In these performatively jingoistic times, anything seen to epitomise our sense of a Great British identity© risks being reframed as a bitter culture war issue.

Yet, pubs are one native icon that retain a seemingly universal beloved status in the national psyche, holding firm alongside ‘our NHS’ while other big dog GB identity bastions - such as the BBC and the Monarchy - splinter us into ever-more dysfunctional tribal foes.

Even those who barely set foot inside their local boozer appreciate the social value of such spaces and their significance at the heart of the culture, complete with all the sticky carpet, warm beer and dartboard cliches you care to muster.

But despite our unified national love for this most convivial of neighbourhood institutions, all is far from well.

In 2026, the numbers behind the bar just don’t add up - and charging £10+ for a pint to compensate is hardly a remedy.

Some choose to blame ‘the government’ for this woe, and to a degree that line of attack does seem to be grinding out a few results, if the (latest) U-turn on business rates proves anything to go by.

But with Rachel Reeves staring at an irreconcilable balance sheet of her very own, it will be a hard ask for her to cede meaningful ground on the equally ferocious intersectional global challenges of energy costs, wage and NI rises, her need to claw in more cash from alcohol duty and the equally cash-strapped general public having less ability to afford a night down at their local, even if they desperately want to support it.

Into this depressing firestorm lands the pertinently named ismypubfucked.com, a new website that mashes together various datasets and lays them out on a map, so you can see exactly what hardships your own local boozers are up against. (You can then also use the map to plot a supportive pub crawl - good to know😉).

The site reveals, for example, that the Tufnell Park Tavern is presently staring down the barrel of a 138% rate increase and a 208% tax increase. The pub will somehow need to generate an additional £128,994 this year over what they paid in 2023.

Have a play with the site to see how screwed the pubs around you are - then get out and give them your urgent (and rewarding) patronage.

On that note, long-time friend of Camdenist, Alison Boutoille, of the brilliant beer mat discount gift pack City Stack is organising another Independent Pub Day on Sat 31st Jan. Loads of participating pubs across London will have offers on pints to help them smash through sales targets, as the shackles of Dry January are cast off in style.

Despite this near-impossible climate, we’re blessedly still spoilt for decent, busy boozers around this part of London. It’s easy to forget the quality and range of pubs you can walk into today across Camden, Islington and surrounds that have weathered the storms of recent years (according to Alison’s Indie Pub Day announcement, 366 more UK pubs shut down in 2025, essentially one gone every day).

Check below for the latest optimistic updates from a few of them, and never become complacent about our good fortune.

Of course, the forces pushing up fixed costs impact culture at every level. This week I was reading this excellent thought piece by Mark Davyd, CEO and founder of the Music Venues Trust.

He laments how enthral our leaders have become with the sleek economics of digital disruption, where companies that openly swerve paying their own taxes and business rates serve only to diminish our high streets in the name of convenience, and the system becomes optimised against the very possibility of things like small music venues being able to survive.

On those terms, “place becomes optional, community starts to become thought of as an eccentric sentimentality. Leaving the house starts to look inefficient,” he says.

The “unapologetically physical and human” nature of grassroots venues - and pubs - brings into sharp focus why today’s economy is failing our beloved social spaces so badly.

Initiatives like the surge pricing on pints covered in Camdenist back in 2024 only mimic the market-led dynamics and problems, but pro-social policies, such as increasing the alcohol duty on cheep supermarket booze destined to be consumed alone on the sofa, and decreasing duty on drink sold in communal spaces, could really begin to turn the tide.

To do something like that, we’ll need to have a lot more grown-up conversations about the real value of gathering, dancing, drinking and chatting together in the real world.

We sense deeply how non-negotiable all that is for humans, hence the universal declaration of love for pubs, yet we’ve got ourselves to a dismal point where we can’t make the economics stack up.

It’s high time we pull whatever levers are necessary to ensure our cultural and social spaces have the potential to be thriving, rather than just surviving. It must be an absolute priority.

You may remember the Camdenist article (below) from a couple of years ago, when a similar rallying call to save pubs post-Covid went up. The situation today has sadly only got worse, yet in Camden there is good news about many of the at risk pubs on the list. It’s also striking to see some that have been ‘awaiting refurbishment’ for years, such as the Unicorn and Admiral Mann, are still in limbo two years on…

🍺 The Stag has it’s grand reopening last night, enlisting the feted carnival selector Norman Jay MBE and his untouchable Good Times record collection to hint towards how they mean to go on. Expect the pub and its massive garden to be mobbed for regular events and a strong food offering, and getting even more so once the sun begins to reappear.

🍺 Lockside in West Yard often gets overlooked by locals on account of the endless Market-weary tourists who wash up there, however it’s a beautiful waterfront spot with a killer sun terrace and a lovely heritage interiour, all of which has just had a thorough refurb. The ‘we’re back baby!’ reopening party is on Thurs 5th Feb with free G&Ts for the first 50 guests, giveaways, live music and DJing from Mr Dorris plus a roaming tattoo artist.

🍺 The Black Cap inches ever closer to reopening, with the final Saturday vigils about to take place after 11 solid years of keeping up the pressure. Expect the eagerly anticipated return of drag cabaret and glamour to the pub as one of the capital’s most important LGBTQ+ hangouts is finally reborn in the weeks ahead. Exact date still to be announced, but watch this space.

🍺 The Camden Eye has a hot new kitchen residency from Wings & Springs, who specialise in spicy wings and crispy spring rolls. Look out for the launch party next Fri 30th Jan with tastings and dancing to DJ Ironik until 2am.

🍺South End Green Social, the beautiful Victorian corner boozer formerly The White Horse has closed down yet again. It is on the surface a brilliant spot, but there sure is competition with many other pubs dotted all around, and successive operators have tried and failed to make it work over the last decade. I’m still optimistic one will crack it, and a plucky new owner is already lined up to take it over, so we’ll be watching (and drinking) things closely.

DANCE: 🩰 The UK’s biggest festival of new choreography, Resolution, continues with at The Place with MANACAN (pictured above), Shea Sullivan and Jie Gao on the bill on Thurs 5th Feb and the rest of the Festival running until 25th Feb.

ART: 🎨 The new exhibition at Camden Arts Projects is One Day Yes / One Day No by Erwin Wurm, where visitors are invited to hold specific positions for one minute, becoming part of the sculpture for a short moment. You’ll also find plants dressed in second hand clothing and a giant cucumber erected in the front courtyard. Opens with a reception on Thurs 29th Jan.

STAGE: 🎭 Hampstead’s lovely new pub theatre Circle & Star is the first stage in the UK to present the brand-new centenary edition of David Benson’s legendary one-man show My Life With Kenneth Williams, which is sold out tonight, but has limited seats left tomorrow, Sat 24th Jan.

CLUB: 🤫 After closing down on New Years Eve, the secretive pop-up nightclub Lost is back with a special event this Sat 24th Jan. Turn up early as it’s tickets on the door only, no line-up details and strictly no phones at London’s most intriguing nightlife destination.

MUSIC:🪕 Artful banjo and lush song writing are Grenadian-Canadian Kaia Kater’s trademarks which she brings to the unique setting of St Pancras Old Church tonight, Fri 23rd Jan.

COMEDY: 😂 There’s a free night of stand-up at The Constitution on the Regent’s Canal at Oops Comedy on Sat 7th Feb.

MUSIC:🎛️ American hyperpop punk rave band Machine Girl play the big London date of their European tour at the O2 Forum Kentish Town this Tues 27th Jan.