Jazz Cafe

You're heading down the stairs at 5 Parkway into one of London's most storied music venues, where the crowd's already buzzing and the stage is close enough that you can see the sweat on the drummer's brow. The Jazz Cafe has been Camden's anchor for live performances since the late 80s—it's where serious musicians come to play and serious music lovers come to listen. The sound system is genuinely excellent, the bar staff know what they're doing, and there's a real sense that something real is about to happen. On any given night you might catch emerging jazz talent or established names who actually care about playing to an engaged room rather than just moving units.