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London-Nitelife Recommendations
OUR JOB IS TO RECOMMEND THE BEST, FUN, EXCITING AND SAFE PLACES TO GO AFTER DARK
Whatever your musical tastes, be it trance, garage, techno, indie, R'n'B or good old fashioned 70s/80s nostalgia, it's easy to find a venue in which serious fun can be had (particularly as we've also listed some of the best and/or most popular below). Please click on the link to visit the site.
Aquarium
256-260 Old Street, EC1V 9DD,
Tel: 020 7251 6136,
Tube: Old Street.
Boasting not only a jacuzzi but yes, you've guessed it, a swimming pool too, the Aquarium is a trendy central London venue that plays host to all manner of themed nights as well as regular glam, garage and techno events. Plenty of frolicking and decent grooves, with just a couple of doors away you'll also find the company's Bar Aquarium.
The Borderline
Orange Yard, Manette Street, W1D 4JB,
Tel: 020 7734 2095,
Tube: Tottenham Court Road.
Shifting seamlessly between live gig venue (where esteemed artists such as Pearl Jam, REM and Oasis have played) and small, intimate club, The Borderline is not only more fun than other larger West End alternatives, but cheaper too. On Wednesdays you'll find the rock flavoured N*A*S*I*N, while at the weekend - Fri/Sat - the atmosphere at Borderline becomes more populist with the Queen is Dead (rock'n roll late nighter) and the Christmas Club (dishing out chart toppers and classics by the bucketful). Reductions for anyone with an NUS card or flyer.
Café de Paris
3 Coventry Street, W1V 7FL,
Tel: 020 7734 7700,
Tube:Leicester Square/Piccadilly Circus.
A swanky club/bar and restaurant which regularly plays hosts to fashion shows, private parties and album launches. An impressively lavish ballroom setting reinforces the air of exclusivity, while music and food are both suitably self-assured. Although undeniably good fun, it doesn't take long to work out that, with all the networking and luvvy gossip going on, prices are set appropriately high. Knowing that your plastic will get a good work out isn't all bad though. Indeed, the most rewarding (and mirth inducing) part of a visit to Café de Paris is listening in on the posh, beautiful folk who mix it with legions of less affluent wannabies. Needless to say, assuming the mantle of an all conquering business tycoon (while quaffing champagne) will do your pulling powers the world of good. It's that kind of place....
Cargo
83 Rivington Street, EC2A 3AY,
Tel: 020 7739 3440,
Tube: Old Street.
A new bar, restaurant and club, which looks set to bring a healthy dose of style and glamour to an otherwise dull part of town. Housed underneath three viaducts named M, D and F (short for music, drink and food), Cargo's regular events include Tantrums - a fortnightly showcase of the best up and coming bands - along with I'mpulse (Euro-Centric pop/rock/ska/electronica) which, we're told, attracts a strong continental contingent each week.
Cherry Jam
58 Porchester Road, W2 6ET,
Tel: 020 7727 9950,
Tube: Royal Oak/Paddington.
Consistently rated as one of London's best clubs since opening in 2004, Cherry Jam is also among the friendliest spots in town. With a laid back atmosphere (that extends to non-pretentious staff) it's a venue best explored on weekdays when the grooves are still first-rate, the door policy less forgiving and queues for the bar (we recommend some of Cherry Jam's excellent cocktails) less likely to upset. Very good indeed.
The End
18 West Central Street, WC1A 1JJ,
Tel: 020 7419 9199,
Tube: Holborn/Tottenham Court Road.
With Fridays and Saturdays devoted to guest DJ sets, the remainder of the week is taken up by 'Discotec' (Thursdays - gay funk, disco), 'Durr' (Mondays - live banks and underground music) plus 'Swerve' (Wednesdays - drum and bass). Generally regarded as one of the central London's nicer venues.
The Electric Ballroom
184 Camden High Road, NW1 8QP,
Tel: 020 7485 9006,
Tube: Camden Town.
Used also for live gigs, The Electric Ballroom is a well-established on the Camden High Road. Although the club currently faces an uncertain future (because of plans by London Underground to redevelop the site) the traditional Friday night mix of Industrial, techno and punk goth crossover continues. On Saturdays, the goth crowd is replaced by more mainstream clubbers, with DJ sets of 70s-90s disco, funk, house, garage and R'n'B.
Fabric
77a Charterhouse Street, EC1M 3HN,
Tel: 020 7490 0444,
Tube: Farringdon.
An impressive state-of-the-art superclub in trendy Clerkenwell, which was (in a previous incarnation) a Victorian meat cellar. With over 24,000 sq.ft of club space, that includes 3 dancefloors, there's plenty to keep even the most occasional clubber entertained (such as the bass loaded body sonic dancefloor). And, with a 2,500 capacity, it's not surprising that even the facilities here have a novel twist (toilets are funky unisex jobs). However, unless you have a highly masochistic penchant for queuing, get there early on Friday/Saturday nights. A 24hr music licence ensures that the fun stops only when you've had enough. Fab.
Fridge
Town Hall Parade, Brixton Hill, SW2 1RJ,
Tel: 020 7326 5100,
Tube: Brixton.
Open every week day, the Fridge plays host to a wide variety of club nights including DJ Fat Freddie on Fridays (R'n'B classics/Hip Hop), the Hot Spot on Thursday (Dirty R'n'B, Ghetto Rap, Raw Garage) and Rhythm 365 on Wednesday (reggae).
The Gardening Club
4 The Piazza, Covent Garden, WC2E 8HA,
Tel: 020 7257 8613,
Tube: Covent Garden.
Adjoining The Rock Garden in Covent Garden, The Gardening Club serves up a mixture of funky house (Fridays), 80s/party classics (Wednesdays) and soul/disco/funk (Saturdays). Frequented mainly by trendy tourists, it's still a fun place to be come the weekend (and infinitely better than heading into Leicester Square). Cheap bar Saturday.
Heaven
The Arches, Craven Street, WC2N 6NG,
Tel: 020 7930 2020,
Tube: Charing Cross.
Widely regarded as London's premier gay venue, Heaven is definitely a superclub with attitude. On Saturdays the main dance floor is exclusively gay, with a set comprising of Hi-Nrg, commercial house, disco and club classics. Alternatively, Monday's 'Popcorn', hosted by Big Al, is a non-stop collection of cheesey pop.
The Hippodrome
Hippodrome Corner, WC2 7JH, Tel: 020 7437 4311,
Tube: Leicester Square.
Situated just a stone's throw from Leicester Square's, grooves are much improved in recent months with upfront & classic funky house featuring on Fridays, while Cirque (on Saturday nights) becaqme the official Superclub of 2004, with cutting-edge club tunes featuring alongside vintage disco, glam, pop and funk.
Ministry of Sound
103 Gaunt Street, SE1 6DP,
Tel: 020 7378 6528,
Tube: Elephant & Castle.
With an ever-expanding business portfolio that includes own brand compilation albums (with mixes by famous DJs) together with sponsorship of vast open-air festivals, the Ministry of Sound is not just a club but a dance empire. While the Ministry's location in Elephant & Castle is not what you'd describe as "up and coming", the self-styled home of trance and house still ranks as one of London's best (and most hedonistic) populist clubs.
93 Feet East
150 Brick Lane, E1 6QN,
Tel: 020 7247 3293,
Tube: Aldgate East/Liverpool Street.
Now a firmly established part of London's club scene, 93 Feet East is a large live venue and club housed within a old music hall. Although less well-known than Cargo and Herbal, the dance/funky house oriented grooves create a vibe that's sure to attract a loyal following. What's more, bar prices are reasonable too.
Plastic People
147-149 Curtain Road, EC2A 3QE,
Tel: 020 7739 6471,
Tube: Old Street.
Now relocated to the East End from its former home on Oxford Street, Plastic People is an intimate 'underground' style venue with a long licence (the club stays open until 3:30am). Drawing in bar/club goers from the surrounding Hoxton/Shoreditch area, Plastic serves up mainly jazz-funk/hip-hop beats from a variety of well-known guest DJs including Gilles Peterson and Alex Jazzanova.
Scala
275 Pentonville Road, N1 9LN,
Tel: 020 7833 2022,
Tube: King's Cross.
Decent live venue/club within easy distance of King's Cross Tube. With two well-sized dancefloors and four bars, Scala is a slick operation that serves up a variety of grooves courtesy of the club's talented resident/guest DJs. On Friday nights, Popstarz pump out alternative/indie offerings, while on Saturdays, as DJs are rotated regularly, it's best to check the press or 'Future Events' schedule on Scala's website for up to date details. Great fun, just a shame that Scala is located slap bang in one of London's dodgier districts i.e. King's Cross.
Neighbourhood (Formerly Subterania)
12 Acklam Road, W10 5RA,
Tel: 020 8960 4590,
Tube: Ladbroke Grove.
Occupying the space of that former West London favourite - Subterania, Ben Watt's new Neighbourhood club, is now a much more laid back affair, with a string of decent resident DJs, excellent drink offers, a pleasant mezzanine area and non-pretentious Notting Hill crowd. First-rate grooves all week.
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