Jazz Cafe

Jazz Cafe sits on Parkway in Camden Town and has been part of the area's music scene since 1990, when it opened on the site of a former Barclays bank. In 2008 MAMA & Company acquired the Mean Fiddler Music Group and continued to operate the venue until it was purchased by The Columbo Group in January 2016, reopening with a new look, a technical upgrade, a revamped food and drink menu plus a 'reinvigorated bookings approach'. The venue holds 450 people across both floors, with a downstairs floor for the main action and an upstairs area that looks over the stage.

While the name points to its jazz roots, the booking policy has long since broadened out, and these days the genres on the calendar lean towards electro and hip-hop alongside soul, funk and live sets. That mix is clear in the upcoming run, which takes in KIZZI & Friends, a Fela Kuti birthday celebration, a Crackazat and Jimpster live show, a Glenn Underground extended Chicago house history set and Jamz Supernova's Dance Around The World, right through to a Halloween party with Mas Que Nada.

It's a compact, central Camden spot rather than a sprawling warehouse, so expect a close-up view of the stage whichever night you catch. With a lineup shifting between live bands, DJ sets and genre-specific celebrations, it suits anyone after a varied night out rather than one fixed sound.