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Londoners have recently decided that booze and music is not enough for a memorable night out: cabaret has come out of the closet, burlesque is shaking its tassels all over the mainstream, and experimental theatre and performance art have discovered that they're far more appreciated when people are drunk. Here are ten of our favourite places where you'll be guaranteed a memorably eccentric night out.
 Bethnal Green Working Men's Cub 42-44 Pollard Row, E2 6NB Until 2002 this Formica-clad, 1970s-style social club was an exclusive retreat for working class EastEnders. While the interior of this one-time dance hall hasn't changed much - leatherette and laminate coverings, Formica, garish red carpets and teak panelling still abound - the door policy and entertainment programme have seriously evolved. The upstairs area is now a fun, fabulous entertainment free-for-all. A giant heart made of raunchy red lights frames a stage, lighting up the garishly-costumed audience, showing off their feather boas and corsets. From dance classes, DJs and disco to karaoke and cabaret this club has well and truly embraced its new role as a 'living canvas' and one of the most creative venues in town. There's even bingo on offer for the seriously ironic, and it's become a post-modern playground for fashionable East Londoners. Remaining honest to its working class roots, local members can still retreat to a private area downstairs, while the income generated from the public outlet allows the original club to function without threat of closure. Refreshing and raunchy. Address: 42-44 Pollard Row, E2 6NB Phone: 020 7739 2727 / 07940 575 Timing: Times vary according to event but usually Thu to Sun, 8pm to late. Nearest Station: Bethnal Green Tube Bethnal Green Working Men's Cub - Information   Bistrotheque23 - 27 Wadeson Street, E2 9DN For minimalist warehouse chic in the middle of the East End head down to this converted factory. Its whiteness, high ceiling and hanging lights (not too bright) just add to the effect, which is elegant and stylish. You'll find unpretentious classic dishes, bringing together choice influences from French and English food. The whole vibe is effortless - understated sophistication at its best. Downstairs there's an antique mahogany bar and a cabaret room, which is a great place to catch some lively acts in a style reminiscent of the old school music hall tradition. Regular shows begin every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening at 21:30 with camp musical entertainment from boys-as-girls starring Jonny Woo and The Lip Sinkers, experts in the silent art of lipsynching. Guest acts are by the likes of Lavinia - an original member of Bloolips, an international award winning gay drag theatre musical-comedy troupe. Drag queens and show queens, glad rags and hand bags; it's absurd, comical and very silly fun. Address: 23 - 27 Wadeson Street, E2 9DN Phone: 020 8983 7900 Timing: Dinner - Sun to Thu 6.30pm - 10.30pm, Fri & Sat 6.30pm - 11pm | Brunch - Sat & Sun 11am - 4pm | Bank Holidays midday - 3pm Pricing: Main course £26 - £40 Nearest Station: Bethnal Green Tube Bistrotheque - Information  CellarDoorZero Aldwych, WC2R 0HT The Victorians built their public buildings on a grand scale and they built to last, which is why this former public toilet makes a surprisingly chic and comfortable 60-seat bar. The steps down are in the middle of the street, just opposite the Lyceum Theatre. Things are pretty intimate here, but there's no sense that you're cramped, just the pleasure of being close to the stage, and on friendly terms with neighbouring tables. The cocktails are excellent, and they've found a novel way of getting round the smoking ban by selling snuff behind the bar. The decor is a seductive futuristic take on Weimar Germany, with purple neon a dominant theme. As a tribute to the venue's original purpose, they also have some decidedly... unusual toilets. A progamme of jazz, cabaret and burlesque enlivens the small stage on most evenings and the low-arched roof and chic decor create a speakeasy atmosphere that would be impossible to replicate in a more conventional space. Address: Zero Aldwych, WC2R 0HT Phone: 0207 240 8848 Open: 4pm-1am Nearest Station: Covent Garden Tube CellarDoor - Information  Comedy Cafe66 Rivington Street, EC2A3AY The cheap-and-cheerful paintwork on the exterior disgiuses a venue that has ben very carefully thought through. It's a far less slick-seeming outfit than Jongleurs or The Comedy Store, but the Comedy Cafe has a reputation as the venue most favoured by performers. It's a purpose-built venue with a laid back, intimate environment. Rafts of small tables have been crammed into a dimly lit space, with a small, unobtrusive stage for the comic. Finger food, pies and good value pints are the main items on the menu. On Wednesday nights they welcome new talent and let lucky Londoners in for free. The quality can be a little patchy so if you want guaranteed laughs aim for a Friday or Saturday. Address: 66 Rivington Street, EC2A 3AY Phone: 020 7739 5706 Timing: Wed to Thu 7pm-midnight, Fri 6pm-11pm, Sat 7pm-1am Nearest Station: Shoreditch Tube Comedy Cafe - Information  Comedy StoreHaymarket House, 1a Oxendon Street, SW1Y 4EE The Comedy Store is the spiritual home of stand-up in the UK. Despite being the best large comedy venue in the country, the Store still succeeds in creating an intimacy between comic and audience and the central London location gives it a wonderfully mixed crowd. It can also be credited with discovering a host of alternative comedians throughout the 80s: Paul Merton, Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmonson, Eddie Izzard, Steve Coogan, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Keith Allen, Clive Anderson and Ben Elton all started out in this small West End joint. Weekends are always busy so try and book tickets as far in advance as possible. The world-famous Comedy Store Players take to the stage every Sunday and Wednesday with their one-off displays of improvisation at its best, Tuesdays offer topical comedy from 'The Cutting Edge' crew, while Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays promise 'The Best in Stand-Up', and by this they mean exactly what they say: a superbly programmed night. You’re having a laugh if you don’t pop in. Address: Haymarket House, 1a Oxendon Street, SW1Y 4EE Phone: 020 7344 0234 Nearest Station: Piccadilly Circus Tube Comedy Store - Information  Institute of Contemporary Art Bar & Cafe12 Carlton House Terrace, The Mall, SW1Y 5AH The Institute of Contemporary Art on The Mall (just down the road from the Queen's pad) is a great place for a trendy drink after taking in some modern art. Oliver Peyton runs the cafe/bar so you can expect well presented quality food in the form of sharing plates. Mains are a mix of organic chicken, spaghetti with clams and good quality burgers. Come for tea and you'll get jammy dodgers to dunk in your cuppa. The ICA hosts a lively programme of frequently changing events with art exhibitions supplemented by appearances from well-known bands and DJs, book readings, film screenings and talks. Go to the bar before an event and you can take your drink in with you. On big nights arty types mingle freely for something cultural followed by a boogie with the bar staying open till 1am. Address: 12 Carlton House Terrace, The Mall, SW1Y 5AH Phone: 020 7930 3647 Timing: Cafe midday - 11pm | Bar midday - 1am (Sun & Mon until 11pm) | Lunch midday - 4pm, Dinner 4pm - 11pm (Daily) Nearest Station: Piccadily Circus Tube Institute of Contemporary Art Bar & Cafe - Information  Madame Jojo's8-10 Brewer Street, W1F 0SP This was once a sleazy Soho strip club, as the name suggests, and it really shows. Deep reds are the dominant colour, with mirrors, booths and velvet curtains creating an atmosphere of sleazy glamour. This sordid ambience makes it one of Soho's most enjoyable bars, adding a superb frisson to the many excellent early-evening comedy and cabaret events it hosts. Sundays are reliably ridiculous, with everything from burlesque to belly-dancing on offer. On Friday and Saturday nights, there's good food to accompany the early evening stage shows, then later on DJs step up for their devastatingly fashionable funk, ska and rockabilly nights, which give patrons the chance to flash their finest vintage fashion selections. Address: 8-10 Brewer Street, W1F 0SP Phone: 020 7734 3040 Nearest Station: Piccadilly Circus Tube Madame Jojo's - Information  The Pigalle Club215-217 Piccadilly, W1J 9HN Inspired by the genteel, romantic elegance of the 1940s The Pigalle Club is located in an old tearoom and cinema dating back from the same decade. Waiters in Forties suits, big bands, live crooners and celebrities are all on hand to submerge you into another world, a sophisticated joint with a hint of subterranean subterfuge. Named after Paris's red-light district, Pigalle is decorated accordingly: mirrored walls, wood-panelling and twinkling diamond lights provide the setting for an evening of food and entertainment which can range from the swinging house band, to DJs, cabaret performers, cheeky burlesque and even the occasional impromptu celebrity act. Van Morrison and Shirley Bassey have both taken to the stage here in ad-hoc performances. An excuse to dress up (the official code is smart/casual, but most guests aim to add to the ambience with vintage styles), dine out and dance away, an invitation to stay up late here is hard to refuse. Address: 215-217 Piccadilly, W1J 9HN Phone: 020 7734 8142 Timing: Mon to Wed 7pm-2am, Thu to Sat 7pm - 3am Pricing: Various. Guide Price - Free to £10 before 10pm, £15 after Nearest Station: Piccadilly Circus Tube Le Pigalle - Information  Royal Vauxhall Tavern372 Kennington Lane, SE11 5HY The Royal Vauxhall Tavern has been a gay venue since the Second World War, surviving both oppression and the great mainstreaming of gay culture that saw it lose its biggest stars (including Lily Savage) to television. It's the spiritual heart of Vauxhall's gay village, and a busy midweek program packs it out every night for bingo, comedy, music or drag acts. On weekends, queues stretch all the way round the block for Duckie, the collective who've performed their cabaret/comedy/experimental theatre show everywhere from The Barbican to New York. Straights are very welcome, but the more delicate should be aware that there is a lot of audience participation. Address: 372 Kennington Lane, SE11 5HY Phone: 020 7737 4043 Timing: Mon to Fri 7pm-midnight, Sat 9pm-2am, Sun 2pm-midnight Nearest Station: Vauxhall Tube/Rail Royal Vauxhall Tavern - Information  Shunt Vaults10 Stainer Street, SE1 9RL The madcap Shunt Theatre Company has created London's most unpredictable nightspot in the railway arches beneath London Bridge Station. Each week's entertainment is curated by a different Shunt artist. Enter via a little door on Joiner Street in the station and one night you may find yourself drinking in a perfect recreation of a 1930s pub while a play crackles through the radio, the next week wild burlesque dancers will be twisting round you to a sci-fi soundtrack. Occasionally, there's not much on at all, but the venue itself is well worth seeing, a vast and terrifying space hidden in Victorian vaults beneath the London Bridge railway terminus, with lots of rooms, corridors and eccentric art to explore. Address: 10 Stainer Street, SE1 9RL Phone: 020 7378 7776 Timing: Wed to Fri entry 6pm - 11pm, Sat 8pm - 11pm (once inside the bar is open late) Pricing: £5 Wed & Thu, £10 Fri & Sat Nearest Station: London Bridge Tube/Rail Shunt Vaults - Information |
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