The barfly in my opinion is an awesome venue! I have had so many good nights there that I can't help but love the place. The crowd is only midlly annoying and poserish, and some of the bands they have had on there have provided legendary nights. I used to go there a lot when I did not live in London as loads of up and coming bands would gig there. I remembering discovering Larrikin Love there (R.I.P) and having a rowdy, sweaty jig of a night. I also saw Jamie T there, when he used only play with his bass guitar and it was a brilliant night. The upstairs part where bands play is intimate and gets crowded, the atmosphere is always great, I also once went to watch a band play there at 8 a.m. That was wierd. The bar are downstairs is also tiny, prices at the bar are moderate. It is a good place to have a drink or a dance after you have watched a band play, or simply to go to as a bar. They normally have a few good DJ nights on in a week. They always have things going on, so check out the website. There is also a barfly in Manchester and in Leeds. read more

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Wanna know what's worse that walking into a bar full of collar popping 21-year olds and realising you're the oldest one there? Walking into the same bar in the UK. Because instead of 21, they're all 18. MY god, I've never felt older. Tonight's adventure in 21-derland (Perhaps 18-y-town?) proved to be a gyrating mass of sweet hot hormones, and I must say, they were all having a terrific time, so I must give credit where credit is due. And then politely decline. read more

Sweaty sweaty boys in skinny jeans boppin to live bands on stage, smelling the blood, sweat and tears of the performers. This place is a dirty music venue that does not pretend to be anything it's not. Cheap beer and snakebites, cash only bar and a mix of people like you'd never expect. You'll find a lot of unsigned acts playing, some good, some terrible but most full of passion and great to watch. If you love gigging, this is not a place to be missed. read more

I haven't been to any gigs here but only to enjoy a few drinks. Didn't really think much of the place - small and overpriced drinks. I really had to sip carefully in-case I spent a fortune here! And where are the bloody seats?! There were 1 seat to 5 persons. Confusing stuff. I would love to check out a few bands here - the crowd seem pretty cool. However for a few drinks after work - I suggest a nice/cheaper pub. read more

This is a good venue for discovering new bands. I went on a night with 4 unsigned acts. One sucked, one was ok, and two were awesome. Wish i could remember their names :/ Its small so you can enjoy the music but still feel apart of a crazy crowd. All the bartenders were speedy and nice. It is pretty hipstery slash-too-cool-for-school giving it the "air of cool" effect (you know when you're just being yourself having a good time and you feel like everyone thinks you are a weirdo) but overall its a fun night out. Not sure about cover charges..night i went was free, but probably depends on who's performing. read more

Great spot for seeing live music ( they have a small stage area upstairs). They play some of the best cheesy music downstairs where you can dance away to your hearts content! Not a bad spot at all. read more

Was in the area and went to check out this bar for a quick drink because the venue looked pretty chill on the outside. It was about six o'clock and there was only one other occupied table...very very dead and boring atmosphere. Drinks are moderately priced...I think I would definitely enjoy this place on a gig night for the live music, but other than that I don't know what else Barfly has to offer on an un-booked weeknight. Drunkards at the table next to us could not compose themselves. They literally broke and shattered a total of 3 glasses on the floor under a half-hour span....quite juvenile and annoying. Someone show these wankers to the door. read more

Slow barkeeps. More of a live music venue... feels a little flat if there's no action. read more

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I've had a few good nights at Barfly, mainly to see a particular band as the club nights here tend to be full of try-hard kids that have come to the big smoke for the night and have heard Barfly is cool. Weekends tend to get rammed with said kids so I generally steer clear unless I'm there for a reason. However, last week I went down with a friend for a 'Free' gig that was on, only to be met by the bouncer telling me we couldn't enter as we hadn't printed off the 'Free' pass off the internet. I poked my head inside and the bar wasn't even busy, so for that reason I won't be hurrying back. There's cooler places to go in Camden anyway. read more

It's your average dive-ish music venue. But I love it! I have seen two concerts here. One of them being Pearl and the Bear (New favourite!) The other I will detail a bit more. The other day I saw Niki and the Dove here. The intimate feeling I got from them was much more energetic when I saw them a mere weeks before that, at the 02 Academy Brixton opening for Miike Snow. Granted, they were just the opener. But they can not do a large theater well. But put them within inches of your biggest fans and you have one kickass show. I'm sure this pertains to every artist who graces their stage. I am sure I will be back! read more

I would definitely give this place a second chance, maybe on a gig night, but for now, 2 stars is all. I just can't STAND when boys automatically think that you want their tiny penises rubbed up against your lower back JUST because you've hopped onto the dance floor and are gyrating a bit yourself. Puhleeez. If I wink at you, give you the signal, try to talk to you, then yes, by all means, have at my lower back. Otherwise, stay the F$#K back - I'm trying to get my groove on. read more

I went to this bar with a buddy to listen to some live music. There was a 5 pound entry to go upstairs where the band performed. The top area was cozy and the crowd was good. Drinks were moderately priced in my opinion. The band only played 5 songs or so. I was hoping the experience to be a little longer since they were a decent band. read more

This was kind of a weird joint. We went out dancing, and started out downstairs listening to music that's impossible to dance to...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cHB3Rbz1OI Nothing against the style of music, but it's not something you go out and dance to. The crowd seemed similarly confused, although there was a good amount of people there. After a bit we discovered an upstairs room that played more top 40 stuff. It was a definite improvement, but it was 99% "heard it before" stuff that wasn't anything unique. No real involvement in the bar either. Someone stepped on my glasses here while I was "raging" to "killing in the name of" :( :( :( read more

Had an incredible night other night at the Barfly with a visiting Canadian friend and mates. I initially thought, "indie rock at the Barfly on a Monday?" But wow, the headlining band (Thao with the Get Down Stay Down) abso-bloomin-lutely rocked! The venue really is quite small so it can get very crowded. This makes it a bit hard to get your boogie on when the singer on stage is shaking your soul. However, this also makes it quite intimate as other Yelpers have noted. You can hang out at the bar in close proximity to the alcohol (so as to not have to fight your way back and forth) and still feel like you're right in the heart of the show. read more

If there is a band you're in to and you've heard that they're playing the Barfly then get yourself a ticket, fast! This is a great venue to watch a gig in because it's so small and the acoustics are amazing. You have all the opportunity in the world to get up close and really enjoy the music. The Barfly has gigs every few nights and most of the acts they book are really worth watching. However, as a bar to drink in- it's a bit lacking. Without a band to grab you're attention, this place just feels a bit dark and cold. The seating isn't great and bar prices are steep for this area of Camden. It also feels a bit strange to drink in here without the buzz of knowing that you're going to watch a gig. A bit like doing your Christmas shopping in July- there's just no excitement to it! All in all I would call the Barfly a music venue and not a bar, great for watching live acts perform but a place I'd go to grab a few drinks with friends. read more

It's a bit grungy, dive-y, dirty, smelly, and sticky, but I feel like that's basically what Camden Town is about so I kind of love it! We came here randomly one night because it has live music and anywhere from 3-5 small bands playing every night! We didn't spend too much time at the bar downstairs, just got our drinks and headed up where the live music is! But the downstairs area looked like any standard dive bar, with loud music playing and smelled a bit like an old pub. There is also a bar in the live music room upstairs to get your drink fix! The place was pretty empty when we first got there, around 9pm. It started filling up pretty quickly afte rthe first act. The audience ranged from younger people to couples who were in their 40's, to single old men lingering in the back who looked like they were in their 50's. We had absolutely no expectations for the artists we were going to see, and no idea who any of them were. We saw some pretty strange acts, including this one lady who sang like she was performing a voodoo chant. It was pretty awesome :) It turned out that all the opening acts were leading up to a band that sang punk music and looked like they were in high school. It also seemed like a lot of the people standing in the front row were also in high school, and probably his classmates. And then I realized that the drinking age in London is 18, so they probably WERE in high school, or just graduated. All the older couples also started to make sense, cuz they were probably those kids' parents... I asked a British friend, and he only confirmed my suspicious when he said, "Oh yeah, Barfly! I had a ton of fun there when I was in College (aka senior year in the UK)l!" It was still a blast, though :) The one annoying thing is that the bathroom is extremely small, and if I remember correctly, there were only two stalls for the whole place. BUT! what is really awesome is that they offer free ear plugs! My bf usually can't stand loud music venues and wants to leave after an hr or two, but since he got those earplugs, it was perfect! Every music venue should offer them!!! read more

The Barfly was so much smaller than I thought. I had heard about its almost legendary status, and then to walk in and see that it was such a small room, in which about 2/3rds is taken up by a stage, was quite surprising. Still it means that you are so close to the bands playing that you might as well be on the stage with them. I watched Biffy Clyro here do a gig for Xfm and the acoustics were brilliant. A couple of months ago I went upstairs to watch a gig. It is even smaller up here. I prefer the vibe of downstairs though. If the bar gets too busy downstairs though - which I guarantee it will - I would nip to the bar upstairs to get your JD and coke, there will be much less of a queue. read more

I can't comment at all on the downstairs as my journey took me straight up to the top floor where the action seems to happen. I was here to watch a gig by an up and coming band and for that reason alone Barfly gets a star. It's not the nicest place in the world but it wouldn't feel right if it was. Good layout, very decent sound system and reasonable bar prices means that I'll be back here for another gig as soon as I can! read more

I actually quite like it in here, it seems like quite a nice place to go and just have a nice chilled out drink. I went to a gig on the weekend, it's really good to see up and coming artists up close and personal before they are massive. I can imagine it could get crazy on there at times but the one I went to the performance was intimate and raw. Nice venue would go again. read more

Nice small venue that, with the right band, can take create a fabulous atmosphere. Easy to get to (chalk farm tube). You can see some great bands, friendly staff. Just the right venue for a weekend is music. read more

Barfly - Setting the stage. The band Eureka Machines readying the stage for their art. - Bars Near Me - London, XGL

I really like the Barfly, although i tend to feel ancient if i go there at the weekend now! With gigs nearly every singly night, this is one of London's 'must play' venues for bands, they also do fun, indie discos in the evenings when there's no live music, or when the bands have finished and they have some cracking DJ sets from local popular dj's who spin all the indie you can stomach. The upstairs bar is tiny, and gigs up here are always rammed, sweaty affairs but that just adds to the magic meaning you have to force your way to front and invade the stage! The downstairs bar also has a stage for gigs and has (marginally) more room. Bar prices are OK (ish), especially considering this is Camden. Huge posters on the exterior document their up and coming gigs which is a great way to see whats going on if you chance upon the place, and it's far enough away from Camden Town tube to avoid the intolerable mass of people. A good place for a dance and a bop. It's also worth noting they do all day parties, some of the for under 18's which is a great marketing technique, and they have a subsidiary club 'The Fly' on New Oxford Street. read more

This was a good place to hear some Indy music. But the floors were so sticky that it distracted me from the music.

A decent place for drinks or a night out. The dancefloor downstairs creates a nice intimate space and upstairs is a bigger floor that gets packed up but is still fun. The prices aren't too rough, but I didn't find anything too standout about the place. It's consistently decent but not much more than that. read more

Such an amazing place. The door staff were friendly which sadly is rare and to be fair it didn't take too long to get served. I actually preferred it to many of the places I had been in Camden that night read more

Decent little dingy indie club/venue - managed to miss Fight Like Apes when they played here, but have been told it was amazing.