Scala

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Housed inside the old King's Cross Cinema, the Scala might be a bit tattered around the edges but this only adds to its battered charm. The venue welcomed legends like Iggy Pop during the 70s, but didn't become a purely music venue until 1993. Since then though it has seen an illustrious series of soon-to-be-famous bands pass though the doors, including Foo Fighters, Chemical Brothers, Scissor Sisters and Suede.

The old cinema lay out works really well allowing you to watch the bands from in the pit, on one of the raised tiers, or in the upper gallery of seats - so short or tall, sitting or standing, you can get a decent eye-full of the band. The acoustics are quite agreeable too. They attract a fairly heterogeneous array of bands, the selection of hip hop artists they attract is particularly remarkable.

King's Cross is by no means the most pleasant area of Central London, especially after dark, but things are looking up with the arrival of the Eurostar. The Scala started the trend and now there are a few places to head on afterwards. We recommend the recently opened Big Chill House just down the road.

Scala