“Martha Wainwright got her boobs out at this table with a load of girls,” says The Hideaway’s Tom Allerton. “It was quite amusing, I had to kick them out, they wanted a lock in downstairs, but I was scared.”

One of the more colourful stories to emerge from The Hideaway, it’s a safe bet most red-blooded men of a certain age and predilection for thinking-man’s crumpet would have liked to have been a fly on the wall (or more) on that particular evening. But The Hideaway is one special little venue that should not be defined by who drinks here (Johnny Borrell and various other indie brethren are regulars).

Located just up from the more celebrated Boston Music Room on Junction Road, The Hideaway has been in existence under its current management team for just under two years, although the history of the building stretches back a little further than that.

“The place has been in existence as a bar and venue since the 1960s when it was called Dougie’s Hideaway Club,” says Allerton,” and we’ve heard tales of lots of rock and roll antics, with lots of parties in the basement.” The basement is where the majority of gigs still happen with a capacity of 75-80.

“Since then it’s just gone through loads of different changes. It’s been restaurants, bars, clubs, but since the 60s has not really opened to the public. We took it over and opened it up as a bar and venue. We’re building up a programme of live music and DJ nights.”

The idea is to have at least something happening every night, though based around the monthly nights on here, including Lets All Catch Up, which has attracted performers such as The Holloways (“when they played it was pretty rammed, hopefully they’ll be back at some point”), Frank Turner, Mumford and Sons and Orphans and Vandals, and Out Out Folk Devil, a self-explanatory night of folk-based song.

One idiosyncrasy to this small venue is the fact their license does not permit them to host bands with drums in the basement – ensuring each act who plays here must be on the acoustic side of things. But instead of cursing the confounded residential neighbours that ensure this state of affairs continues, Allerton and his team are able to utilise the ‘problem’ to The Hideaway’s advantage.

“It’s a restriction but it works really well in that space,” says Allerton, “because it’s quiet people sit down during the gigs and nobody talks, and the bands like it for that.”

The Hideaway is situated in a rather nice part of town: leafy, quiet, a strong sense of community. The character of The Hideaway, a place where Allerton tries to instil in his staff that “people who come here are like guests in hour house”, fits right in here. But that’s not to suggest it is in anyway secluded.

“We’re close enough to Camden,” says Allerton, “that we can tap into that scene, but we’re also a little bit removed so there’s no direct competition.”

Programming is roughly divided between in-house and external promoters, though they hope to do more themselves as they profile grows, while their eclecticism is proven by the theatre and cabaret occasionally held here.

Of course, the forthcoming recession might render all this wholesome artistic goodness null and void…

“I think if you do what you do well and you keep everybody happy then you’ll ride it out. We’re probably not going to make as much money as we would do if it were a different situation.” Best of British to them.