(Incomplete) London Music Venues Chart

The idea was to create a star-chart like map of London music venues. I relate to many of them; over the course of a decade I have danced with my sister in Proud, took my ex to Notting Hill Arts Club, hooked up with someone in Fabric, went on a hen-do to Ronnie Scott's, was dragged into Jaguar Shoes, ended up at Cargo, listened to bands at the Union Chapel, visited the Barbican. Equally, just as many of the named venues I have only ever heard of, or didn't know they existed at all until researching the subject.

Unlike mapping train stations or place names, mapping music venues is fickle. Some emerge and disappear within a year, some stay for decades, others change their name; or stay underground. Essentially music venues tend to be of a transient and varied nature and are therefore hard to track and map.

The chart as it stands includes; live gig venues (eg. Oval Space), large event venues (O2 Academies), electronic dance music clubs (e.g. Fabric, Cargo), jazz clubs (e.g. Vortex) and a handful of classical music venues (e.g. Royal Opera House). Not included are pubs that have live music nights and neither are churches that occasionally host music events, as it is impossible to trace them. Also named are a few notorious/famous clubs that have closed down. 

Venue names are 'jotted down' in felt tip pen, arranged around London's imaginary centre of gravity. They form clusters in the West End, Vauxhall Gay Village, Brixton, Camden, Islington, Farringdon, East London and a few venues dotted around West London. 

The final version of chart will be available as print.

Any feedback regarding design, omissions, mistakes is appreciated.

Chart section - East

Chart section - North

Chart section - South

Chart section - West End

Chart section - West