If you like your bands up-close-and-personal then the 12 Bar Club is for you. With a capacity of 150 it has to be one of the smallest and most famous music venues in London.

The Venue
Located on Denmark Street just behind Centrepoint, at the heart of the legendary Tin Pan Alley, the catacomb style 12 Bar Club plays host to an array of eclectic music performances seven nights a week. Past performing highlights in the 150 capacity (including 15 on the balcony) venue include everyone from Pete Doherty and Bert Jansch to KT Tunstall and Jeff Buckley.

Thanks to the well worn shabby interior there's an abundance of charm and character to the space that makes it look unkempt without being unclean. If this place ever did see a lick of paint before its 1982 opening, it definitely doesn’t appear to have had one since, but that's a compliment and shouldn't be taken as a deterrent. If a live band playing in a room no bigger than your home toilet isn't your thing then the back room may be more up your (tin pan) alley. With enough space to swing a litter of proverbial cats, there's a decent pool table surrounded by cushioned benches on all four walls. There's also a doorway to the outside world for smokers. Linking the live music room to the pool room is a hallway that houses the sole bar making 12 Bar Club feel a little like you're at a dinky house party rather than a bar.

The Atmosphere
The lack of undue care and attention to the decor gives this intimate venue more character than a Spitting Image puppet and defines what the 12 Bar Club is - a buzzing little rock 'n' roll joint. It's unlikely you'll find anywhere in London with more of an accepting and unpretentious atmosphere, and before you know it you'll be playing doubles at pool with two German Goths in between smoking rollies with a twentysomething media type.

Be warned, with a late license that runs well into the small hours of the morning you'll soon be surrounded by the night of the living drunkards - if you're not already one of them.

The Music
Four live bands a night, seven days a week. This is the place to go to top up your late night music and booze fixes. You're advised to check listings before entering as the impressively eclectic genre-crosses move effortlessly from folk to funk, indie to EMO, rock to reggae, and has given the 12 Bar Club a worthy reputation for promoting the old and the new. There's also the regular and popular open mic night on Sundays, which is as unpredictable as it sounds. All this for just a £5 post-11pm entry fee.

The Drink
The nondescript but friendly enough bar staff serve the standard selection of lagers and spirits that will keep even the most fussy alcoholics happy. Prices range from £3.30 for your lagers to £3.50 for your spirits and mixers.

The Last Word
If you're not a giant and you're looking for a late night music and booze hole in the centre of London then you can't go far wrong with 12 Bar Club. Full of character and filled with an unpretentious clientele, you may even be lucky (or unlucky) enough to catch a secret performance by Pete Doherty at 3am.

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