It pays for venues to double up these days - bar and restaurant, spa and pool, eat in or takeaway. But how about photo art gallery turns nightclub..?

Sounds cool doesn’t it? And it is cool, if not somewhat commercial which kind of spoils the cool. Proud Gallery, nestled in the stables market of hip Camden can boast of be one of the most unique and intriguing venues in London. During the day seductive lighting creates a suave and stylish ambience in which to browse a host of photographs depicting some of the biggest names in modern music.

In the evening, Proud turns from on show to show off as a DJ’s and live bands do their best to get this party started. And to be fair, the eclectic blend of tunes is sufficient to satisfy almost any tastes. The bands are either unsigned or up and coming, but credit to the producers who have a good ear for rising talent. The DJ’s can also be applauded for the variety of tunes they spin - popular yes, but cheesy no. Well, not so much.

Two rooms, three bars and a handful of stables for hire means proud is spacious and pulls a decent sized crowd, most of whom are easy-going, pretty cool and pretty. To bag a private stable contact the venue directly. They are ideal for a celebration or even if there is a large group of you. You get your own private space to sit and leave your drinks and for entertainment there’s a pole on a raised platform in the middle for…well you make you’re own fun!

The only downside is you have to leave an email address before you can enter which means junk mail in your inbox and you have to show ID before being allowed through the door. Fair enough if you’re still at school and barely started shaving, but I’m 35 have been donning xxl shirts for years and was wearing stubble! Weird!