Club entertainment in England
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Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club
As it says on the tin, this is a true working men’s club, which has opened its doors and let in all kinds of off-the-wall club nights, including trashy burlesque, vintage nights of all eras, beach parties and bake offs. Expect sticky carpets, a shimmery stage set and a space akin to a school-hall disco.
reviewed
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Fabric
This most impressive of superclubs is still the first stop on the London scene for many international clubbers, as the lengthy queues attest. A warren of three floors, three bars, many walkways and unisex toilets, room one also contains a kidney-shaking ‘bodysonic’ dance floor. The crowd is hip and well dressed without overkill, and the music – mainly electro, techno, house, drum and bass and dubstep – is as superb as you’d expect from London’s top-rated club. Superstar DJs often sell out Friday night’s FabricLive, when big names such as Goldie or DJ Hype take over. WetYourSelf!, a hedonistic techno and house night, is a real Sunday night treat.
reviewed
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Plastic People
This is a tiny club with just a dance floor and bar and a booming sound system that experts say easily kicks the butts of bigger clubs. Head here on Fridays and Saturdays for nights that are often given over to one long DJ set by the likes of Kieran Hebden, Kode 9 or Mr Scruff, smashing out mainly house and electronica.
reviewed
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Comedy Store
This was one of the first (and is still one of the best) comedy clubs in London. Although it’s a bit like conveyor-belt comedy, it gets some of the biggest names. Wednesday and Sunday night’s Comedy Store Players is the most famous improvisation outfit in town, with the wonderful Josie Lawrence; on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays it’s Best in Stand Up, which features (you guessed it) the best on London’s comedy circuit. Tickets are generally around £20.
reviewed
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Last Days of Decadence
A brand new club that opened in the height of the recession, this is a place that celebrates the 1930s through its heady, abandon-fuelled parties and through its Great Depression–inspired name. Not that it sticks to 1930s music, however – you’ll find regular nights hosting DJs such as the out-there trannie DJ Jodie Harsh on Fridays’ Circus, and Last Days of Decadence’s eponymous night that mixes up D&B, nu-rave and jungle. On a quieter note, there are free jazz gigs on Tuesdays, and Monday nights are life-drawing classes – £10 a go.
reviewed
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Egg
Egg has the most superb layout with three exposed concrete rooms (across three floors), a garden and two gorgeous tropical roof terraces (relieving the edgy, exiled smokers). It specialises in house, dance, techno and drum and bass. On Sunday morning, there’s a breakfast after-party. At weekends, Egg runs a free shuttle every 30 minutes between 10pm and 2am from outside American Carwash on York Way.
reviewed
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Passing Clouds
One of those little flickers of nightlife brilliance, Passing Clouds throws legendary parties that go on until the early hours of the morning. The music is predominantly world oriented, with a lot of African influence and regular Afrobeat bands, and a reputed jam session on Sunday nights (from 9pm); the parties are a healthy mix of DJs and live music with a multicultural crowd that really makes you feel you’re in London. The decor is makeshift bar, colourful lanterns and tropical titbits, and the atmosphere is just exhilarating.
reviewed
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Ghetto
Having moved out of Soho, the Ghetto is now the biggest and smartest gay venue around Shoreditch, London’s most sizzlingly alternative and creative neighbourhood. The two-floor bar and club contains the wood-panelled Trash Palace upstairs, a haven of self-styled ‘odd glamour’ where you can also get free or discounted entry tickets to the Ghetto proper, the downstairs club. This is a friendly, pioneering venue with plenty of interesting nights, not least pop-classic night Wigout, on Saturday.
reviewed
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93 Feet East
This great venue has a courtyard, three big rooms and an outdoor terrace that gets crowded on sunny afternoons, packed with a cool East London crowd.
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Cargo
Cargo is one of London’s most eclectic clubs. Under its brick railway arches you’ll find a dance-floor room, bar and outside terrace. The music policy is innovative and varied, with plenty of up-and-coming bands also on the menu. Food is available throughout the day.
reviewed
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Notting Hill Arts Club
London simply wouldn’t be what it is without places like NHAC. Cultivating the underground music scene, this small basement club attracts a musically curious and experimental crowd. The famous monthly Thursday Yo-Yo night, where singer Lily Allen and producer Mark Ronson met, is one of the best nights for R&B, ‘80s boogies, hip hop, ragga and diverse live sets.
reviewed
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Cherry Jam
Once a must-experience club, part owned by Ben Watt of the Notting Hill Arts Club and Everything But the Girl (who still sometimes DJs on Saturdays), Cherry Jam has lost the edge it had some years ago. It's still worth a peek, though, especially for the music and good, reasonably priced cocktails (around £7). Friday and Saturday nights have electro and house DJs and the atmosphere is always good. Might need a shake-up or a face-lift soon, though.
reviewed
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East Village
Basement club that sees house lovers flocking from all over London, especially for one-off nights featuring some of New York’s finest. Other events range from disco to dancehall and dubstep to drum and bass.
reviewed
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Underworld
Hear ye, all ye metal heads out there! The Underworld awaits! Metallica, Black Sabbath, Sepultura and other skull-clad screamers have made their appearance either live or as a DJ’s choice in this underground warren beneath the World’s End pub. It’s got plenty of nooks and crannies for ritual head-banging, but it does also host some ‘softer’ musicians such as KT Tunstall and Radiohead.
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Catch
It doesn’t look like much, but Catch is one of the best nights out in Shoreditch. Upstairs you’ll hear anything from ‘90s to funk and hip hop, as well as a great selection of new and established bands. Downstairs you get a big house-party vibe with DJs who mix up pretty much anything from chart hits to electro and techno. Downstairs is free, it’s open late and it’s really fun.
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Madame Jo Jo’s
The renowned subterranean, crimson cabaret bar and all its sleazy fun comes into its own with Kitsch Cabaret on Saturday and Burlesque Idol on Fridays. Keb Darge’s Lost & Found night on Saturday is legendary, attracting a cool crew of breakdancers, jazz dancers and people just out to have a good time. It’s Tranny Schak Up (drag queen night) on Wednesdays.
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Plan B
Reverberating to its vast Funktion 1 sound system, this imaginative Brixton Rd club puts its small space on the Brixton nightlife map with a shaken up roll call of music line-ups for hip hop, dubstep, dancehall, r&b, house, old school, electro and more.
reviewed
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Fiesta Havana
The epitome of a cheesy night out, you'll have to be up for it (in every sense) to enjoy yourself at Fiesta Havana, a neonlike turquoise-and-mustard 'little bit of Cuba' that you couldn't miss even if you did blink. The music (groovy Latin beats) is great, happens almost nightly and there are free dance classes at the beginning of the evening.
reviewed
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333
Hoxton’s true old-timer, 333’s stripped-down manner doesn’t bow to Shoreditch’s silly cool and just keeps going, despite not being what it once was in terms of pulling power. The club still hosts great nights that are simultaneously scruffy and innovative, covering indie, electro, dubstep and hip hop. Upstairs the separate Mother Bar is a good, late-opening bar with a lounge, dance floor and fun, up-for-it crowd.
reviewed
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Ministry of Sound
This legendary club-cum-enormous-global-brand (four bars, four dance floors) lost some ‘edge’ in the early noughties but, after pumping in top DJs, the Ministry has firmly rejoined the top club ranks. Fridays is the Gallery trance night, while Saturday sessions offers the crème de la crème of house, electro and techno DJs.
reviewed
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Neighbourhood
Cherry Jam and Notting Hill Arts Club supremo Ben Watt's (another) excellent venue, Neighbourhood has a capacity of 500 and a mixed programme from author readings to house, electro and R'n'B nights, and there's even an occasional burlesque bonanza; so check what's on when you're around.
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Aquarium
The real attraction at this big and brash club is the swimming pool and Jacuzzi (towels provided) and the often very-late opening hours (selected nights until 9am). DJs play mainly house and techno to a mainstream, dressed-up crowd. Trainers are not welcome here.
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Rhythm Factory
Perennially hip and popular, the Rhythm Factory is a club and venue hosting a variety of bands and DJs of all genres that keep the up-for-it crowd happy until late.
reviewed
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On the Rocks
If a place could ever be described as a den, this is it: small, dark, sweaty and in a category of its own, On The Rocks caters to a mixed crowd of trendsters, trashy youngsters and a lost soul or two, all of whom are pretty much only interested in carrying on the party.
reviewed
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Fire
Sealing Vauxhall’s reputation as the new gay nightlife centre of London, Fire is another expansive, smart space under the railway arches, hosting the centrepieces of the Vauxhall weekend: A:M on Friday, Later on Sunday afternoons, followed by the Sunday all-nighter, Orange.
reviewed