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City Guide - London - Nightlife | ||
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Nightlife London's nightlife is currently buzzing with everything from some of Europe's liveliest nightclubs, right through to hip style bars and traditional old London taverns. Nightspots can be found across the capital, although there is a particular concentration in the West End, especially around Soho (which is the main hangout for the ultra-hip as well as the gay community). Although there are plans for a major shake-up, England's licensing laws mean that pubs and bars still traditionally close at 2300 Monday to Saturday and at 2230 on Sunday. However, many places have special licences that allow them to stay open later. Clubs usually open at 2100, fill up by 2300/2400, and stay open until 0300 during the week and 0500 at weekends. Few can be defined by their music, featuring different styles on different nights, with regular sets by guest DJs. The best way to keep abreast of goings-on is to check out the listings in the weekly Time Out (web site: www.timeout.com). Bars: If a traditional English pub is what you are after, try the seventeenth-century George Inn, 77 Borough High Street, SE1 - the only extant example of a galleried coaching inn in London; alternatively, in the centre, make for The Crown, 51 New Oxford Street, WC1, which boasts some of the cheapest beers in the West End. A welcome addition to the Soho scene is Yo!Below, in the basement of Yo!Sushi, 52 Poland Street, W1, featuring Japanese cartoons, karaoke-singing staff, self-service beer dispensers and masseuses. For beer lovers, the Freedom Brewing Company, 41 Earlham Street, WC2, is essential as it brews its own beer. If the 1980s are more your style, try the popular Bleeding Heart wine bar off Greville Street, EC1, or dip into the excellent wine and cheese list of basement Bar des Amis, 11-14 Hanover Place, WC2. Match, 45-47 Clerkenwell Road, EC1, is the brainchild of London cocktail guru Dick Bradsell, offering a wild range of familiar and not so familiar cocktails. Point 101, 101 New Oxford Street, WC1A, is a late-night West End bar that defies the archaic drinking laws with plenty of space and up-to-date dance sounds. Newcomers to the bar scene for 2000 include the stylish Cynthia's Bridge Bar and Lounge, London Bridge, SE1, which is a one-stop venue for drinking, dancing and eating, and boasts the world's first cocktail-serving robots. Vertigo, Level 42, Tower 42, Old Broad Street, EC2, at 180m (590ft) above the ground, is the UK's highest new bar with stunning views across the city from the floor to ceiling windows. Casinos: There are over 20 casinos in London. For contact details and other information, refer to the British Casino Association, 38 Grosvenor Gardens, SW1 0EB (tel: (020) 7730 1050; web site: www.british-casinos.co.uk). Clubs: In 2000, UK garage is the 'in' sound of London, but a variety of musical styles still pervade clubs throughout the capital. The world-famous super-club Ministry of Sound, 103 Gaunt Street, SE1 (web site: www.ministryofsound.co.uk) is still attracting clubbers a decade on with its stunning sound system pumping out popular house and garage. A new rival that opened in 1999 amid a blaze of publicity is Home, 1 Leicester Square, WC1 (web site: www.homecorp.com). A vast club and entertainment venue, spread over seven floors, it has a VIP members' only bar on the sixth floor. At the end of 1999, Fabric, 77A Charterhouse Street, EC1 (web site: www.fabric-london.com), joined the super-club fray as Londoners become increasingly spoilt for choice. Home to legendary UK Garage nights is The End, an ultra-stylish club at 18A West Central Street, WC1. Bar Rumba, 36 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1, packs in the punters with a variety of dance tunes. Mix with VIPs at stylish and exclusive Browns, 4 Great Queen Street, WC2 - members-only during the week; or two-step back to the glamour of the 1920s at the sumptuous Café de Paris, 3 Coventry Street, W1. Fans of flares and fluffy funk can relive the 1970s on Saturdays at the Electric Ballroom, 184 Camden High Street, NW1 (Saturday Night Fever) and at LA2, 157 Charing Cross Road, WC2 (Carwash). Disco gear gets a discount on admission. Scantily clad professional 'dancers' and a light show entertain you at Stringfellows, 16-19 Upper St Martin's Lane, WC1. The most popular gay night is G.A.Y. at The Astoria, 157 Charing Cross Road, WC2, on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. North of the centre, The Complex, 1-5 Parkfield Street, N1, pulls the crowds to Islington with its varied musical agenda; and 333, at 333 Old Street, EC1, attracts a cool crowd with diverse club nights. In west London, head for the Notting Hill Arts Club, 21 Notting Hill Gate, W11, for a chilled atmosphere. South of the river, Brixton has gained a reputation over the last decade for lively nightlife. The Fridge, Town Hall Parade, SW2, is a long-time favourite and The Fridge Bar next door is one of the best bar-clubs in town. Live music: International acts play at Earl's Court Exhibition Centre, SW5, and Wembley Arena. Next door, Wembley Stadium is a vast auditorium for massive stars, although its last event before a five-year renovation will be in November 2000. Mainstream pop stars can be heard at the London Arena, Limeharbour, E14. For a more unique atmosphere try the Astoria (LA1), 157 Charing Cross Road, WC2, or Brixton Academy, 211 Stockwell Road, SW9. The Shepherd's Bush Empire, Shepherds Bush Green, W12, and the Forum, 9-17 Highgate Road, NW5, draw medium-sized acts, while the original Mean Fiddler, 28A Kilburn High Street, NW10, hosts folk, country and rock events. Pubs with regular live music include the Bull & Gate, 389 Kentish Town Road, NW5, and the Swan, 215 Clapham Road, SW9. For jazz head to the Jazz Café, 5 Parkway, NW1, or to Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, 47 Frith Street, W1, a legendary venue in the heart of Soho. Comedy: The Comedy Store (tel: (020) 7344 0234) at Haymarket House, Oxenden Street, SW1, still offers the best comedy in town. Jongleurs comedy and cabaret clubs are based in Clapham, Camden Lock and Bow (tel: (020) 7564 2525). |