1a Camden High Street,
Camden,
London,
NW1 7JE
0870 432 5527
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KOKO
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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!
Well I went to KoKo on Friday night and everything was going well until the bouncers told me to get lost but then I got in with the band. It was insane after that, until my mate Ollie misbehaved and got thrown out of KoKo, strange, excellent night!
It was my first time at KoKo and I thought it was wicked. My older brother Ricky said he would take me for a good night out and he wasn't wrong. I would definitely go to KoKo again, Sam is a legend.
Avoid KoKo is you're diabetic! The doormen confiscated my sugary liquid which is essential to me and what is more they treated me in a loud and condescending manner. KoKo is disgraceful!
Went to Bestival at KoKo and had an absolutely brilliant time! The only problem with KoKo was that when my bag was given back to me from the cloakroom it was missing my gloves!
I thought KoKo's was actually one of the best places I have been to however, it lacks something, but I still don't know what that is. The music DJ is excellent but the bands are usually crap. I went there and saw Towers of london and they were shit! But then on another occasion I saw Babyshambles, and they certainly were not a shambles. KoKo is my party place, I love it, and it's cheap!
Breakin Science at KoKo on New Years Eve was so heavy...I went with my boyfriend and a few other mates and I swear it was one of the best nights out in my life lol!! The people were having the time of their lives and raving it out!! KoKo actually got Shaba and Eksman doing a set together!
I went to KoKo at a Breakin Science rave! It was the best I've been to so far. I've been to most clubs round London but KoKo is definitely my favourite, plenty of room to chill and dance and a really good atmosphere! Excellant venue!
I'm at KoKo most friday nights and its always a good one at KoKo.
Went to Breakin' Science at KoKo on New Years Eve. As I came from Reading I was a bit unsure how to take it.
Turned out to be wicked, the best night for ages. I highly recommend KoKo, and those london boys are so sexy!
KoKo is a wicked night out. Love the venue and the crowd. KoKo is well worth a look.
KoKo is an amazing venue, especially when Breakin Science are hosting a night there. Being from Dover it's a long treck up to KoKo but worth the effort. Looking forward to the next drum and bass rave.
With a mix of live music and commercial rock music, KoKo is definitely a place to have fun and it's not for the wannabe cool types. KoKo has got two thumbs up from me and I can't wait to go again. The only bad thing would be the security staff.
KoKo has the potential to be such a great place but unfortunately is let down by a few things (but mainly the security staff in my opinion). My advice is to stay away from KoKo.
I recently went to see Mudhoney at KoKo and they were bloody great! Although I missed the Melvins!
KoKo is a great venue, but I did have some trouble with the cloakroom. Well worth going though!
KOKO has great decor but it is spoilt completely by the appalling facilities. The giant glitter ball seems to take up the space where the air conditioning should be and there is only a certain amount of time you can dance for without passing out from heat exhaustion. The profuse sweating doesn't really help those on the pull! KOKO would be alright if you could rehydrate yourself but with only a couple of toilets on each floor you daren't take on any liquid. A real shame because KOKO have had some fantastic bands playing.
After reading earlier reviews on KOKO I was apprehensive as to whether I would enjoy the night. However, I am a fan of the Hed Kandi music label so I just had to attend their debut at KOKO on Saturday 23rd April. Ok, so what was my own verdict then? KOKO was absolutely fantastic! I had a great night. Obviously not many people can dispute the venue itself is superb. So much can be done with it. It all boils down to the music being played. That's what develops the atmosphere in any venue. Good quality funky house music delivered by a great team is what carries the night along in my opinion. Everyone was on a high and so very happy & friendly. My advice to people who like KOKO as a venue but are not sure about the music is to turn up on the 4th Saturday in the month when the Hed Kandi team are playing. I think you'll love it!
Koko opened the Friday after we moved to Mornington Cresent. We thought: 'Great, Camden Palace is back with a vengeance, but better!' How wrong could we be?
Over the last few months it has seriously deteriorated as they have to keep changing the nights to try and make it work. The music is terrible, drinks are bad and there is no atmosphere. Tried it again last Friday and ended up going over the road to dance the night away, at home! We have a bet that it won't last 6 months-the end is nigh.
Beautifully renovated but absolute crap music and atmosphere. Went on a Friday night and it reminded me of a pickup joint for nerdy guys. It had a kinda city bar feel to it, not a night club. What's more, tried to enjoy ourselves and have a dance anyway and were told to keep our hands off the floor because it might start a fight!
Koko is a big improvement over what was around before. Maybe the music can be improved but it really has a fantastic feel to it now. Great for big groups & party events.
Koko is the best night club I've been since I arrived in London...Great music, beautiful people...a night I will remember forever...
Koko is amazingly refurbished, the new venue brings up a dream night out! Beautiful people, great music and friendly staff, definately a must see!
Koko isn't anything special, but it is good for a night out and entertaining drinks. It's not going to win anyone over by radical or cool, but it is fun - and that's the main thing.
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