A small caveat first – we’ve not been to all of these nights, because we’re not wholly mental. But from what we have, and found, and you guys have told us, this seems like a nice and gentle smattering of some of London’s more unusual night life.
GLP was started on the belief that if you do interesting things, interesting things will happen to you. London is frankly ridiculously good for covering off all manner of unexpected entertainment. So we asked our Facebook fans for their best recommendations. Most of these are events, rather than places, but we’re ok with that. We had everything from ‘naked clubbing’ and ‘midget boxing’ to ‘supermarket car park dogging’. Stan is a fan. After much debate, here are our barely legal findings. As it’s been a little while since our last newsletter, we’ve gone and overdosed. Put the kettle on and grab yourself a Berocca.
1. Poejazzi
It’s worth saying that it was whilst at a Poejazzi night in the Volupte lounge that the idea for ‘I know this great little place’ was born. Hands down one of the best ‘spoken word’ (a.k.a. basically poetry but more urban and stuff) and music nights in London. The night we went, Shane Koyczan was truly phenomenal.
Thanks for the tip off: Stephanie Phillips.
New age fun with a vintage feel. This is cinema reborn. Not quite so secret anymore, but still awesome. Take one film that you most likely haven’t seen in some time (occasionally with good reason…), a venue that befits it, add in plenty of scene setting theatre and a several busloads of chequered shirted punters and you’ve got a recipe for a very special evening. The last incarnation had London’s young explorers tracking down Arabian robes in preparation for an enormous event at Alexandra Palace, with camels and everything. Believe.
Thanks for the tip off: Renae Marks, Fiona Grant and Harriet Fitzsimmons.
3. ‘The Room’ Screening at Prince Charles Cinema
Cinema part deux; tell us which other cinema night do you get to throw plastic cutlery at the screen to signal your disgust at how bad the film is? Tommy Wiseau’s ‘masterpiece’ The Room has been hailed as the biggest cult film since Rocky Horror. It’s a terminal case of ‘sooo bad it’s good’. Witness the birth of a cult with the weakest score, most appalling acting and ludicrously dreadful script. Plastic cutlery at the ready folks, next showing 4th Feb 2011.
Thanks for the tip off: Kate Gault.
80s power ballads. Fancy dress. Accept the shame, get in the game. Get ready for the night of your life, Meatloaf style. Do anything for love, but don’t do that. That’s illegal.
Thanks for the tip off: Emma Dodd and Chloe Harding.
5. Karauke
Karaoke with a live ukulele backing band. Find a hole in that. This stuff sells itself. They play on the 3rd Thursday in every month.
Thanks for the tip off: Claire Mileham.
Described by our fellow GLPer Ali as ‘out of this world different’. It doesn’t get much looser than The Last Tuesday Society, devoted to exploring and furthering the esoteric, literary and artistic aspects of life in London and beyond. As yet unestablished if Viktor and his crew take themselves seriously or not (went to a night where a film about art inspired by Moby Dick had two ‘artists’ with whales tales on their heads and danced in a cellar, and no-one was chuckling…) but they certainly put some amazing stuff on, especially their grand balls. The ‘Viktor Wynd Academy of Domestic Science’ can be found at 11 Mare Street in Hackney, E8 4RP, and it’s pretty special – full of taxidermy, art and other such curiosities – not least of which Viktor himself.
Thanks for the tip off: Ali Bo Bali.
I think they say it best themselves: “DJ Al is the question setter, compere and resident DJ. With 8 rounds of music questions, including rounds such as ‘Round of cheese’, ‘Feel the power ballad’, ‘The 80s were electric’, ‘Don’t give up the day job’, ‘Indie disco’, ‘Wedding reception’, ‘Office party’, ‘We’re having a BBQ’, ‘Does liking this record make me uncool?’, ‘Double helping of cheese please’ round and many more. There’ll always be prizes, including mugs, medals, champagne, CDs and more. MC Quizzical is king of the MC round. He will freestyle some choons and you’ll have to guess who or what the hell he is going on about. Sounds Familiar isn’t your usual music quiz ….. It’s not a nerd muso fest, there’s no ‘who was xmas number one in 1973′ style questions. If you don’t know the answer? Enjoy the track, have a sing song and dance round your table – or on it! We warn you now this often happens …. So get on down!”
There we have it.
Thanks for the tip off: Maria Barker.
8. Rockahula
Hula-hoop night at Bloomsbury bowling lanes. An adventure playground of consenting karaoke, bowling, jive dancing and hula hooping adults. But drunken. High tens.
Thanks for the tip off: James Burden.
Improvised comedy every Tuesday and Wednesday night at The Miller near London Bridge. These guys have played to a room of boozed up Scots at Wetherspoon’s at the Edinburgh Festival, so they’re made of solid stuff.
Thanks for the tip off: Jinni Lyons.
10. The Camden School of Enlightenment
Self-proclaimed as a ‘cabaret for the inquiring modern mind.’ It’s an evening of microlectures, poems, stories, songs and jokes from resident lecturers, special guests and floor-spot espontaneos. We’re not totally sure what that means, be we couldn’t agree more.
Thanks for the tip off: Jon Mazliah.
11. Cringe
“Cringe” is the story of teenage angst; a monthly reading series where brave and tortured souls step up to the plate and read aloud from their teenage diaries, journals, notes, post-its, letters, poems and other general representations of the crushing misery of their humiliating adolescence. As they say themselves, “It’s better and cheaper than therapy.”
Thanks for the tip off: Alison Porter.
Open mic poetry and featured performers, karaoke and bingo with an almost compulsory end of night singalong. This guy clearly rocked out pretty hard. Any website that includes the quote: ‘If you want to shout at us, degrade us and then shag us at the end of the night: please attend one of our live events.’ has something going for it, even if interface design isn’t quite its strongpoint. Failing the site, try their Facebook, here.
Thanks for the tip off: Jon Mazliah and Jeff Parks.
And here are some from our GLP back pocket…
13. Stitch London
A knitting club with a mission: to contribute woolly goodness to the world. Currently the largest knitting group in the UK, they’re out for world domination one stitch at a time. Join them before they take over.
Run by friends of GLP, the inimitable Flames & Fortune, let us introduce you to Underground Rebel Bingo. We’ll start with the rules. No old people. No boring people. No office parties. No hen parties. No stag parties. No work suits. No customer service. Dress Code? Undercover on your way there, dangerous once you’re inside. These boys know how to put on a show, and this is frankly brilliant. We won’t tell you too much, the authorities are after their dirty hardcore secret, but just go. And expect to come home covered in pen and either basking in glory or named, famed and shamed. We know it’s wrong. But it feels so right. And they can’t stop us.
Also from Flames & Fortune, this is the original and in GLP’s opinion the best. The premise is simple – a global disaster is looming large. The end is nigh. What to do? Party out the best night of your life. Send in your last requests for the song you want to hear before you die, and witness some real quality cabaret and comedy comperes. We think the picture pretty much says it all. Let the countdown to death commence.
16. Book Slam
Book Slam is a literary nightclub, which features top writers, the finest live music and a semi-professional Serbian DJ. Bookmark it up.
Live out your rap fantasies to the full. Not those ones. Every Thursday at The Social, 5 Little Portland St, W1W 7JD. We’ve linked to their Facebook as it’s a bit more up to date, but there’s an older blog here: http://www.hiphopkaraokelondon.blogspot.com/.
That’s it for this week. Go out there, be young, free and covered in marker pen. And why not give us a follow on Twitter? http://twitter.com/glpLondon. Why not indeed.
