An Alien's Guide to London Clubbing

An Alien's Guide to London Clubbing

25 June, 2010
by: Skye

Being foreign in London whilst trying to find your quintessential clubbing, is quite like searching for Starbucks in the Sahara Desert. To aid you in your partying polava, Skye Corewijn shares a few tips.

Genres, like you, tend to have preferences in where they enjoy hanging out. Just like Mr Jones likes kicking back at the local pub, our friend, Mr Techno, quite enjoys living it up at Public Life. If one is a veteran Londoner, knowing where to find Mr Techno is like knowing how you take your tea. Unfortunately, if you're new to the city , you're excluded from this particular know-how. After arriving on these greyish shores, I spent the first month clueless, roaming the streets with a large question mark stuck to my forehead. And so, dear foreigners, Antipodeans and travellers, here are a few ideas to aid you in your search and prevent that ugly question mark from placing itself on your forehead.

Reggae, Dancehall, Trance

If reggae and dancehall get your feet quickly tapping, its brightly coloured flag is likely to be flying high at Vibe Bar in the ever trendy Brick Lane, Big Chill Bar or over in Camden. Camden leads you to the ever natural selection at inSpiral Lounge and regular ragga events at Lockside Lounge. Speaking of inSpiral Lounge, this vegan-friendly joint often hosts electronica and trance shindigs. Joining them on the trance train is Club 414, where hard trance and hard house dominate the little venue alongside a great atmosphere. Ministry of Sound also puts out the psychedelic every now and then.

Drum and Bass, Dubstep

Drum and bass and dubstep are rather popular in London and relatively easy to find. Check out Rhythm Factory for the big beats or try Gramaphone. Head to Shoreditch for Plastic People (re-opening mid July), East Village or Fabric, each of which is a definite must when in London. They throw some seriously smashing dubstep and d'n'b events, usually on the underground side of things, and can often cross over into deep house and techno.

Techno/Minimal

If you're a techno and minimal junkie, well, alongside the infamous clubs just mentioned, there's also a small ex-Victorian lavatory that may interest you: Public Life. It's easy to miss so be sure to look out for the perspex box on a seemingly arbitrary stretch of pavement near Liverpool Street. CAMP is worth a shot and naturally there's also Egg in the heart of King's Cross. They serve up cutting edge and classy minimal, techno, house and even boast an indoor “outdoor” terrace. Cable's Victorian archways also play host to a pot of techno, dubstep and drum 'n' bass.

Latin, Pop, Electro, Indie

Longing for Latin and Brazilian flavoured house? Favela Chic, Guanabara and Camino give rather generous lashings of the stuff. On the other hand, if all you desire is to sing along to classics and radio pop, Punk complies. Roxy follows suit, usually crammed with students and a cheese-laden DJ. Electro and indie fans should try Mother Bar, The Old Queen's Head or Queen of Hoxton, all found in a similar vicinity. Brixton's Jamm DJs also lean toward the indie side of the spectrum. If you've never heard of electro swing, educate yourself; DJs spin seriously hopping sets at The Book Club. For those of you who spit in the face of pop, and long to find a hole where you and your friends can head bang and look cross, there's always Underworld or the Fox and Firkin.

Hip Hop, RnB, Disco, House

Hip hop and RnB infused house and electronica generally reside in places like The Old Queen's Head and The White House. RnB tainted events also enjoy the Jazz Cafe, The Driver and LVPO which you'll find tucked away in Soho. Soul brothers and sisters can make their way to Big Chill Bar and Vibe Bar. After a successful resurgence, disco and funk are also easily found. Quality disco evenings boast strictly vinyl policies for authentic and retro treats. Queen of Hoxton, Horse and Groom and East Village are a good bet, each nestled amidst many a popular club in Shoreditch. The Hoxton Pony as well as the delightful Ginglik in Shepherd's Bush also host regular disco gatherings.

So there you have it. As you get to know the scene better, you'll realise it's the promoters and labels you need to look out for. They hug their genre with total determination and make use of numerous clubs and spaces, but new nights are always popping up or closing down so some are more difficult to keep track of than others. Knowledge is power – and more often than not guarantees an enjoyable night out; there could be nothing worse than ending up in some goth-fest when all you wanted was a little Lady Gaga.

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Skye