The Waiting Room

Walk down Stoke Newington High Street and you'll spot The Waiting Room tucked in amongst the independent shops and cafes that make this neighbourhood actually worth visiting. Inside, it's exactly what a neighbourhood live venue should be—low ceilings, sticky floors if you're lucky, the kind of place where you can actually hear the band without your ears ringing for three days. The programming's solid too; they book proper emerging acts and established names who actually want to play smaller rooms. It's the sort of spot where you'll stumble upon your next favourite band while nursing a pint that won't cost you a week's wages.