Charlotte McCann

In a nutshell… It’s one of the coolest venues in east London – even if it isn’t technically underground. Where is it? On Holywell Lane in the middle of Shoreditch. Catch a glimpse of the rooftop studios, made of old tube carriages, as you pull into Shoreditch Overground station. What’s the vibe? When it opened in 2007, this converted Victorian warehouse was basically the most Shoreditch thing that had ever happened. The owners commissioned graffiti murals, put those tube carriages on the roof and stripped the interior back to its bare bones. Exposed-brick enthusiasts, feast your eyes. © Chiara Melchior What makes it a great venue? It’s the venue of choice for cutting-edge electronica, hip hop, indie and dance. Established acts come here to let loose (Alicia Keys played a surprise gig last week) and test the waters (James Blake debuted material from his new album here), while rookies take that crucial step up from the bar circuit. What’s the booze situation? There’s a bar stocked with the usual wine, spirits, craft beer and soft drinks. Finally: what’s the most unexpected thing ever to happen on a night there? Electro artist Dan Deacon once made all 700 punters form a ‘human tunnel’ around the entire site. It began inside, spilled out on to Holywell Lane and turned the corner on to Great Eastern Street – with Deacon playing all the while. Previously: So you’ve never been to… Union Chapel?

In a nutshell…It’s one of the nicest, most welcoming venues in town. (It helps that it’s a church.) Where is it?A hop and a skip away from Highbury & Islington tube stop – let the soaring brick tower be your guide. What’s the vibe?The chapel was founded (in 1799) to serve as a ‘Friend for All’. You’re as likely to see your Auntie Muriel taking a pew at a Sunday service, as your muso friends at one of the chapel’s free daytime gigs on Saturdays. What makes it a great venue?This may be preaching to the converted – Time Out readers have voted the chapel their favourite venue four times. That’s because music belongs here, by design. This Grade 1-listed Victorian Gothic church was built so that anyone on stage can be seen and heard from every seat in the house. Whether you’re there for Bat For Lashes or Stewart Lee (they do comedy nights, too), you can be sure it’ll be an intimate evening. What’s the booze situation?No hard stuff’s allowed in the chapel because, y’know, God. But before you reach for your hip flask, there’s a venue bar well stocked with Camden Brewery beers, whiskies, spirits and wines. Finally, what happens to all the coats left in the cloakroom?‘Mostly they get reclaimed by their owners at the end of the night,’ says the venue. ‘But coats that do end up in lost property for more than a month go to The Margins Project, the homelessness charity based at the chapel.’ Previously: So you’ve never been to… Ronnie Scott’s?