HMV Forum Reviews

Best gig venue in his part of London. 2 mins walk from Kentish Town tube and high street

A great venue for that's both large enough for an impressive crowd, yet cozy enough to feel intimate. Sight lines are excellent from both levels. Seating is comfortable, but being seated for a show does take some getting used to. Definitely the better of the O2 branded venues in the city.

The layout is pretty efficient, too, making it easy to find necessities during intermissions. That is, as long as your necessities include toilets and booze. I assume slipping out for a cheeky smoke is possible, as well, but I can't comment on the ease of doing so. Nor whether it's difficult to gain re-entry. It's possible favours may have to be provided in order to do so. Or not. I'm really not a good source for said information.

If you're looking for a great venue to catch your fave acts in the city, you won't be disappointed here. Staff is friendly and know how to handle crowds, like a well-oiled machine.

The building is great as a venue, just the right shape and size. I've enjoyed many events there but there are a few issues: The so-called "unreserved seating" upstairs is a problem unless you are there really early because the seating quickly gets taken-up and you end up with no seat at all. The other bad thing is that you can't pop out for a smoke.

Queue for cloakroom was too long, queue for the bar was so long we couldn't get a drink, queue for the toilet was ridiculous. Spoilt the night.

Great little venue offering a more personal event. Fairly priced drinks for London and friendly staff.

Great atmosphere. Beer was pricey but typical music venue.

Small, cosy venue. Very expensive bar. Lack of security.

FYI; o2 priority members only get one belonging for the locker room for free, any more you'll be charged for .

Stupidly priced bad beer and the sound is really variable

great atmospheric venue, and surprisingly good sound

Scene of UFO's very last London performance as part of the Last Orders at the Bar 50th Anniversary tour and the very last performance ever of Paul Raymond, RIP.

Interesting art deco interiors are worth seeing. Staff and security were friendly and helpful. Un-allocated seating on the balcony was welcome for someone who does not want to stand for hours. I arrived 40 minutes after door opened and still got a space on the balcony front row seated.

Seats are more like upholstered benches so no backs and not the most comfortable but still appreciated.

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One of my favourite places for gigs... not too big and good acoustics, so you can see and hear your favourite artists properly. Last time I saw STP and it was amazing!

Great venue but far too hot upstairs during a gig in November!

Went for MHD's concert. It was an epic! The venue is Spacious and clean

Good views from everywhere, well stocked bar. No food!

Nice old venue, bar wasn't up to much tho, highly overpriced poor quality drinks. I know it's London but you really shouldn't have to pay through the teeth for those sort of sub standard drinks.

Horrific queues for the bar. Not acceptable to pay so much for a ticket and miss 20 minutes of the band whilst waiting with your back to the stage.

Just the right sized venue, drinks reasonable, plenty of toilet space, a tad tired though.

We used the venue to shoot a promo for our forthcoming app. From beginning to end the staff were super helpful and the whole experience was smooth and painless. For what we wanted the venue worked perfectly. Highly recommended.

Good venue, it's was really hot when I visited, half way through the gig staff started handing out cups of water to people even at the front of the stage. Would recommend

Great gig venue. Seating for those who don't want to stand and standing on two levels (good if you're short like me!) Bars ok - serve quickly but limited choice.

Nice little venue, perfect if you enjoy a bit more "personal" gigs :)

A somewhat medium sized venue but with a good size stage and had a wonderful atmosphere. Queuing was as pleasant as it can be, when the doors opened it did not take long to get in at all as the security was efficient and the staff were very helpful. The entrance to the main floor and standing are both clearly marked making it difficult to get lost. Really enjoyed my visit and will definitely come back to see other bands.

Good venue showing lots of good bands and events. You'll be searched etc on entry (as with most London gig venues) but credit to the door staff they do this quickly and efficiently.

An excellent experience. My husband is disabled and the door staff couldn't have been nicer. During the show we had trouble seeing from our seats. The staff found us new seats with a better view. 10 out of 10 for customer service. The staff on duty on the evening of 2nd December should be highly commended. X

Had a seat upstairs. Super view and quick bar staff. Bit warm but think that was more to do with this particular gig

Nice place, got a nicf reduced mobility access right in the middle, however often thought to be an access to the main floor, especially in a room full of punky/rocky/thrashy kinda drunky metal heads!

Get some air conditioning! I passed out from the heat and ended up vomiting all over in the ladies as nobody wanted to move or help (couldn't get to the Gents). Medical staff were helpful but security wanted to kick me out!

I don't touch alcohol or drugs so that is not a factor, came to see what could certainly be Steven Tyler's last gig but it was ruined.

Never again!

A good sized venue for watching up and coming bands. Atmosphere was kicking and the sound was excellent. Beers a bit expensive but bar service was reasonably quick considering the length of the queues.

Great sound and wicked vibe perfect for all gig viewing

We saw the Flatbush Zombies here yesterday. Great performers. But the sound was terrible. Very disappointed by this venue.

O2 forum in Kentish town is a quite good place to go if you want to see a concert. It has a quite big stage, really good and loud audio system. There is a lot of space for the crowd on the ground floor and upstairs a balcony. At the bar you can buy some drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic). Though they are a bit expensive. And one more thing - toilets. I recommend to think to the future because when big venues takes place, the toilets will be overcrowded (that means 5-10 min waiting in the line)

Lots of Oxygen in this place, hence the name!
Tones and I were good, although I only watched!

A great place go attend concerts as it's not so big. I have seen Crush perform there and it was worth it.

Bug venue, reasonable Soundsystem, took seconds to get in

Great location in an old theater. The interior almost entirely of wood. There is a balcony and a huge stage for this ratio. the concert of Vanessa Paradis was at a high sound level which was a bit surprising at this old concert hall.

Visited 6th March to see Keith Urban. The delay in gaining access was awful. People made to queue for well over 45 mins in the cold and wind of an early March evening. Even Urban thanked the crowd for standing in such a lengthy queue. The staff were simply not operating enough doors meaning those entering the venue did so at a snails pace. For those guests with priority booking they entered without any delay. In fact they had an exclusive entrance that should have been employed for the public holding standing tickets.
Inside the place was packed. A worn and dated Victorian venue with a balcony for unreserved seating.
Loved the gig despite the place being so cold before the band started.
The guys operating the queing system wore Showsec high vis jackets. They need a serious rethink on procedures because gaining entry to this venue is unacceptable.

I've seen both Wu Tang Clan and Method Man & Redman at this venue and both times the experience was ruined by the sub-par sound system. I could hardly hear the lyrics and the sound frequencies were severely limited. What a complete waste of my time and money. I don't understand this mentality. Surely, the speakers are the most critical component of a live music venue?

Lovely old fashioned venue. My first visit there, to see St Paul & the Broken Bones, with The Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer supporting.

Interesting Roman themed venue but the sound quality is not great, a lot of reverb which isn't great if your watching bass heavy fast music like hardcore or metal.

No trouble at all Watched the specials last night, what an amazing night, Staff were very accommodating,

Been many years since I saw a gig here but its still a very good venue

Went to see tove lo on 12th March 2020. Was amazing. We got in quick because I was on o2 network, was almost at the front. Cloakroom, toilet, bar and merch was all indoors and clearly stated where they are. All in all, no complaints

The venue is lovely but there is no air conditioning in the building! I went there to see King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard last Thursday (Mid June). The band was amazing but unfortunately I couldn't stay till the end of the show as it was extremely hot and almost impossible to breath inside. It was literally like a sauna! I don't think I'll go to events there during summer.

Small to medium sized venue that's easy to get to on the tube or train. Good views as the downstairs is tiered. Have been.here many times over the years and still rate as one of the best venues in London.