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The place to be: the new look Proud Camden

Geed up: Jaime Winstone, right, and pal enjoy Proud Camden

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With a 15ft wall surrounding its periphery, the new Proud Camden has the appearance of an NW1 fortress. The only sign of life as we arrived on a Thursday night was DJ celebrity tranny Jodie Harsh's hair sticking up over the top like strawberry-blond candyfloss.

“That must be the new terrace,” Sarah, my friend and Proud veteran, judged. “I wonder if it'll be as cool as the old one.” As a loyal fan of the first At Proud Gallery and bar in Camden Market, she had been reminiscing since we got on the Tube at Bond Street.

The hype surrounding the new Proud's opening last month was only to be expected. The original bar/club — featuring cutting-edge bands most nights as well as secret gigs, big-name DJ sets and art exhibitions — launched two years ago and quickly became a magnet for all things cool and beautiful.

The indie pop brigade made the place its own, with regulars including Carl Barat, Kelly Osbourne and Johnny Borrell. It's not going too far to say that Proud played a huge part in making Camden cool again. But it was forced to close at the end of last summer because of a short lease on its initial venue and its disappearance left a gaping hole. Happily, its new home is in a magnificent Grade II-listed building, the old Horse Hospital in Chalk Farm Road, twice as big as the previous venue next door.

I'd had the jitters all day. I was excited enough about the night's outing to dedicate my day to planning my outfit. So, it seemed, had everybody else. In among the essential checked shirts and tight trousers, I spotted vintage Prada boots, Lanvin clutch bags and some jewels that Tara P-T would've fainted at the sight of. These weren't just Camden trendies heading into Proud, these were serious fashionistas.

We were welcomed at the entrance by two girls on the Proud staff in very cool black dresses with thin, red, patent leather belts, clearly amused by how excited we were (especially when they told us it was free to get in). I couldn't help asking about the dresses, and one explained: “Oh, Alex designed them.” Owner and gallery namesake Alex Proud is clearly a hands-on boss.

The care and attention he'd put into his new project was obvious as we entered the main gallery to get a drink (glass of chardonnay, £3.50) and were wowed by its cool leather sofas and beautiful exposed beams. The minimal-ist whitewash décor highlighted the collection of rock music photography on the walls, and we paused to admire the black-and-white prints off The Ramones, Blondie and Jeff Buckley (mostly priced around £500).

There was still much more to explore. Sarah led the way through another whitewashed room, where the stage had been set up for the bands, and on into the stables. All the original features remain, from the cobbled floor and tethering rings to the wooden partitions. Only now those within happily feed on Grey Goose vodka rather than oats.

The place was already heaving and it was still only 9pm. “I want to check out the terrace — the one in the old place was awesome,” shouted Sarah as we made our way outside.

There we found it awash with groups of fantastically attractive boys and girls reclining on the canvas rock star deckchairs. Sarah sat on Pete Doherty while I had to settle for The Ordinary Boys and we finished our drinks looking out over the train tracks. It made a pretty awesome view and had everyone dreaming of the lazy summer (hopefully) ahead. But getting settled was not an option, as the live music had already kicked off with Drew McConnell from Babyshambles and if we lounged around much longer, we were in danger of missing Lethal Bizzle. We got to the stage in time to catch his bouncing nu-grime performance before The Enemy came on stage to tumultuous applause. Hundreds of carefully tousled heads nodded in time to the sound of this year's NME best new band.

It was a great indication of what's to come in terms of music at the venue, with an exciting blend of live indie rock and some wildly cool electro nights. The monthly Don't Panic Dance night, Be @ Proud on Saturdays and Happy Accident on Sundays, are tipped to be the most popular and should be well worth checking out.

We left the party, buzzing still at around midnight, and as I psyched my stilettos up for the final descent across the cobblestones, I found myself face to face with Melanie Blatt, once of All Saints. “Dead good wasn't it?” she grinned. I couldn't have agreed more.

Proud Camden, The Horse Hospital, The Stables Market, Chalk Farm Road, NW1, times and entry prices vary, atproud.net

 

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