Britain's "precious" music scene needs protecting at a grassroots level, according to singer Suggs.
His band Madness sells out arenas nowadays but back when they were starting out they cut their teeth playing gigs in the back room of Camden's Dublin Castle.
"Playing eyeball to eyeball with a crowd is where you really learn how to entertain," the singer says. He's back at the pub to speak about Independent Venue Week.
"There used to be 10 or 12 of these spaces around Camden and now there are two or three left.
"When you hear about all the venues we've lost, I think it's a real tragedy.
"If you think about the amount of pop music this country has produced - and we don't produce much else these days - I think it's something we need to be quite precious about."
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Oasis, Blur, The Libertines - ask pretty much any older British rock group how they learnt to play and they'll tell you stories of sweaty rooms, sticky floors and music so loud your ears would be ringing for days.
In the last decade, however, many small music venues have struggled to stay open.
"We're dealing with a whole range of issues," said Mark Davyd, chief executive of the Music Venues Trust.
His organisation is currently trying to help more than 20 iconic music venues that are under threat.
"All the way across the UK there's problems with licensing, planning, development and local authorities who don't really understand how important a music venue is, both to the town and the community.
"Oasis played 25 of these shows around the UK, nearly all of them lost money when they were breaking through in that tour, they then became the biggest band in the world.
"Do you know what's happened to those venues?
"Only 12 of them are still open - only 12 out of 25. That's not good enough."
For decades The Square in Harlow has been a stomping ground for up-and-coming bands.
Blur played one of their very first gigs at the venue, back when they were calling themselves Seymour. It will shut for good after one final gig on Saturday.
Venue manager Dave Bennett says he has exhausted all options.
"It is very sad.
"For me a piece of Harlow has been given away to a developer and the return on that is minimal."
Houses are going to be built on the site where The Square currently stands. The music venue can't afford to re-open anywhere else.
"It has got to be a balance, you know," Mr Bennett said.
"It can't all be what the figures at the bottom of a balance sheet say, it has to be an investment in your community."
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