London · small venue · Verified open
Islington's 80-cap punk and indie basement on Upper Street since the 1970s.
80 standing · verified Oct 2026, house PA. Rock, Indie, Punk.
Nearby venuesUpdated 12 November 2026
At a glance, The Hope And Anchor in Islington, London is summed up below. It books rock, indie and punk acts. There is an in-house PA.
capacity
| Live music | Varies |
| TodayClosed | 12:00–01:00Opens in 4h 07m 04s |
| Backline | PA provided |
| Books | Rock · Indie · Punk |
4 photos show the inside of The Hope And Anchor, from the stage to the bar. It books rock, indie and punk acts. Tap any photo to open it at full size.
Before you book The Hope And Anchor, here are its size, live nights, genres and website. It books rock, indie and punk acts. Members can vote to bring this venue onto GigXchange.
| Capacity | 80 standing · verified Oct 2026 |
| Live nights | Contact venue |
| Curfew | – |
| Sound limiter | – |
| Genres | RockIndiePunk |
| Website | hopeandanchor.info |
| Status | Verified open |
| Last checked | 20 Oct 2026 |
| Checked against | Venue website |
The Hope And Anchor is at 207 Upper Street, Islington, London, N1 1RL. The map below opens step-by-step directions in Google Maps. It is one of 302 rooms in our London venue directory.
Islington, London N1 1RL
The nearest station is Highbury & Islington (Underground station), about 5 minutes' walk away.
The Hope And Anchor for artists: The Hope And Anchor has not joined GigXchange yet, so acts vote here to bring it on - to hire the venue for a private event, choose Private hire.
| Booking email and phone | Locked |
| Fee range per act | Locked |
| How far ahead to book | Locked |
| Payment terms | Locked |
| Rate calculatorWhat should you charge here?Live UK rates by role, city and venue size. |
The Hope And Anchor publishes its opening times for 7 of the 7 days. These are the venue's own opening hours, not the gig start times.
| Mon | 12:00–23:00 |
| Tue | 12:00–23:00 |
| Wed | 12:00–23:00 |
| Thu | 12:00–23:00 |
| FriToday | 12:00–01:00 |
| Sat | 12:00–01:00 |
| Sun | 12:00–23:00 |
The Hope And Anchor has an in-house PA for visiting acts. The list below shows the PA, drums, amps and mics we know about. Played here and the kit was different? Tell us and we will update it.
| PA system | Provided |
| Drum kit | Provided |
| Guitar amp | Provided |
| Bass amp | Provided |
| Keys / keyboard | Bring your own |
| 18 vocal mics | Provided |
| In-house engineer | TBC |
This is the background on The Hope And Anchor, from the venue and its listings. It books rock, indie and punk acts. The notes below sum up what the venue and its listings say.
The Hope And Anchor is a grassroots music venue in Islington, London with a standing capacity of 80. It books Rock, Indie, Punk, Alternative.
Listing notesThe Hope & Anchor is a Grade II listed Victorian corner pub at 207 Upper Street, Islington, built in 1880, with an 80-capacity basement that is one of London's most storied grassroots stages. In the 1970s it was a cradle of pub rock and punk: manager Dave Robinson went on to co-found Stiff Records, The Damned filmed the New Rose video in the basement, Joy Division played their first London show here in 1978 and U2 their first British show in 1979, with The Libertines and Enter Shikari following decades later. A 2016 refurbishment brought a new PA, an enlarged stage and a lighting rig, and the house backline includes a Tama drum kit, two Fender guitar combos and an Ashdown bass combo. The busy calendar centres on punk, indie, rock and alternative bands, with the Desperate Measures 45th Anniversary Show on 24 October 2026 and Rockaway Beach #112 with Andi Sex Gang on 30 October. Open Monday to Thursday 4pm-11pm, Friday 4pm-1am, Saturday 12pm-1am and Sunday 12pm-11pm.
It keeps this page true for the next act through the door.
There are 4 upcoming gigs listed at The Hope And Anchor. Venues often post their next nights on their own website first. The London gig directory lists what is on across the area tonight.
| 24Nov · Tue | Charlie Smith // MAR // Sue Harding // L!V // Bobby Treacle 18:00Acoustic |
| 27Nov · Fri | Scare Taxi play Rockaway Beach supporting Ming City Rockers 19:00TicketsRock |
| 13Mar · Sat | Chris Helme (The Seahorses) 19:30 |
| 1May · Sat | Rattus play the Stranglers Live 19:45Tickets |
The London league ranks live music venues by the gigs listed over the next 30 days. It refreshes every night, so a busy month moves a room up.
live rooms
| 01 | Blue Note London | 30 gigs |
| 02 | New Cross Inn | 30 gigs |
| 03 | Electric Brixton | 25 gigs |
| 04 | Vortex Jazz Club | 23 gigs |
| 05 | The Dome up2 | 15 gigs |
| 06 | Electric Ballroom Camden down1 | 14 gigs |
| 07 | Islington Assembly Hall New | 14 gigs |
| 08 | The Troubadour down2 | 14 gigs |
| 09 | Soul Mama Islington New | 13 gigs |
| 10 | Underworld | 12 gigs |
Not seeing your venue? This ranking counts gigs listed in the next 30 days. Create a page free or add your gigs - it ranks on the next nightly refresh.
| 01 | Edit your profile and photos |
| 02 | Set your fee range |
| 03 | Receive artist enquiries |
| 04 | Update backline and capacity |
The Hope And Anchor
Islington's 80-cap punk and indie basement on Upper Street since the 1970s.
- 80
- Capacity
- Varies
- Live music
- 12:00
- Open today
- PA
- Backline
- Rock
- Books
- Verified
- Directory status
Last updated: 12 November 2026
The Hope And Anchor — Quick Facts
The Hope And Anchor capacity: 80 standing - verified from the venue's website, Oct 2026. Islington's 80-cap punk and indie basement on Upper Street since the 1970s.
By size, The Hope And Anchor is the joint 137th largest of the 168 venues we list in and around London with a standing capacity. Similar-size rooms: 1901 Arts Club (about 80); Battersea Barge (about 80) and Old Street Records (about 80).
The Hope And Anchor holds 80 standing, which makes it a small room by the sizes we use across the directory. That is smaller than the typical room we list around London (about 200). A room under 150 is built for a local crowd - expect a shorter set and a door split or a small flat fee, and plan to fill it with your own following.
The Hope And Anchor this week
The Hope And Anchor for artists: The Hope And Anchor has not joined GigXchange yet, so acts vote here to bring it on - to hire the venue for a private event, choose Private hire.
The Hope And Anchor hasn’t claimed its page yet, so nobody from the venue is on GigXchange to message. Vote to bring it on - free account, no card, 30 seconds.
Claim your listing to keep your hire details current, respond to artists, and manage bookings.
Closed, changed capacity, different backline? Let us know. We review corrections within 7 days.
What’s on in London this week — or see what’s on across the UK.
Inside The Hope And Anchor
The Hope And Anchor has an in-house PA for visiting acts. The room holds 80. Below: the PA, drums, amps and mics we know about and what we know about the room.
The Hope And Anchor is a grassroots music venue in Islington, London with a standing capacity of 80. The Hope And Anchor provides a PA system, 18 vocal mics, a drum kit, a guitar amp and a bass amp; bring your own keys — check the rest with the venue.
The Hope And Anchor books Rock, Indie, Punk, Alternative acts. This listing is part of the London venue directory.
The Hope & Anchor is a Grade II listed Victorian corner pub at 207 Upper Street, Islington, built in 1880, with an 80-capacity basement that is one of London's most storied grassroots stages. In the 1970s it was a cradle of pub rock and punk: manager Dave Robinson went on to co-found Stiff Records, The Damned filmed the New Rose video in the basement, Joy Division played their first London show here in 1978 and U2 their first British show in 1979, with The Libertines and Enter Shikari following decades later. A 2016 refurbishment brought a new PA, an enlarged stage and a lighting rig, and the house backline includes a Tama drum kit, two Fender guitar combos and an Ashdown bass combo. The busy calendar centres on punk, indie, rock and alternative bands, with the Desperate Measures 45th Anniversary Show on 24 October 2026 and Rockaway Beach #112 with Andi Sex Gang on 30 October. Open Monday to Thursday 4pm-11pm, Friday 4pm-1am, Saturday 12pm-1am and Sunday 12pm-11pm.
Coming up at The Hope And Anchor: Charlie Smith // MAR // Sue Harding // L!V // Bobby Treacle, Scare Taxi play Rockaway Beach supporting Ming City Rockers and Chris Helme (The Seahorses) — every listed date is in the What’s On rail below.
There are no fixed live nights listed for The Hope And Anchor - the gigs in the rail below show when it actually runs shows. Rock is the first genre on its list. There is a PA listed - ask what else is on stage before you load in. The Hope And Anchor hasn't joined GigXchange yet; vote to bring it on, and in the meantime keep a short EPK and a live clip ready - it is what most venues ask for first. See where else to play in London and what local gigs pay.
By size, The Hope And Anchor is the joint 137th largest of the 168 venues we list in and around London with a standing capacity. Similar-size rooms: 1901 Arts Club (about 80); Battersea Barge (about 80) and Old Street Records (about 80).
Find The Hope And Anchor
The Hope And Anchor is at 207 Upper Street, Islington, London, N1 1RL. The map below opens step-by-step directions in Google Maps. It is one of 302 rooms in our London venue directory.
The nearest station is Highbury & Islington (Underground station), about 5 minutes' walk away. You'll find The Hope And Anchor in Islington, London; N1 1RL is the postcode for sat-nav and ride apps. We list 3 other venues in Islington, so a night out here can take in more than one room. Check the start time before you set off, and see what else is on in London this week, or book a London band for a night of your own.
The Horse Hospital, The Old Queen's Head, Union Chapel Islington and Slim Jim's Liquor Store
Station data: NaPTAN, Department for Transport (Open Government Licence).
What's On at The Hope And Anchor
There are 4 upcoming gigs listed at The Hope And Anchor. Venues often post their next nights on their own website first. The London gig directory lists what is on across the area tonight. Or browse the wider London venue directory.
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Coming up: Charlie Smith // MAR // Sue Harding // L!V // Bobby Treacle, Scare Taxi play Rockaway Beach supporting Ming City Rockers, Chris Helme (The Seahorses) and Rattus play the Stranglers Live.
The London League
The Hope And Anchor is #60 of 302 London venues for live music — ranked by gigs on the calendar over the next 30 days, refreshed nightly. Only gigs in the GigXchange directory count.
- #1 – Blue Note London 30 gigs
- #2 – New Cross Inn 30 gigs
- #3 – Electric Brixton 25 gigs
- #4 – Vortex Jazz Club 23 gigs
- #5 ▲2 The Dome 15 gigs
- #6 ▼1 Electric Ballroom Camden 14 gigs
- #7 NEW Islington Assembly Hall 14 gigs
- #8 ▼2 The Troubadour 14 gigs
- #9 NEW Soul Mama Islington 13 gigs
- #10 – Underworld 12 gigs
Run this room? This page, and this ranking, is yours to take over.
Claim This VenueNot seeing your venue? This ranking counts gigs listed in the next 30 days. If your room has no page here yet, create one free and it joins the directory. If it is already listed, add your gigs and it will rank on the next nightly refresh.
Rankings like this run across GigXchange: the national Hardest Working Rooms table tracks the UK's busiest grassroots stages week on week, the Pint Index prices a gig ticket in pints city by city, and UK market statistics covers what live music pays. All of it is built from the same directory this page lives in.
Common Questions
These are the 10 questions people ask most about booking and visiting The Hope And Anchor. Each answer uses the details already shown on this page.
These are the 10 questions people ask most about booking and visiting The Hope And Anchor. Each answer uses the details already shown on this page.
Venues Near The Hope And Anchor
16 other venues are close to The Hope And Anchor in London. Each one has its own page with its size, kit and live nights.
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The Hope And Anchor in brief. The Hope And Anchor in Islington, London, is a small room (under 150) that books rock, indie and punk. Rooms nearby include The Horse Hospital, The Old Queen's Head and Union Chapel Islington; the London venue directory has the rest.
Booking or playing in London? The GX Index publishes what UK gigs actually pay, by city, band size and venue type, and the GX Index reports set out the methodology and the sample behind every figure. Both are free to read and free to cite.
Keep exploring: the UK gig directory for what's coming up, the venue directory for rooms that book live music, the open mic finder for recurring stage time, and what's on across the UK this week. The blog covers pricing, contracts and getting booked, and about GigXchange explains who runs it and why. Something not right on this page? Tell us — or start on the home page.
We list 302 grassroots music venues in London. Or search the full UK directory by town, size or genre. Every listing shows capacity, kit and live nights where we have them.
More rooms near The Hope And Anchor: The Lexington, The Lost Arc, The Lower Third (UP), The Macbeth, The Magic Garden, The Maltings, The Nel, The O2, The Old Blue Last, The Old Justice, The Old Nun's Head, New Cross Inn, Electric Brixton, Vortex Jazz Club, The Dome, Electric Ballroom Camden, Islington Assembly Hall, The Troubadour, Soul Mama Islington and Underworld.
London has 302 rooms in the UK grassroots venue directory - why we built it, and what the data shows.
Rankings like this run across GigXchange: the national Hardest Working Rooms table, the Pint Index and UK market statistics - all built from the same directory.
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More London venues
We list 302 grassroots music venues in London. Or search the full UK directory by town, size or genre. Every listing shows capacity, kit and live nights where we have them.