Capacity: 200.
Who plays there: A mixture of the unknown, the up-and-coming, and the frantically buzzy. The Shacklewell Arms has become one of the go-to venues for US bands making early London appearances, and a reliable host for indie-label seasons – Trashmouth, the label that brought us the Fat White Family, has a forthcoming season there. Expect indie and its offshoots: this is not a venue for glamorous R&B divas (though Solange Knowles has DJ’d there).
Cloakroom: No.
Admission: Cheap. Often free. Even for the “name” bands you’re likely to have change from a tenner – though the Wave Pictures charged a shocking £12.50.
Bar: There’s a limited bar in the back room, but the Shacklewell Arms is a fully fuctioning pub in its front half, with football on the telly and a changing array of real ales at the bar. Of course, the usual wines, lagers and spirits are also available.
Food: Yes, and they’re quite proud of it. They’re currently working their way through 50 weeks of burgers themed for each of the 50 states of the US. With a veggie choice on offer, too, that makes a total of 100 burgers. There’s also an array of hot dogs and sides.
Toilets: Yes, there are.
Wheelchair access: Yes, in theory. It’s a ground-floor venue, with access through the main bar. But there’s a three-inch step, and no disabled toilets. Personal assistants can get in free on the house guest list. The bigger issue is that in a small, crowded room, anyone in a wheelchair is going to see, well, nothing. As Dirty Water Records, which hosts nights there, puts it: “Stage right tends to be less frantic than right in front, and many people choose that option. It has an excellent view of the entire stage. The stage itself is less than three feet high and there is no raised area from which to view the bands.” Before going, contact the management on info@shacklewellarms.com, and they will help as best they can.
Sound: The in-house system is pretty good, and I’ve never suffered any sound problems there, with bands as different in sound from the shrieking punk of White Lung to the delicate precision of the Allah-La’s. But it’s the back room of a pub, not a state-of-the-art club.
Where to stand: As Dirty Water suggest for punters in wheelchairs – stage right is a bit less horrifically busy. Really, get there as early as you can face and find a spot you’re confident you’ll be able to see from. The low stage penalises short customers. And those arriving as the band comes on will get stick in the crush at the door and find it hard to make their way further in.
Overall: The Shacklewell Arms is part of the east London triumvirate – completed by the Old Blue Last and the Sebright Arms – that has seen the centre of indie gig gravity in the capital shift decisively away from Camden. These are the pubs that now put on the shows that would once have been at the Barfly or the Enterprise or the Dublin Castle or the Bull and Gate. The Shacklewell is a better place to drink before the show than the Old Blue Last, and it gets properly crowded and atmospheric. But that also means rammed and boiling and with very poor sightlines. The stage set up is truly peculiar – the drum kit gets set up in an alcove at the back of the stage, which means that half the time you can’t see there’s a drummer with the band. As London pub venues go, it’s not as rewarding an experience as the Lexington, but for what it offers – the chance to see exciting young bands in a small space – it more than earns its keep.
Address: 71 Shacklewell Lane, Dalston, London, E8 2EB.
Telephone: 020-7249 0810.
Website: shacklewellarms.com
Public transport: Buses 488, 236, 149, 76 stop nearby. Dalston Kingsland and Dalston Junction stations, on the London Overground, are both little more than five minutes’ walk away, and Rectory Road and Hackney Downs on the national rail network are just a little further.
