The Knowhere Guide

The Local Music Scene in Ealing, Greater London*

Ealing, Greater London Record Shops and Venues

Record Shops

• HMV but may be on brink of closing down?
• Not renowned for its exclusivity in music Ealing offers little in specialist retailers, tendinding to hug the bemoths of retail, HMV, Virgin. One retailer does stand out. The CD Warehouse has a great CD selection covering all geners and if cost limitation is the game, a great choise of second hand Cds line the isles ( have a rumage or ask the staff). The secondhand stock is accumulated by buying your albums, yes ditch that old garage tosh for some new urban funk. Further they now do DVDs. The staff are very Knowlegable and exact.
• Theres one which does exchanges oposite ABC superstore somehere along there..warehouse something. They do almost everything there and u can sell ur old cds!
• cage records is the place to get your vinyl otherwise hmv ealing and the staff are always very helpfull
• The Oxfam music shop on the Green is qu good.
• CD Warehouse (next to Cinema) do some awesome CD's at great prices. Can get some there that you can't find anyware else 2nd hand or brand new.
• cd warehouse. next to ice land nr the cinema. its the shizz nizz
• HMV has rather a good selection, and if it isn't there, they'll order it for you.
• south ealing near northfields station there used to be a skate shop called buddies!! but then close to this point came a record shop selling all manner of dance and bang bang music
• south ealing near northfields station there used to be a skate shop called buddies!! but then close to this point came a record shop selling all manner of dance and bang bang music
• There are numerous charity shops along Ealing Broadway that are regularly restocked with vinyl, and compared to most areas the proportions of good, interesting and colectable LPs is pretty high. Particularly good ones are the charity shops in Ealing just East of Elaing tube station and, West Ealing on the South side of the Broadway just along from the Lido. There is also the excellent Oxfam book and record store just round the back of the Bentalls Centre on South Ealing Road
• At CD Warehouse you can great C.Ds and videos. You can buy sell or trade ur cds which is gr8! Plus they've got a kinda loyalty card thing which means u get a free cd. Also if u wanna advertise 4 a drummer in ur band or get ur music heard, cd warehouse is the place 2 go -just ask at the desk. All top 40 cds are 10 squid or under unlike hmv where they're like 14.99 or sum thin stupid like dat
• HMV numnuts, didn't ya see it, look again and stop wastin' my time!!!
• 'sounds original' on south ealing road (used to be opposite northfields station) sells all kinds of second-hand vinyl, but focusing mainly on jazz. there's also bbc radio archive stuff in there, which can bring hours of fun to those with nothing to do and plenty of time to kill (i.e. a student waiting on exam results, like myself). they've got a sizeable selection of old pop 45s too (they be those bits of wax your parents used to listen to chart singles on in olden times), stuff like david bowie and t rex, perfect if you have a juke box that needs filling (...but you probably don't). the staff (well, the one bloke i've seen) are friendly enough and it's worth a look if you're out for some older stuff at bargain prices (leo sayer!! yeah!!).
• Having had a quick scan thru' this site I have seen a bit of slagging of HMV and I think it's a pretty good shop . . . people are nice and will accept returns of errors of judgement. Also virgin shop only really does top 40 albums etc. that place by the cinema cd warehouse is worth a look into
• Who remembers the Shelter originally in Hanwell and then on the Mall. What a wicked place to chill out and buy some excellent toons! It will always be remebered as a part of Ealings history.
• The CD Exchange Warehouse opposite the Ealing Town Hall offers very good and fair prices for CDs.
• cage records in west ealing briiliant highly recommend for djs
• The Ealing branch of HMV may be at risk of closure. After all the big HMV near Bond Street IS closed now.
• don't go to that independent record shop in west ealing opposite blockbusters. if you were thinking it was a nice lo-fi shop where you could possibly pick up that elusive debut pavement EP (!!) then you'll be very much disappointed. i went there and then immediately walked out upon seeing an overwhelmingly large number of puffer jackets and baseball caps... in short, it's a wideboy shop selling all your awful garage and dance rubbish. just don't go. - matt
• one off a sideroad (opposite blockbuster) in West Ealing which is not bad but overall get on the tube and go to Covent Garden!
• CD Warehouse sells and buys second hand CDs. THE place to go if you want to get rid of your Michael Bolton and pick up that classic Boston album.
• HMV in te Arcadia aka Waterglade centre stands out as the worst. All styles served here,very very slowly and with a scowl. Most days sees gangs of unemployed thugs jostling it out in the rap section. Paranoid security thugs are on edge...watch out for trouble on split level section one.Chart. Generally you ignored unless your spending shekels is my experience.
• few of note
• Two major stores - Our Price and HMV. Also two independent stores specialising House, Hip Hop, and all good Grooves.

Clubs (Dance Music) and Music Bars

• Well, theres always Priory, thats decent. Theres always Townhouse, i love that place, mind you, there are some pretty strange ppl in there. At least everytime i go in there, i have a story to tell when i get home...
• Ealing has fallen down hill over the past few years, but last year i went to an event by DaskSide Promotions was a breath of fresh air, nice prices free for girls, great people and DJ's that knew what they where doing, even the Drum n Bass played had me jammming though it was more oldskool Garage, rnb hip-hop, DarkSide where are you!!!!
• Boulevard
• Boulevard- rather dry..best to go there on a certain night. Never been to the priory but keep a look out for discounts
• club boulevard is brilliant - loads of sexy guys, i've been there on both fridays and saturdays and i love it - and whoever wrote some of those nasty comments about the place shouldnt be allowed in there - what a bunch of jerks!!! club boulevard is GREAT
• None here for under 18s here in Ealing, all the boys wanna go to LA Confidential is ya know what I mean though!
• If you enjoy R n B, the Rainforest Cafe in Leicester Sq is fantastic for a grind. One of the hottest clubs for the weekend!
• Do not, i repeat even consider the Broadway Boulevard. In the past two years there has been a shooting there, and a stabbing. This ain't suprising when you look at the people queueing to get in. Don't be around this area on Fri or Sat 12-3 unless you're looking for trouble...
• eeeeer the red back in acton is cool live music loud and inya face
• Pubs in Ealing? Pretty good. The Town House, O'Neills, Ha!Ha! (formerly Yates's) and Edwards are decent bars to name a few. As for the clubs? Forget it because they are crap! Club Boulevard is overpriced, the bouncers are a joke, need I say more? The Priory is okay but not all that. Ealing's a good place to have a few pre-nightclub drinks but you're much better off heading to Ealing Broadway station and going to a central London nightclub!
• Do not whatever you do go to Broadway Boulevard on a thursday night as its full of men, plays naff music, five quid a pint and is just a general pile of dog poo. In fact dont go there any night! Going out in Ealing is basically a no go unless you want to pull some haggard miserable old trout or like picking up soap. Beware the tube! It's full of em!
• Checked out the priory and found it very dissapointing. Too many "wide Boys" posing and trying to look hard, and not enough women.
• Broadway Boulevard is hell on earth. Its overpriced, without a single seat. It's full of people who think they live in south central l.a., when in fact, their parents run a small internet company, and they drive a knackered bmw. Full of people who dance with lots of jewellery and a big scowl. "You're just a hater!" (cuz i pointed out how dumb you are? ok, then. i is a hater)
• THE PRIORY , is a wicked place to go, downstairs is good vibes, nice friendly people especailly blokes, but there is a lovely bouncer there cor!!!!nice,
• Boulevard, top nosh , really....."really".......very young patrons if yer no wat i mean, "if you know wat i mean", I ain't sayin there underage..it's probably just a typo on there passport!
• Ealing boulevard,well what can i say,the first time i went with me mates it was soo shit,but the second time was quality!!the music is really good and the atmosphere is excellent,especially if u have got the guts to go up on the podium!!Its what u make it!!Il fill you in bout the priory soon,aint tried it yet!!
• don't even bother with Ealings clubs!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• The Priory is quite a nice place. Nice decor, pricey drinks, pricey entrance, but one of the few place you can drink in until the wee hours of the morning all week round. PS. It took me a couple of visits before I realised it had a downstairs too!
• boulevard in Ealing isnt that bad....
• THE PRIORY on The Mall opened last year and is excellent...
• TheBoulevard is absolutely crap - probably one of the worst clubs i've ever had the misfortune to go. Young looking crowd, lots of lager louts, overpriced, crap bouncers, i could go on but i think i've made my point. once was enough for me. There's a new club (can't remember the name) in West Ealing near the record shop opposite Blockbusters but i think it's quite underground and I haven't been so i can't guarantee it's any good:) Overall, get on the tude and to Central London. Or go to the Red Back in acton which is not really a club but has a late license, excellent live music, a crazy crowd and lots of dancing and moshing. highly recommended.
• Ha Bloody Ha, comedy club in the old Ealing studios-Fridays and Saturdays. Brilliant!
• The Boulevard. The less said the better.
• All clubs in Ealing have gone down hill and are full of school children with spots or people who have not grown out of the eighties ie white stilletoes & cringy chat up lines.
• dangerous unsafe boozy unsatisfying for people who are not sophisticated
• If you live locally and fancy getting pissed and having a bit of a dance, then make your way to Broadway Boulevard. However, if you're a serious groover then you're better off trekkin uptown.
• There's Broadway Boulevard which is where Capital Radio DJ's do a guest night at least once a week and then there was the Top Hat Club in Northfields Ave which is rather crap and has in the past had a reputation as a bored housewifes handbag and white stillettos kind of joint rather than the hip and trendy crowd that normally hang out at the Boulevard.
  The Top Hat Club no longer exists, it is now The Ealing Christian Centre!

Live Music Venues

• club boulavard on tuesday nites. live bands.
• Halfway House in West Ealing (now the Broadwalk Hotel) has a bad rep, but in reality it's just another Irish watering hole that has live music on Fri, Sat and Sun every week. Late licence, closes at 1am Fri, 2am Sat and 11.30 on Sunday. Highly amusing, must try at least once. p.s Sat's best.
• Ealing isn't amazing for music venues as such, but there are a lot of musician here. Acton has a couple of Open Mic Nights, but Central London is so near that it isn't really a problem. Just take the Central Line to Tottenham Court Road for the famous Astoria, or any other clubs...
• camden underworld aint local but its worth the trip sometimes! however the broadway boullavard in ealing? cant spell boular whats its name they now have live bands on in the week!! good stuff well done
• George and Dragon Acton (Shebeen) Offering the most comprehensive range of live music in the area Tuesday - Sunday, open till 2am Friday - Saturday. Tuesday- Original Night. Wednesday- Jam Night. Thursday- Kareoke. Friday & Saturday Jazzfunk B4 11pm and Cover bands through till 2am. Sunday- live music from 7pm Modern jazz from 9.30pm Contact- 020 8896 9499
• Finigan's Wale is always packed out. Wide range of clientel, students to middle aged irishmen. Nice feel. Bands usually do okay covers on Thurs, Fri and Sat. Fri nights best time for attractive women.
• The Shebeen c/o George & Dragon 183 The High Street Acton London W3 9DJ
• Walpole Park hosts an event called The Ealing Jazz Festival every summer. Past events have consisted mainy of boozy balding straw hat bedecked local houseowners boozing it up at an outdoor tent. The toilets most years are the vandalised ones(a red brick block in some bushes) normally in the park.Camping star rating 1 out of 10(very very dirty.) This event has had numerous complaints and local yob trouble usually lurks somewhere in the background.
• The nearest is the Shepherds Bush Empire which has a very eclectic mix of music: Mel C to John Shuttleworth.
• none to speak of. except town hall when hired
• The Redback tavern ,not far from Safeways on Acton high St, has a load of great covers bands including Loony tunes, Usual Supects and East of Eden. An Aussie bar but cheap entry and a great crowd - wear something cool though cos it WILL be hot in there, even on sunday afterenoon.
• Don't forget the EALING JAZZ FESTIVAL - held outdoors in late summer every year in Walpole Park, free. A few big names as well as local musicians like Hanwell's Keith Waite.

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Last updated: 2008-02-15