The venue
The Roundhouse is a circular Grade II* listed building on Chalk Farm Road, a few minutes north of Camden Market. Its ring of cast-iron columns and conical roof make it one of the more distinctive rooms in London to see a band in. It holds around 3,300 standing, or 1,700 seated, and programmes music alongside theatre, circus and spoken word.
From engine shed to stage
It was built in 1846–47 for the London & North Western Railway as a roundhouse: a circular engine shed with a 41-foot turntable at its centre, from which locomotives were run into service bays between the columns. It worked as a shed for only eight years, but engines quickly outgrew the turntable. The building then spent decades as a gin warehouse before falling empty. The playwright Arnold Wesker reopened it as a performing arts venue in 1964, and it has been a fixture of London's music scene since.
Good to know
Chalk Farm station is a two-minute walk and is usually far calmer than Camden Town. Sightlines are good from most of the floor, though the columns can obstruct a few spots at the edges. It’s relatively easy to get close to the stage and the performers, making it a great place to enjoy your favourite music.
