Venue Booker, The Barfly

Our Venue

The Barfly dates back to the 1980s, when it was known as The Monarch, a 400-capacity venue embedded in Camden’s music scene, hosting both emerging artists and major acts like Oasis.

In the early 2000s, it became The Barfly, quickly establishing itself as a cornerstone of London’s live music and club culture. In 2016, the venue was renamed The Camden Assembly. However, in June 2026, it proudly reverted to its iconic name, The Barfly, marking a return to its roots and reaffirming its legacy at the heart of Camden’s live music scene. Today, under its restored identity, it continues to champion new talent while offering great food, drinks, and a lively atmosphere.

Notable acts include Adele, AJ Tracey, Amy Winehouse, Bloc Party, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Clean Bandit, Coldplay, Dave, Ed Sheernan, Enter Shikari, Frank Turner, James Bay, Kaiser Chiefs, Kasabian, Mahalia, Muse, Mystery Jets, Olivia Dean, Razorlight, The 1975, The Cure, The Libertines, The Strokes, The Vaccines, Tom Odell, Twenty One Pilots, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Yungblud

The Role

The Venue Booker plays a pivotal role in combining programming, commercial awareness, business management, and community engagement to ensure Barfly thrives as both a sustainable business and a vibrant cultural hub.

This role is responsible for curating a diverse and commercially successful programme of live events, championing emerging artists, and creating opportunities that attract new and returning audiences.

Alongside delivering a strong evening live music offer, the Venue Booker will also develop and grow daytime activity to maximise venue utilisation and revenue.

The Venue Booker will foster strong relationships with artists, agents, and the local creative community, while ensuring the venue remains an inclusive, safe, and welcoming space for audiences, performers, and staff.

Working collaboratively with the venue team and local and Head Office Marketing teams, the Venue Booker will curate and promote a diverse, commercially sustainable programme that strengthens Barfly’s reputation, grows audiences and supports the venue’s long-term success.

The role will balance creative programming, financial accountability and operational planning, with a particular focus on championing emerging artists, supporting new promoters and creating opportunities that attract both new and returning audiences.

Alongside the evening programme, the Venue Booker will develop daytime, community and skills-focused activity that makes fuller use of the venue and deepens its connection with Camden’s creative community.

About You

Essential

• Experience of venue booking, promoting live events, artist development, community events or a closely related area. This may have been gained professionally, independently or through DIY and grassroots activity
• A genuine passion for live music and the ability to identify and nurture emerging talent.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and relationship-building skills
• Strong organisation and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines
• Commercial awareness and the confidence to learn or develop event budgeting and financial management skills
• An understanding of marketing and audience development in grassroots, independent or community settings
• A commitment to creating inclusive, safe and welcoming spaces
  Willingness and ability to work regular evenings, weekends and irregular hours

Desirable

• Two or more years’ experience in venue bookings or promoting
• Existing relationships with artists, agents, managers, promoters or local music communities
• Knowledge of ticketing systems, event administration and settlement processes
• Experience of working within budgets and monitoring event performance
• Personal Licence Holder qualification

What we need

• A curious and proactive programmer who keeps up with musical trends and developing artists
• A genuine passion for live music and the ability to spot and nurture emerging talent
• A proven track record of building and maintaining strong relationships with artists, agents, promoters, and artist management
• A commercially minded approach, with an understanding of how successful programming drives overall venue performance, including bar sales and customer experience
• Highly organised, with excellent planning, communication, and attention to detail, capable of managing multiple projects simultaneously
•  Flexible, resilient, and able to perform effectively in a fast-paced live events environment, including evenings, weekends, and irregular working hours
• A collaborative team player who enjoys working closely with venue operations, bars, and marketing teams to deliver outstanding events
• A commitment to creating an inclusive, safe, and welcoming environment for audiences, performers, and colleagues
  The confidence to make informed commercial decisions while balancing artistic ambition with financial sustainability

What you’ll be doing

Programming and artist development

• Book and promote artists and live events at Barfly
• Develop a diverse, distinctive and commercially sustainable programme that reflects Barfly’s identity
• Identify and support emerging artists and promoters, creating meaningful opportunities for talent development
• Build and maintain relationships with artists, agents, managers, promoters and external hirers
• Assist in managing holds, challenges and diary discussions to secure the best programming outcomes and maximise venue utilisation
• Produce and negotiate artist offers within agreed financial frameworks and controls
• Confirm shows with internal teams and external partners, ensuring all parties have clear and accurate information
• Manage regular bookings and external hires, reviewing their performance and developing successful relationships
• Attend shows and carry out continuous research into musical trends, new promoters and developing artists

Event delivery and administration

• Advance events with artists, agents, promoters and venue teams
• Process artist contracts and other show administration
• Coordinate announcements, artwork, on-sale plans and ticketing requirements
• Maintain accurate venue diaries and internal event systems
• Ensure operations, production, bars, ticketing and marketing teams receive the information required to deliver each event successfully
• Liaise with ticketing teams finalise manifests where required
• Support show-night delivery and resolve issues calmly and professionally
• Occasionally arrange artist travel and accommodation where required

Financial management

• Build and manage event budgets and produce artist offers within agreed controls
• Monitor ticket sales, event forecasts, spend per head and overall event performance
• Maintain accurate and timely financial records and report performance to relevant colleagues
• Manage contracts, invoices, balance payments and post-show settlements
• Use learning from event performance to inform future programming decisions and support the venue’s long-term sustainability

Marketing and audience development

• Work with venue and central marketing teams to develop effective campaigns and on-sale plans
• Monitor ticket sales and identify practical opportunities to improve performance
• Develop audiences for grassroots and emerging artists, including people who may not currently see Barfly as a venue for them
• Build relationships with Camden organisations, the local BID, community partners, colleges and creative networks
• Identify relevant local shows, cultural activity and partnerships that can generate audiences and bar revenue
• Develop opportunities for daytime, community and development-focused programming

Promoter support and community engagement

• Deliver a regular open-access Promoter Surgery at Barfly
• Create an informal, welcoming space where emerging promoters, artists and community members can seek guidance, share ideas and access support without appointments or gatekeeping
• Provide practical guidance within the scope of the role and signpost people to relevant resources, opportunities and industry contacts
• Use insights from these sessions to help Barfly respond to barriers facing new entrants and contribute to a stronger local grassroots music ecosystem

Equal opportunities

Propaganda Venues is committed to creating an inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability or caring responsibilities.

Reality check

This is a demanding role in a fast-paced live music environment where priorities can change quickly. You’ll regularly work evenings, weekends, and late nights, balancing creative programming with commercial performance, administration, and operational delivery.

You’ll be expected to make confident decisions, build strong industry relationships, and manage multiple projects simultaneously.

In return, you’ll have the opportunity to shape the programme of one of the UK’s most iconic grassroots music venues, champion emerging talent, build lasting industry connections, and make a visible impact on both the venue’s cultural reputation and commercial success.

Propaganda Independent Venues

Propaganda Independent Venues is a collection of iconic venues owned and run by music fans, for music fans. We’re the proud owners of XOYO London and Birmingham, Tramshed and The Globe in Cardiff, and London’s legendary Barfly.

Proudly independent, we’re dedicated to protecting and preserving grassroots venues and keeping live music thriving across the UK. We believe in the power of community, connecting fans, artists, and promoters through a shared love of music and we strive to deliver unforgettable experiences for everyone who walks through our doors.

We’re passionate about supporting local artists and businesses, ensuring our venues remain creative cultural hubs at the heart of their communities. Guided by a fair, artist-first ethos, we operate a fairer ticketing model and never charge merch fees, which benefits both artists and fans.

We’re inclusive and want everyone to feel welcome in our venues. We want you to love them as much as we do and to create shared memories through the power of live music.