Capacity: 800 (600 standing, 200 seated in the balcony)
Who plays there: Islington Assembly Hall has quietly become one of London’s most popular mid-range venues, taking gigs that would once have gone to ULU, and offering an alternative to the Scala and the Garage. It hosts an array of rock, roots and indie acts, with Lucius, Grant Nicholas, the Pop Group, Living Colour, Rumer, Thurston Moore, Adam Ant and Perfume Genius among the acts on the current schedule.
Cloakroom: Yes, in the basement.
Admission: Generally about £20, though Adam Ant is charging a whopping £35. Because the Assembly Hall attracts its fair share of older acts, prices can reflect that.
Bar: There are three bars, but none of them are permanent – two in each rear corner of the downstairs, one in the balcony. They are set up for gigs, serving canned lager, wine and cider. You can also get bottles of real ale (tipped into plastic glasses). So, though it’s not quite bar-of-the-year, you are not condemned to Red Stripe and Red Stripe only.
Food: No.
Toilets: The Assembly Hall is proud of its basement toilets. And so it should be. They are the nicest toilets you’ll ever see at a gig. There are toilets in the balcony, too, but they’re not as lovely.
Wheelchair access: Yes. Although there are steps at the entrance, staff will take wheelchair users to a side entrance. There is an accessible toilet on the ground floor, but no lift to the balcony or basement. Disabled giggoers can bring a carer if they contact the venue in advance on 020-7527 8900 or at assemblyhall@islington.gov.uk.
Sound: Usually pretty good. Avi Buffalo the other night was way too quiet, but that wasn’t the venue’s fault. The Assembly Hall has a permanent PA system, which it boasts is “high-spec”, and certainly the sound has always been crisp and clear on our visits.
Where to stand: If the upstairs is open, it’s a nice place to sit, with good sightlines and good sound; this being quite a small venue, it’s not a long way from the stage. Downstairs, you can usually make your way to fairly near the stage by filtering down the sides, where you’ll also find plenty of room. There are no obstacles anywhere on the floor, and the stage is quite high, so there should be no serious sightline issues anywhere in the room.
Overall: You wouldn’t think the main hall of a borough council offices would be anything to write home about. But Islington Assembly Hall is a delight. For a start, it’s very generously sized for its capacity, which means it never feels uncomfortable, even when sold out. There can be a trade off in terms of generating a febrile atmosphere – this is a room where people are nice to each other, rather than wild – but that’s fine. It’s a beautiful space, too: a big, proscenium-arch stage that makes small bands seem as if they’ve taken a big step up, with a mirror ball slung from the ceiling, which does get employed. When the lights are flickering round the venue, it’s magical. It helps, too, that it’s in a nice part of town, with lots of terrific pubs, bars and restaurants nearby. Put simply, the whole experience of going to the Islington Assembly Hall is a pleasure. Full marks to the council for making such a terrific place available for shows.
Address: Upper Street, London N1 2UD
Telephone: 020-7527 8900
Website: islingtonassemblyhall.co.uk
Public transport: Lots of options. At the north end of Upper Street, Highbury and Islington station connects to the Victoria line, the London Overground and the Northern City line. And the south end, Angel is served by the Northern line. Bus routes 4, 19, 30 or 43 stop very close by on Upper Street, and routes 38, 56, 73, 341 and 476 stop round the corner on Essex Road.
