Purple Turtle

I was 5 times there and i love it alle the time!
Such a nice place to be! Good drinks, great people and awsome live music!
In my opinion: One of the best pubs in Camden Town!
I LIKE!

This is London but there aren’t enough venues with good stages and great lighting /​sound. No wonder I am so glad to see The Purple Turtle revamped as a place to have a really great Camden Town experience with mates.

Oh, the nostalgia of every Sunday evening that I used to spend here. Even though it’s in Mornington Crescent, it’s still where most of Camden spills over on the weekends. You can have a quiet pint in the afternoon, but be prepared for loud music in the evening.

Music venue, nothing else.
Grubby, slow bar staff, toilets not the worst but good sound system and that’s why you go there.

Bar sympa, ambiance agréable. Juste un bemol la musique beaucoup trop forte.

The best place that i remember from london.
super music, cool people

I’ve been here several times. The crowd varies from night to night based on the bands playing. I was in town, coincidentally, on a night when my friends band, Cinema Strange (from California) was playing. I bumped into a lot of friends (also from California) who were now living in the UK or elsewhere in Europe. Fun night! The venue is pretty cool, the sound is good, the stage is a good size and the bar is perfectly located to the side of the stage. My only complaint was on another trip when I visited on a trance night and the place was a sweat box.

…Hang on… is 1996 all over again?
Everyone seems really «cool and nonchalant» — Check
It’s 90% guys in here — check
There’s a band playing (not so) new wave punk on the stage — check
All the girls have the kind of tattoos I could only dream of having — Check!
Tin says does it what… or something.
I enjoyed it so much I tried to start a 2 man slam pit with Aamon, yeah Rawk and Rooool!

The Purple Turtle is an indie, grungy, rock bar. Boys in t-​shirts, girls tattooed and in t-​shirts share the floor. Beer and spirits are served over the bar at an average price. The décor is dark, grungy and what you would totally expect from an indie, rock bar.
This is a live music spot, and I was lucky to be entertained by a San Francisco rock quartet that tickled my fancy. It was energetic, intense stuff I found highly enjoyable. The atmosphere created by the band didn’t cause any frenetic moshing on the floor. The crowd although enjoying the music were very restrained. What a well behaved bunch we brits are.
I saw no biting heads of chickens, no sigils being cut into flesh, just great live music played by young guys, being enjoyed by London’s alternative music fans.
Your alright Purple Turtle.

I am not the greatest lover of the venue either to be entirely honest. In terms as a space to take photos in the lighting is a bit rubbish and I find the bar staff very unattentive and rude. Trying to get served is a challenge sometimes especially when they are in the middle of just standing around and chatting. It must be hard looking like a camden cliché but I think there is a time and place for any discussion.
Purple Turtle has always been a place for bands, indie nights et al. Play Squared isn’t too bad but does take a while to warm up sometimes, especially if a band has been on beforehand.
But I feel you do get what you expect from this place. It is grubby, it does have weird clientele and it is a bit rough and ready.
I suggest you enter with low expectations and you shall feel more rewarded as a result.

A fairly average predominantly live music venue, a veritable must on my teenage bar circuit. Useful for a pre-​drink before Koko, however probably not worth coming down to Mornington Crescent for if you’re boozing on nearby Inverness Street. Although, I am actually off there in thirty minutes so may need to update :-)
Update: Pretty rubbish venue I am afraid, and a 20 minute queue outside when the place was relatively empty. A good place for some folk, but not for me alas.

The Purple Turtle is a great live music venue. Only ever been there for that purpose so couldn’t comment on club nights or general bar fly activity.
It has a grubby rock and roll feel to it that makes you want to play air guitar and stick your crotch out.
The drinks are average London pub priced which is better than some music venues that go for the jugular once you’ve got a stamp on your wrist.
A quick mention on the in-​house sound engineer and equipment. We played a gig here recently and the sound man took a very professional interest in ensuring we sounded the nuts and mic’d our amps and drums up sweetly. The PA was strong enough to strip paint and the lighting made me feel like a rock god.
So in short– if you’re heading here to listen to live music expect big sound!

I have been here a few times, to watch some bands play, been to a few Drum and Bass nights, and for a screening of an animation competition.
It is a fairly laid back venue, and a few year ago I do remember a girl selling laughing gas in Balloons, which made the whole night even funnier. The staff didnt seem to mind, or just turned a blind eye. hard to do when the cue for balloons was over 20 people!
But all in all, Ive had some great nights here, and have got chatting to an interesting bunch of people over the years. The music changes with nights, as do the genre of punters. The Door men are really lovely, and one even put my BMX in his car while I danced the night away!
Thumbs up

I like the Purple Turtle. But then, I like places that are a bit messed up and look like they’re haven’t been cleaned since 1982.
The Purple Turtle is one of those dark, grimy old places where the old smell of cigarette still seeps through the walls, and loads of bizarre looking characters find their way in there. But that’s exactly why I like it. It has character.
The last time I was here I went to see a friend’s band play. And it’s a great venue for that, a great venue to see music in. The type of place you’d love to say ‘I saw [band name] there before they were famous”. It has that underground, crappy kind of vibe to it. And I mean that in the best possible way.
From what I remember, drink prices were reasonable. And also, if you’re not the type of person who has to be right near the front. you can get a great view from upstairs, looking down over everybody.
I realise my review is being a bit narrow in scope; as I’m sure it’s not just gigs here every night; I guess it’s also like a normal bar/​club. Anyways, if you’re in town you could do worse than check out the purple turtle.

I’m not a huge fan of Camden even though i live there. It seems one big excuse not to wash and the Gothic fashion hasn’t moved on since the 80’s. The Purple Turtle also seems to be stuck in some time warp but for those that are looking for a night out watching new bands or the occasional burlesque show, then they could do worse than this place.
I recently came here for a friends show and was pretty much the only person in jeans and a t-​shirt as it turned out to be a fetish night. The look of disgust on the faces of two naked guys at my lack of effort was hilarious, as was the 1930’s pron playing behind my friends act, unbeknown-​st to her.
Drinks are well priced, staff and customers all seemed friendly and whilst not my usual haunt I can’t say I haven’t had a few good nights out there so for the goth and rockers or open-​minded amongst you, this could be a great little pub for you.

Ahhh, the Purple Turtle.
I used to go here when I was living in London in 2003. Lots of my friends bands played there so I used to sit on rather comfortable chairs in the corner and drink…
It has that Camden vibe which I am not a 100% sure about. It’s like a smelly, awkward 14 year old who wears HIM shirts. I’m not so into it — I’ve diversified but I remember those times with fondness, so I return to the Purple Turtle.
I distinctly remember animé porn appearing on a big screen when I was there and the staff seem to be dominated by alternative hardcore ladies.
Fairly priced alcohol and a lot more unassuming than other famed Camden haunts. It’s an old friend.

I went to university in Reading, and the Purple Turtle was the only ‘alternative’ venue there. Consequently I basically lived there, and the place holds many happy memories for me. When i moved to London i was excited to sample the London branch of this bar, see if it had the same ‘Cheers goes goth’ feel of the Reading bar.
I was left wholeheartedly disappointed, but i guess this was always going to be the case. This Purple Turtle reflects the eclectic, punky vibe of Camden. I have seen a few hardcore bands here, and it’s not been a bad experience, but the bar is just too large and full of ‘characters’ for it to ever seem welcoming.
I have witnessed a man asleep (dead?) on the chairs in here, also the music can be incredibly loud and somewhat off putting.
The wonderful thing about this Turtle, and its saving grace, is the monthly club night ‘Electric Dreams’. Not only is this one of the best songs ever, but an amazing night full of electro pop, new wave and synthpop — maybe the three best genres ever?!
Entry is between 3 and 5 pounds for most events, and the drinks are fairly reasonable. I tend to have a snakebite to remind me of long gone uni days, so i can sit and reminisce.

The ‘Purtle’! Excellent place to see new bands play live. Also host to a variety of different shows, DJ’s and events!
Not a huge club, but a good enough capacity. Never too crowded, but enough people around to make it a great night out. The stage is a good size, and not so far away that the crowd cannot see who is playing.
Bar prices fairly good for London, and overall place i would really recommened to friends!

Great for live music and has a really good atmosphere. Good selection of alternative bands and the sound is decent.
Also conveniently located for travel via Camden and Mornington Crescent.

Only been once for a gig (Hail of Bullets), and loved the place! Would have loved to have stayed for the club night, but as I drove from Swindon didn’t fancy a night with no booze.
The only let down is no disabled facilties, been to alot of venues and this is a recurring problem!

Hmmm It’s OK in here. The stage is bigger now which is great. The equipment is a lot better so the bands sound great. The music they have seems to be a lot better recently too.
So far so good.
But we couldn’t sit upstairs becuase the loos were so stinky. We couldn’t stay downstairs and talk as it was too noisy. It took my half an hour to get a drink and even then I was served by someone rude and grumpy who just wanted to talk to their friends. Typical service in Camden I guess. I think it’s part of the interview process. To be hired in Camden you must either be sexy and aloof or sweaty and sneering. Fun.
So despite the place being kitted out, and always having a great time there, it’s nothing to do with the venue. It’s the outside things like the people you go with, and the bands. Seeing as the bands are hired in by local promoters, I’m not sure this place has got any better.
And cash machines in clubs that charge you to take money out? Aren’t we done with these yet?

The best place ever for me. I spent crazy nights there.
Firstly, there are gigs with different bands, people depend on notoriety. I always enjoyed the bands even if it wasn’t my «cup of tea», I think they give a particular attention in the choice of the artists list.
Secondly, some of the people are going to the bar, some others upstairs where you have an amazing view of the scene, others are going near the bar where there are several sofas and tables, you can also play pinball machine and for the others the DJ plays hits which make you act like a star.
Before the end of the night, there are competitions of dancing on the scene, I attended the guitar dancing, the sexy dancing etc.
For the winner, lots of drinks and several CD’s.
Definitely, a place to go if you want to spend a memorable night with your friends.