Koko

Smack in the middle of Mornington Crescent’s badlands, Koko still looks like a bad bordello in a Spaghetti Western. Inside, its theatrical past remains very much in evidence, both in its structure – the stage, pit, and circles forming the shape of the club itself – and in its beautifully-restored décor, with its red plush, gold leaf and baroque bas-relief carvings. Readers familiar with Cirque will get the general idea.

Koko is an impressive space that screams “dressy club night”; it suits Hed Kandi down to the ground. The sound system and lights are good, and there’s plenty of seating; what’s more, being able to look down on the crowd from the galleries is great fun.

The team behind Koko are now doing even more to keep the Camden Palace’s heritage alive, with Club NME, now on Fridays, booking some great up-and-coming acts. For indie nights, the club’s OTT décor contrasts rather well with a grungier crowd and combined with the NME’s cachet makes a great forum for new music – somewhat thin on the ground in London these days. On the whole, the venue seems to be moving away from its initial, rather corporate atmosphere.

But there are some problems which have yet to be addressed. Queues for the cloakroom, extortionate at £2 per item, are long and ill managed. At our recent visit the downstairs ladies’ toilet was flooded and without paper for the whole night, with the tiny upstairs loo attracting lines of up to 30 girls. Drinks are very expensive, and with no door searches at all – this is Camden, mind – one wonders how long it will be before the inevitable drugs crackdown or violent incident ruins the party.

As far as dance music is concerned, Koko is a brash disco with a fairly sharky atmosphere; it’s good fun, but if you’re looking for the cool crowd you’re in the wrong place. As for the indie nights, Koko has the potential to attract as much loyalty as the Camden Palace did, if the punters keep coming. This is nothing if not an utterly schizophrenic mix, but you never know, it could just work.