You could spend an entire year in London going to a different restaurant for every meal, a different bar for every drink, and a different music venue every night. You still wouldn’t even come close to running out of choices. The sheer size and diversity of the city is impossible to fathom. That goes double if you’re just visiting and looking for things to do in London.
What you need is a London travel guide. At Mackie, we think the best travel tips don’t necessarily come from tour companies. We like to ask local musicians for their top spots. So, we went to a couple of our favorite London artists,
Bertie Newman and
Liang Lawrence, for the best places to see a show, chow down late at night or just watch the sunset.
Here’s what these musicians told us about things to do in London.
Best Music Venue in London: Roundhouse
Bertie Newman says the best place to see concerts in London has to be Roundhouse, an iconic venue that has played a key role in London culture stretching back more than 60 years. As the name suggests, the building is round—originally built for repairing locomotives. Repurposed into a music venue in the 1960s, the visually striking space became a hot spot for trailblazing artists in rock and punk. The first major show was headlined by The Who, and the venue would go on to host a who’s who of rock stars: The Rolling Stones, Jeff Beck, The Yardbirds, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, the Ramones, The Clash, The Jam, Elvis Costello, Otis Redding, Motörhead and many more.
Today, Roundhouse still hosts some of the biggest acts, plus up-and-coming artists. They also have a youth program, creative studios and a coworking space. Definitely a worthy spot to check out in London—and Bertie says the reverb is great, too!
Best Music Venue in London: Omeara
Liang Lawrence’s choice for best music venue in London is Omeara, a newer 320-capacity spot that is thoroughly packed, all week, every week. Omeara is very plugged into the local music scene, hosting plenty of shows from up-and-coming artists. But they have also hosted big names in their busy 6 years since opening, including Portugal. The Man, Beck, Celeste, The Black Crowes and Gang Of Youths. The vibey two-tiered space is also great for the ever-popular club nights that happen every week. (Omeara also happens to be the first venue that Liang ever headlined, so she’s got some memories, too.)
Best Recent Gig in London: Mon Rovîa at Koko
If you really want to know about the music scene in a city, don’t just ask people about the “best” show they’ve seen—ask what they’ve seen recently. We asked Bertie, and he was excited to tell us about Mon Rovîa, an innovative Afro-Appalachian folk artist born in Liberia and raised in Tennessee. His music combines Appalachian folk with West African folk, updated with a hint of modern shoegaze, to create something entirely new. But really, Mon Rovîa is the kind of artist whose voice transcends all the different influences. Koko sounds like a fantastic place to see him perform—it’s yet another gorgeous, historic building that hosts all kinds of incredible live music across genres. London seems to have a lot of those!
Best Recent Gig in London: Jazz @ Nightjar in Shoreditch
Just to show you the diversity of shows in London, Liang’s favorite recent gig went in the total opposite direction. Where Bertie's choice was a new artist at a large venue, Liang chose a basement speakeasy known for live jazz. Nightjar has the old-school vibe and exotic whiskey list of a top-tier cocktail bar, but the real highlight begins at 9 p.m. every night. London’s top players in jazz, swing and blues perform here all week. Liang explained that you don’t need to be a jazz expert to get into the music. In fact, it can be even better if you’re not!
Best Bar in London: Tipsy
In another contrast, Bertie’s favorite bar is the opposite of a fancy speakeasy. His favorite bar in London is Tipsy: a bright, quirky dive bar with 2 for £10 cocktails. (They were 2 for £9 when we spoke to Bertie, but prices never stop going up, do they?). The vintage furniture and striped ceiling give the place a wild Victorian carnival vibe. You can see live music, club nights and even stand up comedy shows here. Cheap drinks, music, some laughs. What’s not to like?
Best Late Night Food in London: The Best Kebab
For the best late night food in London, Bertie’s answer was immediate: The Best Kebab. He goes to this authentic Turkish spot in Central London all the time, enough that the owner actually knows him by name. Bertie says that might be a sign he has a “problem,” but we think it’s a badge of honor. What could be the problem with deliciously spiced food, available until 3 a.m. every single night? That sounds perfect to us.
Best Late Night Food in London: Mangal 1
When asked for the best late night food, both Bertie and Liang immediately chose Turkish kebab restaurants. Liang went with a rival spot, Mangal 1, a well-known local staple that you shouldn’t confuse with the more upscale Mangal 2. (There’s actually a somewhat mysterious history between Mangal 1 and Mangal 2, which are not owned by the same people. Look into it, if you want to go down a rabbit hole.) Anyways, the main takeaway for late night food in London? Find a kebab spot and chow down. That’s the move, whether it’s The Best Kebab, Mangal 1 or just somewhere you drunkenly stumble into.
Bertie’s favorite free thing to do sounds like a true local gem: a giant screen on a canal. Every summer, Everyman on the Canal shows a bunch of different movies for people sitting on the steps along the Regent's Canal. You can grab drinks and popcorn there, or bring your own picnic (there are restaurants and stores in nearby King’s Cross and Coal Drops Yard). But it’s not just movies. Bertie’s favorite thing to watch on the screen is Wimbledon, screened live, for free, on the big screen. It’s certainly cheaper than Wimbledon tickets and very authentically London. If you’re ever in London during the summer and want to do something cool that’s not touristy, definitely check out what’s playing at Everyman on the Canal.
Best Free Thing to Do in London: Parks!
If you want to enjoy London without spending a dime, Liang has the eternally perfect answer: take a walk in the park. It might sound obvious, but parks are one of the most remarkable things about the city. Despite London’s reputation for urban chaos, 40% of the city is public green space, giving residents countless places to escape into nature. The most famous of the public parks are the eight Royal Parks: Bushy Park, Green Park, Greenwich Park, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, The Regent's Park & Primrose Hill, Richmond Park and St. James's Park. Once designated as royal hunting grounds, these parks are now open to the public, combining for almost 5,000 acres of London. So, seriously: take a walk in the park.
Best Place to Watch the Sunset in London: Mile End
At the end of a long day seeing the sights in London, where should you watch the sunset? Liang has you covered: visit Mile End Park, a long stretch of green along the Regent’s Canal. Find a spot to chill among the leaves and trees while the sun goes down over the other side of the canal. You can also take a walk on the trails. Just watch out for bicycles. Because of the long, narrow shape, Mile End Park is a popular local cycling spot.
Describe London in One Word: Chaos? Stress?
When asked to describe London in one word, Bertie and Liang used different words. Bertie said “stress” and Liang said “chaos.” But aren’t those really the same answer? London has 9 million people (and 272 tube stops) so we shouldn’t be surprised that it’s a challenging place to live. But both artists seem to feel that it’s worth it. Bertie has lived in the city his entire life. Liang lived all over the world before landing here. Now, they’re both thriving artists in a place that’s clearly packed with culture, music and creativity. Maybe the chaos is just the price of admission.
Busking on a streetcorner. Having a party in the middle of the desert. Staging a secret show in an undisclosed location. Thanks to Mackie’s battery-powered gear, you can go places and always sound great when you get there. And even if you’re not traveling to London anytime soon, you can still enjoy Liang Lawrence’s
full performance, recorded live for Mackie’s Sunset Sessions. Let her transport you to London with her music!
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Best Free Thing to Do in London: Wimbledon on the Canal
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