From Amersham To Bunker

Tom Hedley enters two of south east London’s most celebrated venues.

Camouflaged in graffiti, the Amersham Arms is a south east London landmark. Oft-praised in Time Out, the 300-capacity venue hosts comedy nights, live music, private parties and art shows.

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Comedy: The Amersham’s Happy Mondays comedy night is noted for early adoption of up-and-comers, alongside well-established favourites. It has featured Cardinal Burns, Russell Howard, Sarah Millican, and pub landlord Al Murray, among others.

DJs: A refreshing break from ear-bleeding house and techno, on Fridays the Amersham blasts out hits from Beyoncé, TLC and Dr Dre – you’ll actually recognise the music. The drinks are reasonably priced: a pint of Red Stripe will set you back around four quid. Best of all, you can get all this cheese for free, and it’s open until 3am.

Live music: The small stage has been graced by Alt-J, Bombay Bicycle Club, Carl Barat and The Cribs. Punters know that acts booked for the Am are nearly always worth the entrance fee.

Food: Gourmet burgers are available all week. Out of this world combinations include beef, egg and bacon jalapeno fry up, and a ‘Joolsy Holland’ jerk chicken ‘N’ pineapple.  Burgers come in at £6 and sides £4.

amersham art

Art: On 28 and 29 April (3pm-8pm), The Am plays host to Sequence, an art exhibition featuring work from Camberwell College’s Emily Tyler, who introduces her Budapest inspired brickwork collage designs, as well as Beth Couldrick’s Indian-enthused thread work and weaving patterns. Other featured artists include Liv Betts, Anna Reed and Suzy Storr. There is a paybar.

Upcoming: On 20 May there is a twentieth anniversary gig featuring HUNG UP. Other notable names include Skabretta FT King Hammond and Millie Manders (26 June).

The Amersham Arms, 388 New Cross Road, London SE14 6TY T: 020 8469 1499.

The Bunker is a self-proclaimed ‘small and scuzzy’ club. It has numerous enticements, e.g. doubles at £2.50. But this basement also lacks certain pleasantries.

For example, apart from the aforementioned double shots, drinks are typically decanted into plastic cups from Sainsbury’s Basics 1.5 litre bottles – more village hall than metropolitan nightclub.

You won’t know the DJs unless you subscribe to Boiler Room weekly. But the sound system is decent and does wonders to liven the atmosphere.

Drop down a flight of stairs and you’ll find a space the size of a living room – except the floor is stickier than the one in your living room (I hope). A second room scattered with chairs is a decent place to hide from the drug-dropping clientele. The Gents offers ample legroom and the opportunity to chat with complete strangers while you’re sitting on the throne. It’s a wonder all toilets don’t lose the door.

As in most hip and happening venues, the general rule is ‘don’t talk, don’t tell’. Unfriendly vibes are commonplace when just about everyone thinks they’re better than everyone else. The staff are welcoming, though.

Friday 1 May features Subterrain X Sprung Records.

The Bunker, 46 Deptford Broadway, London SE8 4PH

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