As the late, great Tony Wilson once said on the demise of the seminal acid house club The Hacienda: "As soon as bars got late licenses we knew we were f*cked." These days DJ bars and, indeed, DJ pubs are flourishing, as party people continue to want to hear good tunes without having to head to a full-on sweaty club and pay loads of money to get in. Nowadays, you can catch huge names in intimate surroundings and hear credible tunes 7-days a week. Our handy guide rounds up the very best DJ bars in town.
The Social
5 Little Portland Street, Marylebone, London, W1W 7JD
If you think a venue is only as good as it's resident DJs, The Social smashes it: Jazzie B and Ross Allen hold down weekly residencies at this cool music venue that's currently celebrating 12 years in the game. Hip-hop karaoke on a Thursday has become somewhat of an institution, too, where all and sundry can play out their rapper fantasies in front of a live audience.
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17 reviews
Think west is best? Then you'll definitely know about The Westbury, a venue from the Columbo Group who use all of their industry connections to pull in heavyweight guests like Norman Jay, Joey Negro and Tim, my dad's a reverend, Westwood. Lord h'mercy! Fridays see the main action when Audiotorium bring in the big guns.
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28 reviews
Don't let the trendy Camden types put you off (just return the thousand yard stare) and head straight into this achingly cool music pub where top tunes, good times and messy nights out are guaranteed. Huw Stephens and Rob da Bank are fully signed up members of the Lock's fan club and, aside from these glowing endorsements, you can catch DJs, bands and live acts that you might never heard of but you probably should. Top outdoor action on offer here too in the backyard.
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27 reviews
Set over three floors the Queen of Hoxton reigns supreme from its position on the border of the City and East London. Mixmag hold their This Mixmag Thing event here, making full use of the quality outdoor roof terrace during the summer months, and other nights range from hip-hop and house to dubstep and drum and bass.
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7 reviews
Nice Up! and Mixcloud are just two of the regular events at the King's Cross branch of the Big Chill. Musically it spans reggae, hip-hop, house, dustep, drum and bass and everything in between. Add in some heavyweight guests and Big Chill House is without doubt one of the best DJ bars around.
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29 reviews
Out of all the bars and music venues around Brick Lane, 93 Feet East just about pips it in terms of the quality of its events and the guests that you can see play. Bangers and Mash and Death to Disco are just two of the credible club events on offer, with indie, electro, drum and bass, house and techno all on rotation depending on when you attend.
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19 reviews
Sister venue to the Star of Bethnal Green, the Star of Kings has brought party people flocking back to King's Cross with its party-centric, dancefloor-popping playlist. Mulletover and Eastern Electrics make sure the music is electronically on point and there has even been a Bagley's Reunion event - a sure sign this is venue that's ready to rave.
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2 reviews
The Nest
36 Stoke Newington Road, Dalston, London, N16 7XJ
Arguably the best little DJ bar/club in London, The Nest offers heavyweight line-ups in intimate surroundings. Guests are like a who's who of credible electronic sounds. Expect the likes of Toddla T, Mosca, Herve and many, many more.
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14 reviews
Cafe 1001
91 Brick Lane, Brick Lane, London, E1 6QL
Brick Lane is home to several quality DJ bars and Cafe 1001 more than holds its own with an excellent pool of talented DJs and live bands almost every night. Dubstep, Detroit techno, minimal house, DnB, electronic oddities and lashings of bass-heavy reggae are pretty much standard offerings.
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13 reviews
Consistently packed at the weekend, The Old Queens Head has excellent industry connections allowing it to put on the likes of The Nextmen, Evil Nine and Tayo without charging much to get in - it usually costs a few quid and is often free if you turn up early.
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64 reviews