Providing non-ferrous scrap metal services by day and grungy underground vibes by night, the Islington Metal Works is a really exciting space.

As I’m not much of a metal man (no pun intended) I stick to visiting the Metal Works during the evening for gigs and events. On almost every occasion that I have entered this old Victorian factory-house the walls, ceilings and floor spaces have been decorated in completely different styles.

This is because the venue is hired out by a variety of different creative groups.

I’ve attended ‘Carousel‘ nights featuring polka-dot bunting, aerial acrobatics and kaleidoscopic light shows. I’ve been to ‘Regression Sessions‘ nights and found rooms with space hoppers, bouncy castles and ball pits. And I’ve been to ‘Electrowerkz‘ gigs where the venue has been stripped down to look like a dingy basement (it is one!) with plaster falling off the ceiling and stray cables slithering about like shadowy snakes.

The drinks are cheap – just £3 for a can of Red Stripe – and the venue has a late license so the debauchery usually lasts until around six in the morning.