouncers at Koko were 'jobsworths' would be a massive understatement. Jobsworths across the land no doubt go to these guys to learn the art of being truly plebian. I'd love to review Koko but alas my friend and I were not allowed in so I shall review the bouncers.
We arrived at Koko around 10.30pm and with our presumed guest list passes and attempted to get in at the empty guest list queue. We were told (no eye contact, bouncer staring off somewhere over my left shoulder) that our guest passes were not for the guest pass area (?) and we needed to queue. So, in the spirit of true Brits, we love a good queue and happily joined it. After fifteen minutes of patiently waiting, we reached the entrance and one of the bouncers said, whilst looking over my right shoulder this time, 'we told you before, you ain't allowed in, yer mate's too drunk'. Hmm, had they mistaken us, a pair of perfectly sober women in their mid-thirties, for a couple of lager louts on the look out for trouble? Had we, in the space of 15 minutes, morphed into a pair of yobs wanting to smash up the joint? Who knows? Who cares? This pack of morbidly obese losers obviously felt like wielding their tiny bit of power for a small moment of victory, and they won...sort of...as I write this review I realise how lucky I am to have a brain and a life and thank the heavens that I'm not a bouncer.
Absolutely would never go back to Koko, well done lads, another successful night of being totally average at your (sort of) job.
The venue is unique but none of the card machines were working so it was "cash only" and wouldn't let you back in if you had to leave for the ATM. At the end of the night I tried to get my coat but couldn't find ticket and they wouldn't help at all. I left my name and number but never got a call and after finding the ticket and emailing & calling lost property they still can't seem to locate it but get the impression they won't bother. Extremely unhelpful staff.
I was there at 13th May, great music, I've met nice people
BUT inside I left my jacket and a cardigan, and bouncer didn't allow me to get there for my stuff, I just hate them. My rating - 3
The best club in London for sure! I used to go there a lot, when it used to be Camden Palace. And bin there few times when it's KOKO, and I can admit one thing - it is the cosiest and best club in London for sure! Can't wait till August when I will go there again :)
Red Stripe for £3.70? You must be joking! Even a can of Fosters is £4.10! One of the biggest rip-offs in London. Whatever you do, if you plan on having a drink, do it before you get to Koko (or take out a second mortgage).
First time to Koko club nights and we were quite disappointed. Firstly we went to go clubbing - Live music? Er no. We want to dance -but unsignned bands playing music we didn't know was not what we wanted!!!!!!!!! If we wanted to go to see a live band - we would've...we came to club! The music - er...What can I say? It was advertised as Indie? There was no Indie...Loads of unheard of songs...songs which NO ONE in the club seemed to know (judging from the amount of people stopped dancing when the unheard of ones came on) and the only one I knew was the Artic Monkeys and I'm a BIG rock fan - in short...it wasn't rock, it wasn't indie...just...rubbish!
Secondly, the place was well too crowded and it was hard to move, hard to dance. The balcony's meant you spent your whole time being drenched by people throwing beer and other drinks onto the dance floor...and there were many fights on the dance floor!!!! The drinks: £4.80 for a rum and coke?! Rip off. In most clubs you can get two drinks for that price. Okay, Sourz shots were well priced at £1.20 each...but...£4.80?!?!On the plus! The club was very nice, great interiors, love the balaconys and the decor. Nice lights and love the TV! But it just didn't work for me...live music in a club?? er...no. For a rock night out...with good music and reasonablly priced drinks...the Eletric Ballrooms just up the road!
KOKO is perfect. Its my fav London club, and I'm not even that much of an indie kid! The club is right next to the station and easy to find, and staff were real friendly, you get your tickets from a proper glass theatre ticket booth, and they gave us some free badges :) did I mention entry was a fiver?
The venue is incredible, its an old refurbed theatre, which three floors and several bars, and you can stand up the top and look over the banister at the dancefloor below. We got there about 10ish on a Friday when the bands are playing. First they played some old school indie stuff mixed with the latest club music which was fantastic! My friend isn't into indie music but when your tipsy and the bands playing you really get into it! Even if you don't like the bands they're only on twice for 1/2 hour at a time, then its party the rest of the night. The drinks were super cheap, they had £1 apple sours shots and about £3 for a bottle of beer/smirnoff ice, whatever. Overall an awesome night.
Its a shame people shy away from the indie nights on a friday because their put off. Dont be! The club nights on a saturday are more expensive to get in to, more packed and the drinks are more expensive. On a friday its full but not too full, the drinks and entry are super cheap and they play basically the same music. Five stars :)
You can knock yourself out @ Kokos cause this is a great club. As a tourist this was my first night out in London and I had some pretty high expectations and I can promise you that i wasn't disappointed. Great music, wonderful interior, good bar och fresh toilets. Also nice staff and great people. Love it!
Never had a bad night here! Well worth a bit of a queue at the weekend and I've never had to queue that long. Great atmosphere, interesting people and great music. You cant go wrong!
really is great music when bands arent playing! trendy and cool, the atmosphere was insanne.. head here for a night of insomnia! the security were nice too and all my friends managed to get in with out ID for once.
I haven't seen any bands at Koko.; but, I am a regular to the clubs nights NME and Buttoned Down Disco and let me tell you, they are fantastic!Drink are regularly priced and the atmosphere is insane! My mates and I just can't stop dancing to all the tracks!!! Definately recommended for truly unforgettable nights!!
What a wicked night out went to Funkinyou and had a blast will def be going to the next one x
I went to KoKo For the 1st time as recomended by a friend i went to a night called Funkinyou and what a Fantastic Night all i can say is if you have not been yet then you are missing out!!!The Music was Great i have had blisters for a weeks from non stop Dancing,It had the best stage entertainment i have ever seen in a london club i felt like i was in Ibiza!The crowd were great and the staff friendly what more can you want from a night out.Oh and i got a free membership card through this week so i can get in cheaper at the next one an all round bargain.
This is one of my favourite London clubs - I saw Bloc Party play here a few years ago and the atmosphere was great! Not overpriced, no chavs!/ pretentious wannabes and the venue itself is great; a good size, amazing decor and the bouncers are surprisingly decent! Will definitely be returning soon...
Great venue, had a blast!! Going to see Katy Perry there in Febuary!! WOOO!! Its gonna be such a fun night... KoKo is great as they have lotsa of different themed nights from indie bands playing to hip hop stars to dance/trance nights!! Killer club!!
I love Koko, it's an absolute must on an Indie Fiends tour of London.
The venue itself is really something, the floors go on and on with four or five levels of different rooms and tiny bars and never ending nooks and crannies. Balcony's overlook the the sweaty dancefloor, usually packed with heaving bodies and an enormous mirror ball dangles pricariously above. Its got a real older world feel and you can imagine it being used a victorian music hall with moulin rouge dancers and wenches serving gentleman in top hats.
The bar on the bottom floor is usually the buisiest, but the drinks arent too expensive if you are used to paying London prices. The drinks arent particularly fancy but the selection is fine.
The crowd is usually indie kids, new ravers, grungers and plenty more to boot. Expect lots of big hair, skinny jeans and glitter.
The atmosphere is pretty good, everyone who goes is usually there to drink, dance and have fun, but sometimes it can get a bit rough on the dancefloor. They are a pretty accepting crowd and almost any dress code will do, but beware of the bouncers they are pretty mean looking and if you get aggresive or argumentative they will turn you down flat.
Staff arent overly helpful and the toilets get hot and crowded but it all adds to the Camden experience and I have never been disappointed. They do some great club nights and its a great gig venue too.
Went here to see Pendulum play for Itunes festival
Decoration is fantastic and very cabaret and staff are polite.
One of the best nights of my life but could do with some toilet staff and air con.
Also drinks could be cheaper for camden.
On the whole great if your young and up for a ride in the mosh pit
haven't seen any major bands here but the club nights are ace, giving off a vibe of comfort and ease, which combined with great tracks, equals a good time. if you go out to have a good time instead of being seen out, which so many of people in central london seem to do, koko is the place for you.
I have seen all of the following bands play amazing gigs at KOKO,
Queens Of The Stone Age - 2005
Squarepusher - 2005
Biffy Clyro - 2006
Klaxons - 2006
Prince - 2007
The Lemonheads - 2007
The Chemical Brothers - 2007
I have also been to all the Bestival club nights and not once have I had a negative experience in the place, the sound system is huge, the drinks served by friendly staff and the bouncers have actually helped my mate look for his glasses in the mosh pit at Biffy Clyro when things got a bit hectic.
So to sum up I would say don't believe the negative hype, check it out for yourself as it's all ways been a wicked night out for me and my mates.
Interesting what the reviewer said about Buttoned Down Disco at KOKO.... we turned up early after ringing KOKO and chatting to a friendly young lady who told us to turn up early as everyone get in free for the 1st hour... I imagine this is why there were queues later, a friendly doorman also lent us an umbrella. We had a fantastic night, I love the venue (my first time there) and loved the music, will definitely be back next month. WE HAD A BLAST!!!
I went to a buttoned down disco at Koko, and I thought the music was amazing, all had a great beat and was a brilliant mix (got a bit wierd for the last half hour, with stuff like singing in the rain coming on!)
But, like everyone else, the queuing for an hour in the rain and the 30mins for coats did spoil it a bit. I also thought there was no reason for the bouncers to be quite so rude to everyone, and to turn some people (who had queued for an hour) away for no reason at all!! I'd definitely go to another buttoned down disco, it was awesome, but i probably wouldn't go to one at Koko.
Went there last may, which would have been the first time i had been there. but the door staff didn't like us for some reason and said no your not coming in to whcih we had a argument for half an hour trying to find out why and all he said was try next month! so now nearly a year on i am trying again tonight to see if they will let us in, maybe this time i will beable to see what all the hype is about! Ill report back tomoz
WATCH YOUR DRINKS...
excellent night only marred by the guy collecting empty bottles. He took 2-3 full drink 3 times. I mentioned this to the bar staff and got a shrug of the shoulders for my troubles.
If it wasn’t for the fact that I was blurry eyed and slightly worse for wear then I would be able to give much more detail. Despite the state of my mind and body (not really able to stand up) I do know that it was a fantastic night as regardless of the hangover I had smile on my face! Definitely worth it!
I've been coming to Koko to see live bands ever since it reopened. To begin with it was a great new venue, lovely surroundings, handy for the tube, good gigs. They must have had a change of mangement or hired a new firm to do the door security at some point because now its a nightmare to go and see a gig there. I agree that the door staff are rude and treat you like a potential criminal. The upshot of this - and the claustrophobic tunnels to get down to the main area - is that regular gig goers turn into seething mess of pent up agression. I've seen more incidents of people refusing to allow people past, and arguments sparking here then any other venues. The shape is like a funnel with no room for people to overflow at the side near the front (unlike say the Astoria, Brixton, etc). And so its just gets more and more packed. People who wouldn't dream of behaving so agressively elsewhere seem to have no control after beinghere for half an hour.
Then the final straw - the new policy of making everyone exit via teh central stairs getting caught up the in incredible cloakroom queue, standing for 40 minutes (i am not exagerating) to get to the top of teh stairs. When this venue first opened they allowed people out via all the exits both straight out to the street and by the other stairs near the gents that came up into the front lobby. Asking why its so restricted now brings a response like the other reviwer found (you - trouble maker). My view? its to save on staff costs to only staff the one exit. The upshot? This venue is a firetrap. It is worrying that the manager did not know tha capacity - would he even know if there was an emergency that needed all the exits opened? I have tickets for one more gig here and I won;t be buying tickets for anything else here. Pity really - it started out so much better and with the right staff it would still be a great venue.
Buttoned Down Disco, Koko, Jan 12th
Astonishing interior of Koko only complimented by awesome music at this particular club night – not your usual xfm/virgin/radio1 daytime playlist mediocrity. But. That’s where the good points end.
Buttoned Down Disco Club Night was advertised as free entry before 10pm (as long as you bring an invite freely accessible to anyone) and £7 after 10 pm. Got there at 9.40 pm with friends. Only to find a stationary queue of about a thousand people. With the door wide shut. The queue only started moving slowly , just after 10 pm. Can’t think why…
After fifty minutes (and £7), I joined another huge queue. This time for the cloak room. Took on friend’s vest and sweatshirt and naturally, tied the sleeves in. The two items got automatically separated and put onto two hangers. When I asked for a reasonable explanation, I was told they “must do that”, for…umm…no reason, other than charging extra £2, of course.
Another 20 minutes later. And…another £6 (3 cloak room items) later, I ventured into the bar. Advertised offers were - £2.10 on selected beer and £1.50 on selected spirits. Since I wasn’t (don’t know anyone who would be) willing to pay £2.10 for a tiny bottle of Fosters (!) or £1.50 for some strange luminous pink shot (the only two ‘drinks’ on promotion), I decided to buy a round of usual drinks (vodka/coke/tonic, lager) for my friends. Forked out £31.50 for five drinks.
So, in 36 minutes, I had blown unexpected £44.50. Still, wanted to have a laugh... And did. Danced a lot, enjoyed the music. Merry people, flying giant balloons…
After checking with a door man that entry to the venue is until 2am, I called my close friend. Bigged it up. Made her get off the bed and come down. She arrived at 1.26 am. Was denied entry. First I asked the bouncer politely to let her in. Using words like “wrong information”, “ 2 am” and “please”.
Koko was everything I was expecting.... unpretentious, fun, and rowdy. Just my kind of saturday night.
Fine, it was a nightmare to get in - I felt almost as if I were being Police checked - but I'd say it was worth it.
The staff were polite and courteous, the crowd were not troublemakers, just groups of friends out for a good night.
The music was not what I was expecting and was the only reason my friends and I left before closing (mindless house can lead to a continuous headache)
However, I would return, maybe even soon.
Result - A good place to have a fantastic time with friends.
the venue is beautiful and the gig was great, but first you have to get passed the variety of surly, moody and rude door staff and put up with daft 'house rules' invented to annoy punters:
1) No food allowed, even though they don't serve any - not even crisps!
2) once you're in the door from opening at 7 you CANNOT leave and come back in, apart from smoking.
Result; starving punters with no food to soak up alcohol from 7 through to 11!!!!!!!!
and the drinks: nothing on tap, no juices.
Like previous reviewers I wanted to like KoKo, the décor is my kind of style and the drinks weren't crazily expensive... but the music seriously let me down. I knew KoKo did cheesy nights but I was shocked to find myself listening to Dirty Dancing, BonJovi and 'It's raining men'! Especially as I paid £18 to get in. I really thought that a Camden club would have better music than this, I didn't dance all night it was that bad. I won't be going back in a hurry, which is a shame as it had potential.
After hearing alot of good things about Koko I was really looking forward to going there for the 1st time to See Paul Van Dyke. When we arrived we saw the massive line and were thanking our lucky stars that we had bought tickets prior to the night.... only to find out that the 200+ meter long line was actually for ticket holders. A good 2 Hours later we finally made it out of the cold inside... only to find another Huge line for the cloak room (Which didn't actually die at all for the entirety of the night). Anyway... the music, drink prices, and cool layout of the club definately won us back a bit... Would have been a great night if the 1st part of it wasn't spent outside, in the cold, lining up!
Koko had really nice toilets only two out of twenty were icky. The dance floors were good in every room - there's stuff for everyone. Plus I'm in a relationship so was nice to dance where you dont have guys attempting to dry hump you and can instead dance with your mates. Koko drinks were averagely priced under a tenner. Was also good to be able to chill on a sofa every now and then.
Oh my God, club KOKO is absolutely wicked. I loved it and can't wait til I go back. It has the best air con (I could actully breath) and isn't too rammed. And you get served at the bar. I loved KOKO and can't wait to the next drum n bass night there.
Other qualities that you might require to survive camp Koko is listing to grunge music on the pretext of popular indie music, an ability to pay for obscenely priced drinks, and immunity to rude staff. A few nights out in London have been bad but Koko's is a memory which I find hard to forget - for all the wrong reasons.
I Have to say Koko is one of tnhe best nights out in London. Friday nights are a good night to dance your socks off untill 4am, the live music and DJs are great and the hip hop room is relaxed and fun. The drinks at Koko are not expensive, one pound a shot, and other drinks normal prices. Entry is cheap too.
The atmosphere is gig like, so if you enjoy that, then your at the right place. Saturday nights are ok, but I definitely prefer fridays. The people are very fashionable and you may find some pretentious twits, but if you go with your mates you'll be sure to have a wicked time.
KoKo is terrible, a place I will never return to. The drinks are watered down and stupidly expensive and the general feel of the club is uptight and pretensious. The bouncers and staff are young and ridiculously arrogant. If you want to have a good night don't go to KoKo.
Went to KoKo last night, it was class. I'm going again tonight - the music is amazing, the women gorgeous. Don't bring any chewing gum or anything to KoKo. The bouncers need to sharpen up on their searching though.
I wanted to like KoKo - inside it's a beautiful building with amazing, classic bannisters and ceiling. It is sadly let down by poor lighting and agressive doormen, as others on this page seemed to have experienced too.
Within 40 minutes of being in there some guy came along and smacked me in face, knocking me out. I called for help, and guys on the door threw ME out! If you are going to KoKo, be careful, keep your head down and avoid eye contact with everyone!
KoKo has no disabled facilities, extortionate charges for water, no draught beer and I had my Ibuprofens thrown away at the door. KoKo is not my kind of place.
The music was good at KoKo and the night was going well until I met this man who I assumed felt the same way about me as I did about him.
Anyway I made a pass at him because I thought he was gay and he smacked me one in the face, so obviously we got thrown out which shows that the bouncers at KoKo are good.
Whether you're super hero or a student ending your week of hard work (not), KoKo has a very fun, busy indie and rock student atmosphere to play around in. Which is why, for me, it's one of the best clubs in London on a Friday night.
If you get pass the very, very long queue (turn up very early to get in, we're talking 9.30pm - 10pm) and manage to hand in your coat. The music is great fun and moshing can be very fun. You do get some stupid townies and chavs that mess it up now and then but that can't be helped. Overall KoKo’s got my super hero rating!
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