Hope & Anchor, Islington, N1

This legendary London music pub has been integral to the live music scene since the early 70's when pub rock and then punk rock ruled supreme. Whilst today it still hosts many an upcoming band (Keane apparently played their first ever gig here) it doesn't really have the same aura that it did during its peak years to the mid 80's. Fortunately it doesn't try to be anything trendy or pretentious and, given its rich musical heritage, they do not tend to dwell on its past glories in any great way. The pub sign is aptly depicted in “Never Mind The Bollocks” style lettering and there are a couple of Specials posters, a copy of Ian Dury's New Boots LP and a few flyers for the current events but nothing over the top or touristy. The main bar is split into a carpeted but fairly basic lounge area and a rough and ready bare floored section adjoining it. A flyer encrusted pillar separates the two. The “rough” end also houses a pinball machine and plasma TV and there are pool tables upstairs although I have never ventured further than the main bar and music venue in the basement. I was a bit surprised to find 2 Greene King ales (IPA and Speckled Hen) so it's just as well spitting at gigs is no longer in fashion otherwise IPA sales would double overnight. Prices were surprisingly reasonable for the area. The music venue is downstairs and any live music fan of a certain age should try and catch a gig here at least once n their lives. It is tiny with a virtually non-existent stage and trying to picture bands like the Pistols, the Stranglers and, er Dire Straits (yep, really), playing here gives you a real insight into those early days of punk. They still put on some decent showcases and admission is pretty cheap. There is a small self contained bar within the music venue and some superb photos of some of the legendary bands playing there but only keg beer in the venue itself so if you want Cask you will need to keep going up and down the narrow stairs. It is certainly not the best pub you will ever visit and is more of a place for reflection than worthy of going out of the way for (unless you plan to take in a gig) but it is a piece of London's pub heritage and no-one can take that away from the place.

This is a bit of a pit and the barman looked and acted like that strange bloke in the Mighty Boosh, not that this is a slur in any way. There is a pool table in a large room upstairs and a live music club downstairs that didn't seem very good on the night I visited judging by the fuzzy plasma screen showing the CCTV pictures of the bar. There is a standard draught selection alongside Greene King IPA and Old Speckled Hen, but I opted for the Guinness which was passable. I spotted a poster that said that Madness played here on the 7th April 1980 and I would have been very interested to see that, but unfortunately those times have long since past and I can see no reason for me to return here again.