Union Chapel

Absolutely blown away by this venue. Went to watch a gig here (Aurora) and it was incredibly atmospheric. I knew the venue was a church but didn’t realise how big and grand it was! I was sitting upstairs on the balcony, three rows from the front and could see most of the stage apart from the far right. The acoustics are amazing… if I could watch all the gigs I go to here I would! I wasn’t drinking anything but there looks like there’s a bar upstairs… but most people I saw had mugs of hot drinks. Can’t wait to come back.

Even though I am up in Angel all the time, I don’t tend to venture up as far as Highbury and Islington, so I never realised how lovely this church is! There’s some lovely stained glass (on one side — the other side was bombed, in what made Highbury corner).
I took a group for the free organ recital they do once a month, on their refurbished organ (there’s loads of info about it on their website,
).
As the building is a church as well as a music venue, they’re pretty well equipped for the organ recital. The organ is behind the pulpit, so they set up a camera and a screen so you can see the organ being played. It has two keyboards as well as foot pedals, not to mention all the stops, so it’s really interesting to watch.
Admittedly I’m not much of an organ music aficionado, so after about 15 minutes my interest waned, but I could easily have left without disturbing anyone (but I was there for work so I stayed).
I had arranged for a short talk on the chapel afterwards. It’s been through many iterations over the years, and is currently an entertainment venue, as well as a church. They do a lot of outreach work with marganalised/​homeless people as well.
Worth stopping in for a quick look when they’re open on Wednesdays from 10am-​1pm, or to arrange a free guided tour on Sunday afternoons.

Love going here to my local haunt whenever there is a gig on. Saw Mark Lanegan one time and the sound is set up for acts like this and is incredible quite honestly. Also got the organ back and working.
I’ve Recently discovered that they do a ‘daytime sessions’ acoustic acts each Saturday. Seen some varied acts and it’s a very mature crowd be uses of the area and that’s why I love it. Quite a different local vibe. Nothing crazy. You can even get a mug of tea to take into the church aisles.

I attended the Ocean Film Festival at the Union Chapel which has been touring throughout the UK.
Based as few minutes walk from Highbury & Islington tube it’s very easy to get to. There was security as you walk in and a couple of friendlies to sign you in. As you walk through there’s like a little ‘tuck shop’ where you can buy sweets and hot drinks. Sadly the hot chocolate I brought was made with just hot water as they said they didn’t have the facilities to heat up milk at the church.
There is seating up and downstairs and the area is quite sizeable. Although I arrived early the ‘good seats’ were taken up by bums on seats or people leaving their coats there to reserve them. The only decent seats I could find was 3 rows from the front on the middle, a bit too close for comfort but better than being on the end of a row. I noticed when the film started a lot of the people sitting at the front to the far left and right moved seats as they could not see.
The various films were projected onto a big screen. I was glad there were mini breaks and a longer interval as it wouldn’t be comfortable sitting on wooden seats for long periods. For the Ladies you’ll find queues at the toilets as there are only a few cramped cubicles. Surprisingly though, there is a huge bar upstairs with lots of space to mingle and seating to chill out.
A very well organised event, I would definitely come back to this venue for this event again.

This beautiful old church is a perfect music venue for the more folk inspired bands travelling the UK and the globe.
Sitting in the pews, listening to your favourite bands be it acoustic or otherwise is a treat which really makes you feel as though you’re living in another time, making you forget the outside world and immerse yourself in the music.
If you ever get the opportunity to see a band here, do yourself a favour and go. You won’t regret it and certainly won’t forget the wonderful experience in a hurry.

Absolutely incredible venue for acoustic gigs. Totally haunting and so intimate that you have to make sure your phone is on silent or risk being glared at by everyone else in attendance. I try to get back a much as possible as it remains my favourite venue in the city by a long way.

I’ve seen some intimate acoustic Jazz and Folk concerts here. The sound and the view are great, but the seats are hard.
The only thing I do not like about this venue is the smell from the bar. The stale beer/​wine wafting from there is really off-​putting. Please, please, please do something about it.

Union Chapel is a really amazing venue — it’s intimate with great acoustics, open seating, and good views from every seat. It’s not corporate but not dingy either, which seem to be the two ends of the spectrum in London! The little café/​bar serves beer, soda, and hot drinks in charity shop mugs all for reasonable prices.

I saw a stand-​up comedy show — the End of Fringe Gala — and Union Chapel was such an incredible venue for it. T
he closeness of the ground floor seating to the stage made the whole process much more entertaining, and for the most part, the upstairs seating was just as good, with less chance of getting called on as a punchline.
The venue was very full, but still managed to be enjoyable, though the queues for the bars during intermissions was truly unbearable.
Definitely a beautiful and unique venue. I’d love to see a musical show here, since I’m sure it would be great to have the lights and sound fill this space.

I’ve been to a lot of music venues in my day, and this place stands out as one of the best I’ve been to. Small, intimate, and if you get there early enough to stand in line, you’ll get a killer seat.
The venue was a church for years and now is set up for concerts. The downstairs and balcony are all church benches, so there are no assigned seats (at least the case for the Beck show). The sound is great, and there aren’t that many bad seats. You could be stuck in the corner or on top behind the stage, but other than that, you’re golden.
They have a café with some basic snacks and a bar with alcohol, but you can’t bring it to your seat. Most of the people in line outside have bottle of beer to drink on their wait to get inside.

A church that is still in active use and doubles as a concert venue. It’s got a brilliant ambiance for gigs, and good acoustics. They may not serve alcohol, but the tea and the atmosphere make up very well for that.

I absolutely adore union chapel. Last year I saw the civil wars there and this year I have tickets to see ben gibbard. The acoustics are amazing, the upstairs bar is beautiful, and the whole place is just absolutely worth 20 quid (or more) for a ticket.

Very nice location. Never had such a great night in a club in London!!!

Really nice place, awesome venue, good people and a great vibe.

I adore coming here for gigs. How can music not sound amazing, with the acoustics of a church adding their magical touch to it?
Buy a cup of tea, find a seat on a pew (not allocated) and enjoy the stunning surroundings. Disabled friendly: phone in advance and a seat will be reserved for you.

Great idea for a music venue! This place is a church on it’s music days off.
Imagine popping into the local church and seeing some great musicians play where the priest usually stands!
The sound system is fantastic & it’s an intimate venue, seating is free for all so get there early to pick your seat!
I wish all churches doubled as a music venue! Check it out if you get the chance.
Recommend!

Came here to see the London Gypsy Orchestra (and will some back in a few months to see Jeff Mangum). The venue itself is fantastic and quite unique, aesthetically speaking. Functionally, this place is pretty rough. The seating is all open, so that means first come, first served. Or at least it SHOULD mean that.
When I went with my special lady to see the Orchestra, we had bought our tickets beforehand. When we arrived, about 30 minutes early, the organizers set up two lines — one for people who already had tickets, and one for those who did not. Well, they started letting people who didn’t have tickets into the show BEFORE people who had their tickets in hand. Suffice it to say, my group (with tickets) was very unhappy with this decision. I managed to keep my cool, making sarcastic remarks to my companion to vent my frustration. Others were not so cool, letting loose on the organizers and bouncers with language so foul, so profane, that decorum prohibits my mentioning it here.
That whole debacle left a pretty bad taste in my mouth. The show was great, though, and as I said, the venue is really nice. Hopefully this experience isn’t how things always run at the Union Chapel, and I’m optimistic for my next visit.

Shhhh, don’t tell anyone but they let a Jew in this church! Seriously, there I was sat in a house of Christianity, watching an event which was a celebration of a Pagan festival… looking shifty. It’s fine though, apparently they’ll let anyone in here.
If you are looking for a seriously quirky venue for live music or movies, this will be the spot for you. Take a pew and enjoy the atmosphere that radiates from it’s 100 year old stone walls. I came here for Jameson Cult Screenings and although I didn’t stay for the whole event, I can tell you that this was an epic evening. Actors wandering around, free drinks, popcorn and a cult movie. What more could you ask for at Halloween.
In the past there have been some pretty impressive artists that perform here and now I’m been once, I’m totally going to come back and watch something soon. One tip though, give yourself time to find this place, myself and a few others found it quite difficult to find.

How is this all-​inclusively $FREE.99? Thank you Unilocal London for sending me an invite through elite-​mail! To get into that Halloween spirit, it’s a must to take a visit to the Union Chapel for a Jameson Cult Film screening! Although Quatermass and the Pit was a 60’s original «classic» film, I didn’t enjoy it much. I just chuckled at the special effects and felt bored with the film. Nonetheless, I quite enjoyed my three complimentary Jameson cocktails (2 Bloody Jemmies and one Jameson and Coke) The free popcorn was awfully stale, but I wasn’t complainin’.
The décor of the chapel was amazing and definitely gave a gothic-​spooky, Halloween feel! Thank you for a good night!

Returned to the Union Chapel again last night to see the wonderful Unthanks sisters, Becky and Rachel, play a set comprised of Anthony & the Johnsons and Robert Wyatt covers.
I think this venue is just a little bit inspirational and it has always brought out something very special in the artists I have seen perform here. Last night was no exception and the music the ladies and their excellent band summoned up was so good it hurt.
Anyway the purpose of this slight refrain of a review was to comment on the café/​bar. Having had a look at the food offering on our last visit we decided we should give it a go. We arrived at just after the 7pm opening time and managed to get our coats down, to reserve our seats, on the third pew from the front. Good start to the evening.
The café/​bar was already pretty busy and there was a good queue at the food «station». I managed to grab a comfy sofa and B got us a chicken curry and a veggie lasagne. At £6 a plate and with the profits going to the homeless you really wanted to like this food. Well, it filled the gap but the food was very much of the eat to live school of cooking; it reminded me a little bit of school dinners. B was slightly more complementary and declared herself reasonably satisfied.
Perhaps I was suffering from having high expectations but I was hoping for something a bit more authentic and therefore tasty. Having said that I’m not giving up on the café and will no doubt be back next year.
On the drinks front Bishops Finger and 6X were available by the bottle and there were cans of Red Stripe for the larger drinkers. The red and white wine by the glass seemed to be going down very well. All at pretty reasonable prices and if you manage to get a seat it’s a very nice space to spend some time pre or post gig.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
After my third visit to this beautiful venue last week to see an absolutely storming set by ‘I am Kloot’ (previous gigs have been very special outings by Laura Marling and Max Richter — I think this venue brings out the best in pretty much any perfomer) I am fast coming to the conclusion that this is my favourite live music venue in town. In general you will have a great view of the act at reasonably close quarters; the sound quality is awesome (and that’s a word I hardly ever use); and atmospheric doesn’t even begin to describe the vibe. Worth bearing in mind at this point that in my «youth» I was very fond of the Brixton Academy.
Anyway, I thought I would share a few tips and general musings with fellow qypers:
Get yourself on the mailing list, in my opinion they have a great booking policy and no shortage of acts that I am keen to see. Getting a ticket can be a problem if you are not qucik off the mark!
Its a working church so bear this in mind, seating is un-​allocated and is in pews. Picture a church in your mind and you will soon realise that if you turn up late in the day you will be left with seating on the sides with the (relatively) limited view etc that entails. Although as it’s a church, the view is pretty good wherever you sit and it’s on a slight rake towards the back which helps too.
However, on the three occasions I have had the pleasure of watching live music at the Union Chapel, a quaint but lovely old-​school tradition still holds good — the ‘bagsy-​ing’ of your spot by leaving a coat, jumper or whatever on the pew while you trot off to the bar for cold refreshments. Much to my amazement this arrangement is respected and you can be sure of your spot only ten feet from the stage on your return. How much do you love our London ways!!!
Food and the bar in general seemed very, very much improved from my visit earlier in the year. B and myself had already eaten some pretty bog standard pizza in town before we headed over to the gig, but the guys had a constant queue for their curry, lasagne, and quiche, which looked and smelled very tasty — on my next visit I will definitely give it a run out, and for well under a tenner it looked to be great gig food. Seating and general ambience in the bar was lovely, think members’ club crossed with a youth club, and is a great place to spend an hour or so. Some decent ale on tap and this could be totally divine.
So to sum up my advice would be to turn up early, doors seem to generally open at 7pm and on this occassion ‘I am Kloot’ were on stage at circa 9pm after an excellent support act, bagsy youself a primo spot in front of the stage and then head off for some tasty food and a cold refreshment of your choice. Then, sit back and imbibe the music!

This old church is a great venue for a gig. The acoustics are amazing helped by the great dome ceiling and stone wall, meaning that the worst sounding bands sound pretty good.
I saw Draw Me Stories support the Treetop Fliers and Alessi’s Ark as a fund raiser for the Anthony Nolan Charity, and I have to admit this was the first gig I have been to with a nice comfy pew to sit on for the duration. Out of respect for the church, alcohol cannot be taken from the upstairs bar into the venue, although I was surprised that this also included communion wine.

Wow, now *this* is the perfect venue to see a Jameson Cult Film Club Screening of Dracula on Halloween! Or, you know, to worship God on a Sunday…
The acoustics are phenomenal with the dome ceiling and stone walls, and the seating is accessible with a large octagonal ground floor and wrap around balcony. You’re always right up in the action and though the building is massive, they certainly did a fantastic job maintaining the intimate vibe. I mean, Victorian Gothic architecture is all the rage these days for true expert concert goers…
With all of the nightclub-​come-​churches that try unsuccessfully to pull this dual purpose venue thing off, Union Chapel does so flawlessly, allowing people to participate in worship of their choice (whether it be religion or rock) on a weekly basis.