THE STORY OF THE
CAMDEN BARFLY

You'll say you saw them
here first

in the heart
of camden.

Before the BRIT Awards. Before the festival headline slots. Before the arena tours. Before the world knew their names.

They played Barfly.

What began in Camden in the mid 1990s with Nick Moore, Jeremy Ledlin and Be Rozzo would grow into one of the most influential grassroots music venues in history.

An intimate venue above a pub on Chalk Farm Road, Barfly sat at the heart of Camden's music scene for two decades. It became a rite of passage for emerging artists, helping launch the careers of countless musicians who would go on to headline festivals, top charts and sell out arenas around the world.

before the arenas.
they were here.

Coldplay, Amy Winehouse, Muse, The Cure, Ed Sheeran, Elbow, Biffy Clyro, Snow Patrol, The Strokes, Frank Turner, Jamie T, Franz Ferdinand, Feeder, IDLES, The Killers, The 1975, Ash, Avril Lavigne, MGMT, Kate Nash, Sam Fender, Bring Me The Horizon, Royal Blood, Doves, Keane, Interpol, Queens Of The Stone Age, Bloc Party, The Libertines, My Chemical Romance, Kasabian, The Kooks, Maroon 5, Razorlight, Supergrass, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Bombay Bicycle Club, Everything Everything, Pet Shop Boys, Catfish & The Bottlemen, The Fratellis, Suede, The Vaccines, Two Door Cinema Club, The National, Embrace, Scissor Sisters, The Fall, Bastille, Declan McKenna

...and countless more.

Coldplay Amy Winehouse Muse The Cure Ed Sheeran Elbow Biffy Clyro Snow Patrol
Coldplay Amy Winehouse Muse The Cure Ed Sheeran Elbow Biffy Clyro Snow Patrol
The Strokes Frank Turner Jamie T Franz Ferdinand Feeder IDLES The Killers The 1975
The Strokes Frank Turner Jamie T Franz Ferdinand Feeder IDLES The Killers The 1975
Ash Avril Lavigne MGMT Kate Nash Sam Fender Bring Me The Horizon Royal Blood Doves
Ash Avril Lavigne MGMT Kate Nash Sam Fender Bring Me The Horizon Royal Blood Doves
Keane Interpol Queens Of The Stone Age Bloc Party The Libertines My Chemical Romance
Keane Interpol Queens Of The Stone Age Bloc Party The Libertines My Chemical Romance
Kasabian The Kooks Maroon 5 Razorlight Supergrass Yeah Yeah Yeahs Bombay Bicycle Club
Kasabian The Kooks Maroon 5 Razorlight Supergrass Yeah Yeah Yeahs Bombay Bicycle Club
Everything Everything Pet Shop Boys Catfish & The Bottlemen The Fratellis Suede
Everything Everything Pet Shop Boys Catfish & The Bottlemen The Fratellis Suede
The Vaccines Two Door Cinema Club The National Embrace Scissor Sisters The Fall Bastille Declan McKenna
The Vaccines Two Door Cinema Club The National Embrace Scissor Sisters The Fall Bastille Declan McKenna

more than
a venue.

Barfly became more than a venue. It became the centre of a scene. From Camden, the Barfly brand expanded into multiple venues across the UK, launched The Fly magazine and created the Barfly Sessions television series, helping introduce countless artists to new audiences and establishing itself as one of the most influential names in grassroots music.

Barfly wasn't just somewhere to see bands. It was where music history happened. A second home for music fans. A cornerstone of Camden's reputation as one of the world's great music neighbourhoods. A place where careers were launched, scenes were born and unforgettable nights became part of music folklore.

However, in 2016, Barfly closed and was replaced by Camden Assembly, which hosted gigs by Yungblud, Olivia Dean, The 1975, Twenty One Pilots, Bombay Bicycle Club and The Last Dinner Party.

In 2025, Propaganda Independent Venues acquired the venue. Co-founders Dan Ickowitz-Seidler and Richard Buck were joined by co-owner Chris McCormack, one of Camden's most recognisable music figures.

For them, bringing back Barfly wasn't about nostalgia. It was about restoring one of the most important names in grassroots music.

Chris first headlined Barfly in 1997 with 3 Colours Red before going on to create the legendary Camden Rocks Festival. Dan celebrated his eighteenth birthday here, played on its stage with his own band, promoted club nights within its walls and DJ'd at Barfly's closing night in 2016. Rich promoted some of his earliest shows at the venue. For all three owners, Barfly's return is deeply personal.

Few artists capture the Barfly spirit better than Frank Turner. His band Million Dead played their first ever show at Barfly in 2001. As a solo artist, he played a record six headline shows on the Barfly stage and, in a full circle moment, returning to headline the venue's reopening night in June 2026.

Today, Barfly returns with the same purpose it has always had:

To give tomorrow's headliners a stage before the world discovers them.

Before the arenas, they were here.

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