South-East London for some years (at least the years I can remember) used to be the poor relation in terms of local music venues. North London has always been well equipped, from the indie-favouring hip spots in Camden to the mega-band fixtures at Wembley, and East London had the Royal Standard at Walthamstow and the Ruskin Arms, cradle of the career of many metal bands in the eighties. But South-East London? We had Brixton Academy, but once you got further out there were only the dives like the notorious Tunnel Club in Greenwich. Perhaps the lowest nadir of our fortunes was reached when the Cartoon Club in Croydon closed and was turned into an ice-cream parlour (oh, the shame.... how the mighty are fallen...).
Writing now in May 2006, it's been a while since I last edited this page, and a lot has changed. The Manor at Biggin Hill, sadly, has been demolished, while the South London jam hosted by the Electric Experience is no more. Nor, as far as I am aware, are the Alexandria doing any more events, while the legendary Woodman was taken over and stopped doing live bands as well. On the other hand the Railway Hotel at Bromley North is now doing a jam night one Monday a month and doing rock nights on Saturday.
| Name | Comments, if any |
| The Amersham Arms, New Cross. | Host to a cross-section of local bands, often interesting. |
| The Venue, New Cross. | A well-established club that features a couple of floors, often with live music on one and dancing on the other. Not that expensive, either to get in or to drink |
| The Beacon, 18 Farleigh Avenue, Hayes | This one surprised me as it is very much a "local", but I saw the Electric Experience there recently. Off the beaten track. |
| The Railway Hotel, Bromley | Hosts a lot of live rock - small but good venue. |
For addresses, phone numbers and other information see the Internet.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of venues, and I would welcome any information on others in the SE London/Kent area. Remember: E-mail to Cyberlizard!