The Barfly
 | |
| Location | Camden Town, London, England |
|---|---|
| Owner | MAMA & Company |
| Type | Live Music |
| Genre(s) |
Indie Rock Hip-hop Pop |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
The Barfly is a live music venue in Camden Town, London, England. Club nights and events tend to feature rock, alternative and independent music.
History
The Barfly began with one club in 1996 (originally at The Falcon pub, before moving to The Monarch in 2000, which was then renamed The Barfly). A second venue was opened in Cardiff in 2001 and others followed. Following the closure of all these venues, the Camden branch is now the sole The Barfly venue in existence in the UK.
In 2002, following the acquisition of Mean Fiddler, Channelfly (The Barfly's parent company) became MAMA Group Plc, now MAMA & Company.
Until 2003, The Barfly ran a venue in Sheffield in the now defunct National Centre for Popular Music. The venue was initially housed in one "pod" of the building but this was closed down sometime in 2002, moving to what was the Zero Club (now The Plug) on Matilda Street. The Barfly vacated these premises soon afterwards, and left Sheffield altogether.
On 2 June 2008, the Brighton The Barfly (formerly the Gloucester Nightclub) closed down without notice. One day later the same happened to the Cambridge Barfly, with the company placing "Closed for Refurbishment" signs on the doors to these venues. An article in the Cambridge Crier newspaper[1] from the 13th of January 2009 said that the Cambridge venue would open again; it has since been refurbished and is now a J D Wetherspoon pub.
On 17 February 2009, the Glasgow Barfly also closed down without notice.
During late May 2009, Liverpool Barfly was sold to local bar owners and transformed into the Masque Nightclub and music venue. The building also contains The Masque's affiliated bar: Ink, a free-entry rock 'n' roll bar and the only tattoo studio-themed venue in the North West of England.
In August 2010, the Cardiff Barfly closed down. Similarly, the Birmingham Barfly closed in the same year.
In 2010, the York Barfly also ceased trading; the venue reopened as Fibbers on 3 September 2010.
The West End of London Barfly venue closed in 2011, leaving The Barfly in Camden as the only branch still operating in 2013.