THE BARFLY IS BACK, BABY! FRANK TURNER CELEBRATES THE ICONIC VENUE’S RETURN WITH A DOUBLE FEATURE

22nd June 2026 | Words by James O’Sullivan – Pictures by Kevin O’Sullivan

For nearly a decade, The Barfly only existed in memory. Sure, the iconic Camden venue may have physically remained open under the name Camden Assembly, but for many gig-goers, musicians and promoters alike, something had been missing ever since the Barfly name disappeared in 2016. Now, one of London’s most beloved grassroots venues is officially back. Now being run by Dan Ickowitz-Seidler and Richard Buck of Propaganda Independent Venues, working alongside Camden resident and 3 Colours Red guitarist Chris McCormack, knowing it’s back — even if, on a personal level, I was too young to ever make it to a show at the original! — feels like the heart of the Camden music scene is beating ever stronger. 

Stepping inside on reopening night, 22nd June 2026, it immediately felt as though someone had dusted off a cherished piece of music history and carefully placed it back where it belonged. Vinyl records lined the shelves behind the bar. A jukebox sat temptingly in the corner, promising either the perfect soundtrack or total chaos depending on who got to it first. Indie classics blasted from the speakers — and, as a fun game, it was crazy how many of the bands soundtracking the venue’s rebirth played there. Kaiser Chiefs? Back in 2004, along with Thirteen Senses. Death Cab For Cutie, February 2002. Biffy Clyro, who had a few tracks over the night, likewise played at least three times.  The Thermals, 2006. The list goes on almost endlessly. If you were a band breaking through in Britain during that era, homegrown or international, chances are you squeezed onto the Barfly stage at some point.

Of course, that isn’t to diminish Camden Assembly’s own legacy. The venue continued discovering and nurturing talent throughout the last decade. One that comes to mind personally are Irish folk-rock breakout stars Kingfishr, who played there in 2023 and have most recently done multiple nights at O2 Brixton Academy earlier this year. The pipeline never stopped.

But there’s just something special about the name ‘Barfly’. Perhaps it’s because it evokes a period when grassroots touring felt simpler, when bands travelled the country for little more than a sofa to sleep on, a modest guarantee and maybe a bar tab if they were lucky. Before debates around dynamic pricing, ticketing fees and merchandise cuts dominated conversations. The Barfly is one of the venues that’s synonymous with that era, helping launch artists who would go on to become household names: Muse, Coldplay, Kasabian, The Strokes, Adele. If you’ve got a spare few hours, just look up ‘London Barfly’ on setlist.fm and take a gander yourself. 

There were a few famous faces cropping up over the night, most notable Guy Garvey of the legendary Elbow, who played Barfly (or at the time, The Monarch) back in 2000. The night’s entertainment, however, belonged to the man with perhaps the most history with the iconic stage: Frank Turner.

And, before taking the stage, Frank and the venue both proved it, Turner unveiling a plaque reading:

“Frank Turner Played His First Sold Out Gig Here 8th August 2006, Has Played A Record Seven Gigs Here”…  though a glance at Turner’s own archives suggests the total may actually be eight.

Not that anyone was pedantically counting for their review or anything. 

Frank Turner has built a career on championing grassroots music, independent venues and the communities that grow around them. If anyone was going to christen the reborn Barfly, it was him; plus, judging by the number of shows he’s now done, any excuse will do!

Opening with ‘I Still Believe’, Turner immediately had the room singing along — although, with a good chunk of the crowd being guests and press, rather than diehard Frank fans, it felt strangely muted for how small the room was. Still, the lyric “Right here, right now, you never have to feel alone” landed with particular force given the context.

With a slot of just under an hour, it left just enough time for a mix of fan favourites and shiny-eyed regaling, but the stories felt infinitely more personal, more intimate given the setting. For instance, The Barfly was famously the host for Million Dead’s first ever show; their barely formed band’s bassist Julia originally worked behind the bar and wrangled them a slot at the weekly new-band showcase of ‘Keith’s Backyard’ — and so, on 23 September 2001, when the band didn’t even have a name prior to needing to fill out the fliers, Million Dead were born. According to Setlist.fm and Turner’s own show archive, the venue hosted another six Million Dead performances after that, meaning Frank’s technically played there at least 15 times in some capacity or another! And, as well as being the site of his first ever sold-out show on the aforementioned 8th August 2006, one of those shows was also immortalised in music, fan favourite ‘The Ballad Of Me And My Friends’ never being recorded in studio and instead having its recording being in that crowd. When that early fan favourite got its airing, it felt full circle and heartwarmingly beautiful. 

“What we’re trying to build is the sense of scene and community that used to exist,” Frank told the audience. “Pick a flyer up and choose another show to come to. If there’s no one you’ve heard of, just take a punt. Maybe you’ll find your new favourite band.” He grinned — “or maybe they’ll be shit and it’ll be a story you and your friends laugh about afterwards!”

Either way, it’s a win. The Barfly’s greatest success was never producing stars. It was creating a space where those stars could begin. And judging by the atmosphere inside Camden on reopening night, that’s exactly what people are hoping it will be that space once again.