London's Top Clubs

Occupying former theatres, railway arches, factories and warehouses, many of London's major clubs started out as illegal party venues, and Londoners are used to descending into the ancient heart of their city for a big night out. There's indie, rock, pop and world music in the mix, but it's all-night dance music raves on Fridays and Saturdays that are the lifeblood of these huge spaces.

333

333 Old Street, EC1V 9LE
The 333/Mother bar complex was at the heart of the original Hoxton revolution. Its promoters and DJs helped launch the mullet movement and fanzine the 'Shoreditch Twat', which was later adapted for Channel Four. It's lost its cutting edge in recent years, but 333 is still a great venue, with basement scuzziness downstairs, and an ideal lounging and drinking space at the top. The music is entertainingly unexpected: the main dancefloor might play host to dark drum'n'bass, while banging Italo-disco happens below and there are cheesy reggae classics above. No East End venue has inspired more silly fashions, general japery and musical mayhem than this Shoreditch stalwart.

Current events at 333 Mother

Off Track event Friday 15th June
TIMES Friday 15th June 2012 - 10pm-3am PRICING £5, Free before 11.30pm
House, electro, dubstep, drum'n'bass, hip hop and R&B courtesy of Freight Train.... More about this event

Breaking The Illusion event Friday 1st June until Friday 29th June
TIMES 1st Jun, 8th Jun, 15th Jun, 22nd Jun and 29th Jun 2012 - 10pm-3am PRICING £5, Free before 11.30pm
DJ BTI plays hip hop and R&B.... More about this event

All events at 333 Mother

Corsica Studios

Elephant Road, SE171LB
A superbly designed two-room club and arts venue that captures the feeling of an illegal party in a squatted industrial space - while still being clean, well-organised and close to central London. There's absolutely no passing trade here (it's pretty hard to find, in fact), so if you want to be sure of a night where everyone is there for the music, this is the place to go. Corsica Studios is home to many of London's oddest and most daring clubbing experiences, with a consistent focus on the cutting edge of electronic and indie experimentation, all played out on two Funktion 1 sound-systems. The opposite of the bland superclub experience available across the road at Ministry of Sound.

Current events at Corsica Studios

GetMe! event Saturday 19th May
TIMES Saturday 19th May 2012 - 9pm-6am PRICING adv £5
DJs and performers supply electronica, featuring Nguzunguzu, Evan Christ, Very Spacial Guests, Alexander Nut, Becoming Real, Cherrystones, lby Daniels... More about this event

Church event Thursday 24th May
TIMES Thursday 24th May 2012 - 10.30pm-3am PRICING Free
Echo Festival DJs and guests spin hip hop, electro and dance grooves.... More about this event

Trouble Vision event Friday 25th May
TIMES Friday 25th May 2012 - 10pm-6am PRICING £10-£25, adv £8-£15
DJs Tensnake, John Talabot, Waifs And Strays, Behling And Simpson, Futureboogie, Mr Solid Gold and Park Ranger spin house and disco at the aptly named... More about this event

Alt-J event Thursday 31st May
TIMES Thursday 31st May 2012 - 7.30pm PRICING £9
Experimental electro-rock and indie-pop quartet from Leeds.... More about this event

Sneaker Social Club event Friday 1st June
TIMES Friday 1st June 2012 - 10pm-6am PRICING adv £8-£12
DJs Paul Woolford, Axel Boman, Appleblim, Throwing Snow, Arkist, Donga And Blake and Cedric Maison spin house, techno and dubstep.... More about this event

All events at Corsica Studios

EGG

200 York Way, London, N7 9AP
The fabulous EGG nightclub was well prepared for the smoking ban, with a fantastic garden and terrace which make it London's finest summer clubbing spot. There are three floors inside, and well-programmed nights of house, electro and dirty beats attract a wild polysexual crowd. It's at its most hedonistic for the Sunday morning after-party Breakfast at Egg, when North London's wildest clubbers converge to watch the sun rise and keep the rave alive.

Current events at EGG

Supernova event Saturday 19th May
TIMES Saturday 19th May 2012 - 10pm-10am PRICING £10, mems £15-£20
Hobo, Guy J, Monika Ross, Simone Vitullo, Guille Bonesso Benzadon, Gianluca Sved & Anto, Leon,... More about this event

Fact LDN event Saturday 26th May
TIMES Saturday 26th May 2012 - 10pm-10am PRICING £10-£20
Cristian Varela, Jon Rundell, Rossko, Roberto Martin, Funk D'Void, Antonio De Angelis, Arnaud Le Texier, CK Family Vs Malatoid, Lucio & Pep,... More about this event

The Soas Summer Ball 2012 event Sunday 27th May
TIMES Sunday 27th May 2012 - 7pm-4am PRICING phone for prices
Resident DJs spin house, drum'n'bass, R&B, garage and hip hop.... More about this event

Promised Land Official Ibiza Send Off event Sunday 3rd June
TIMES Sunday 3rd June 2012 - 2pm PRICING phone for prices
DJs Kevin Saunderson, Terry Farley, Colin Dale, Alex P, Philgood And Ram, Huck Finn, Sergio, Steve Altman and Mark Ruston spin house classics in the b... More about this event

All events at EGG

The Den and Centro

18a West Central Street, WC1A 1JJ
For many, the real damage of this bleeding recession came when iconic club The End and its upstairs bar AKA closed its doors to business. Ironically, the subsequent slump in the property market saw plans for a swanky block of flats in the once-highly-sought-after central location go up in smoke, with developers preferring to rebrand and reopen the venue instead of throw away top dollar on flats nobody could afford to buy. So, just three months elapsed before the unveiling of The Den and Centro: "a fantasy nightclub and party venue for indulgence in hedonistic pleasure," in schmalzy PR-speak. In truth (and this is no bad thing) the only real difference between The End and The Den - except the odd laser and new LED colour Pallets - is the position of the letter 'd'. Still, Centro has undergone a serious enough facelift, including the addition of a new stage for live acts, to warrant the clever painting of 'Re' above the first three letters of Holborn tube sign on the flyer graphics. The result being "a rare mixture of impressive 90s extravagance and minimalism" according, again, to the PR pen-pushers (who clearly never heard of Oasis). It remains to be seen how the place takes to the changes and whether or not The Den and Centro can attract the big names and parties back into its walls. But given the fact that Jonathan Tana of Space flew in from Ibiza for the opening, it shouldn't be too long before The (D)en(d) is back up to speed and the key residencies return.

Current events at The Den and Centro

Popstarz event running until Friday 25th May 2012
TIMES Friday 18th May and Friday 25th May 2012 - 10pm-4am PRICING phone for prices
Resident DJs spin indie, pop and R&B.... More about this event

Popstarz: After Dark event running until Friday 25th May 2012
TIMES Saturday 19th May and Saturday 26th May 2012 - 4am-8am PRICING Free
Resident DJs spin indie, rock, R&B, pop and Motown.... More about this event

Pause event running until Sunday 27th May 2012
TIMES Sunday 20th May and Sunday 27th May 2012 - 10pm-6am PRICING £10
Resident DJs spin house, disco, hip hop, chart, funk and Latin.... More about this event

Paradox event running until Tuesday 29th May 2012
TIMES Wednesday 23rd May and Wednesday 30th May 2012 - 12midnight-7am PRICING phone for prices
Residents Antoretox and David Vice supply house and electro.... More about this event

Clubbing London & Max Parties event running until Wednesday 30th May 2012
TIMES Thursday 24th May and Thursday 31st May 2012 - 12midnight-6am PRICING £10
Resident DJs spin house and electro.... More about this event

Le Mirage event running until Thursday 31st May 2012
TIMES 18th May, 25th May and 1st June 2012 - 12midnight-6am PRICING phone for prices
... More about this event

All events at The Den and Centro

Fabric

77A Charterhouse Street, EC1M 6DR
Built on the site of a Victorian meat cellar, London's original super club continues to boast the most sensational and eclectic line-ups in the capital. Its global reputation is founded on its diversity and willingness to showcase new talent alongside established residents such as Ali B, Andrew Weatherall and Tru Playaz. Feel the bass bleed through the speakers buried in the floor and recline in style on the famous bed seats at one of their top regular nights. Fabriclive on Fridays is regularly rammed and draws some of the biggest names in hip hop, drum'n' bass and electro. Saturdays are a more glamorous, house-orientated affair with the cream of the world's DJ talent. The bars usually stay open till 3am, thinning out the crowd to the hardcore as the sun rises over the sleeping city - and the serious party-people warm up for glamorous Sunday night gay/mixed party DTPM.

Current events at Fabric

Fabriclive Present Ram Jam event Thursday 24th May
TIMES Thursday 24th May 2012 - 10pm-3am PRICING adv £13, adv £18 inc CD, mems £12
David Rodigan MBE, Ms Dynamite, Bitty Mclean, Caspa, Toddla T and The Heatwave spin techno, electro, dubstep and garage.... More about this event

WetYourSelf! event Sunday 27th May
TIMES Sunday 27th May 2012 - 11pm-6am PRICING £10, adv £5, NUS/mems £7
Blind Minded, Mr Shiver, Cormac, Jacob Husley and Peter Pixzel spin techno and house.... More about this event

Fabriclive event Monday 4th June
TIMES Monday 4th June 2012 - 10pm-6am PRICING adv £10 & £15
DJ EZ spins house, techno and electro.... More about this event

Fabric event Saturday 9th June
TIMES Saturday 9th June 2012 - 11pm-8am PRICING £19, adv £18, adv £23 inc CD, £10 after 4am, NUS £12, mems £13
Claude VonStroke, Justin Martin, Sascha Braemer, Craig Richards, Peverelist, Terry Francis and Thugfucker spin house and techno.... More about this event

All events at Fabric

Heaven

Under the Arches, Craven Street, WC2N 6NG
Apart from occasional touring nights like Bedrock and Gatecrasher, Heaven is gay, but thoroughly welcoming to all. It was once the home of Megatripolis and holds a fond place in the memory of anybody lucky enough to experience the rave explosion of the 90s. The venue is brilliantly laid out through a series of interconnecting rooms and there's plenty of space to chill out along with two sizeable dancefloors. The atmosphere in this deservedly famous venue is second to none - very weird, and equally friendly.

Current events at Heaven

Popcorn event running until Monday 28th May 2012
TIMES Monday 21st May and Monday 28th May 2012 - 11pm-5.30am PRICING £8
Jonesey, Harvey Adam, Jamie Hammond and Terry T-Rex provide dance, electro, R'n'B, pop and hip-hop.... More about this event

King Charles event Thursday 31st May
TIMES Thursday 31st May 2012 - 7pm-10.15pm PRICING £12
Alt pop singer-songwriter from London.... More about this event

Maximo Park event Friday 8th June
TIMES Friday 8th June 2012 - 6.30pm PRICING £16
Alt rock from the North East-based five-piece.... More about this event

Hot Chip event Wednesday 13th June
TIMES Wednesday 13th June 2012 - 7pm PRICING phone for prices
The synth-wielding five-piece from London play neon electronica.... More about this event

Bobby Womack event Thursday 14th June
TIMES Thursday 14th June 2012 - 6.30pm PRICING £22.50
The American singer-songwriter and musician plays soul and R&B in support of his album The Bravest Man In The Universe.... More about this event

All events at Heaven

KOKO

1a Camden High Street, London, NW1 7JH
Following an epic programme of refurbishment, the former Camden Palace reopened as KOKO, a music venue with big ambitions. An eclectic set of regular club nights has turned this revamped North London landmark into a slice of cutting-edge cool. It always was a magnificent venue, and the refurbishment has more than done it justice: it's like going to a rave in an opera house, with swathes of opulent velvet and a huge arch rising three floors above the giant dancefloor. Fridays are indie nights, with bands followed by DJs playing whatever the skinny-jeans crowd are listening to this week, while Saturdays offer a varied selection of big parties, and the week is mostly given over to gigs. Low prices (by London standards) help ensure its popularity with students.

Current events at KOKO

Mr Scruff event Saturday 19th May
TIMES Saturday 19th May 2012 - 9.30pm PRICING £15
Mr Scruff spins jazz, soul, hip hop, funk, disco, house, reggae, dubstep and Latin.... More about this event

The Temper Trap, Cymbals event Monday 21st May
TIMES Monday 21st May 2012 - 7pm PRICING phone for availability
The Australian quartet plays melodic indie-pop.... More about this event

The Temper Trap, Clock Opera event Tuesday 22nd May
TIMES Tuesday 22nd May 2012 - 7pm PRICING phone for prices
The Australian quartet plays melodic indie-pop.... More about this event

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs event Wednesday 23rd May
TIMES Wednesday 23rd May 2012 - 7pm PRICING £12
Melodic dance and electronica from the artist.... More about this event

Guilty Pleasures event Saturday 26th May
TIMES Saturday 26th May 2012 - 10pm PRICING £13.50
Resident DJs spin pop, soft rock and disco.... More about this event

All events at KOKO

Ministry of Sound

103 Gaunt Street, London, SE1 6DP
A massive sound system, huge dancefloor and a staggering roster of big name DJs has made sure of Ministry of Sound's place in clubbing folklore. The opening night back in 1991 heralded the explosion of superclubs across the UK. Boasting a crisp, clear, thumpingly loud sound system, and some of the best house DJs of the era, the club attracted thousands of hedonists south of the Thames every weekend. This giddy ascendancy was subsequently translated into various record labels, a clothing company and sister clubs across the globe. Of course, success on such a scale never lasts, least of all in clubland, and the buzz around the venue had stagnated by the late '90s. Thankfully the last few years have seen the brains behind the operation quit resting on their laurels and sort it out. A welcome refurbishment of the interior and a creative injection into the DJ line-up means that Ministry is still well worth a look.

Current events at Ministry of Sound

Release Yourself event Saturday 19th May
TIMES Saturday 19th May 2012 - 11pm-7am PRICING £15
DJs Roger Sanchez, Baggi Berkovic, Prok & Fitch, Benny Royal, Sheldon, 2 Good Souls, Electronic Youth, Nick Christoforou, Wade Kadir, Dougie C, Trent ... More about this event

Rewind Yourself event Saturday 19th May
TIMES Saturday 19th May 2012 - 11pm-7am PRICING £15, mems £12
DJs Roger Sanchez, Baggi Berkovic, Benny Royal, Sheldon, 2 Good Souls, Electronic Youth, Danny Kaos, Brad Madden, L1, Dougie C, Trent Gently, C Randal... More about this event

Celebrate Life - Allstar Macmillian Fundraiser event Sunday 20th May
TIMES Sunday 20th May 2012 - 9pm-3am PRICING adv £10
DJs Paul Anderson, CJ Mackintosh, Danny Rampling, Robert Owens, Phil Asher, Simon Andrews, Funkie P, Norman Jay, Ricky Morrison, Luke Howard, Gordon M... More about this event

The Gallery event Friday 25th May
TIMES Friday 25th May 2012 - 10.30pm-6am PRICING adv £14, NUS/mems £11
Judge Jules plays two different sets running the gamut of house, electro, trance and techno, with support from John O'Callaghan, Pukka Up, Oliver Lan... More about this event

One Life event Sunday 27th May
TIMES Sunday 27th May 2012 - 3pm-3am PRICING £15
A vast roster of top DJs attempt to break the Official DJ relay world record, currently 81 DJs in one mix, one after each other, bringing communities ... More about this event

All events at Ministry of Sound