Antisocial at Hoxton's Bar Music Hall
Free clubbing in London
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By Dave Swindells
Posted: Tue Oct 3 2006 -
Traditionally, post-pub partying involved forking out a fortune to get past the velvet rope into a heaving nightclub - but now dance emporia across the capital are ditching the door charge. Time Out presents your guide to the clubs that are doing it for nothing across the capital
‘Are you writing about this? You’ve got to write “rave on”, because this is crazy, people are fucked up, they’re asleep on the sofas, they’re in fancy dress, they’re dancing like fools… The theme of this party is rave. You’ve got to write “rave on”!’Okay! Okay! When three girls tell you what to write at 11pm on a Sunday night, you do it. That’ll teach me to get out a notepad in a nightclub. This was no ordinary night, though. People were ‘fucked-up’ in the messy, carefree, hell-bent-on-hedonism style of clubbers who’d already been out for 24 hours. We were in the T Bar at Fabric’s seventh birthday after-party and most of the crowd had carried on here after Fabric’s marathon birthday bash finished around noon. Feature continuesAdvertisementYou might have expected more of them to be stretched out on the low sofas or slumped in the stylish café chairs, but the brilliant techno-house mix played by Ricardo Villalobos and Craig Richards kept on firing up a crowd so they just couldn’t stop. Maybe music is the answer; certainly the stacks of Funktion One speakers standing proudly around this loft- style space make the basslines sound even deeper and a whole lot better…
This was a one-off, but it’s not unusual to hear world-class DJs playing at the T Bar and, whoever plays, every night (except New Year’s Eve) is gratis. The T Bar hosts nights where labels like Haywire and Freak’n’Chic showcase their artists, nights like Andrew Weatherall and Ivan Smagghe’s rockabilly-to-techno monthly, Wrong Meeting, the packed Monday monthly Stink where Crosstown Rebel’s Damian Lazarus spins alongside Michael Mayer of Kompakt Records, all to punters who can’t quite believe their luck. And they’ve got some great weekly clubs, too.
The T Bar has blazed a trail for price-less nightlife and other bigger venues, like Bar Music Hall in Curtain Road and the new Big Chill House in Kings Cross, are doing likewise. Of course, DJ bars have delivered free partying for years, but these venues are operating on a larger scale, yet their standards remain consistently high.
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10 comments
The problem with this is that most clubs demand money from their event organizers in order to host the night. If a club's interest goes from an upfront sum of money to a great taking on the bar, then small, alternative nights will never be able to grow organically.
You should pay, but you should widen your search a little. There are loads of underground club nights that are worth the money.
At the end of the day money talks, and if you go somewhere free they'll squeeze it out of you through other means. Let's face it, a huge club like T-Bar or the Big Chill house has no interest in being charitable. Pay a flat fee and go to an interesting night, you cheapskates! At least then you'll know where your money's going.
every night of the week they need to change the set or have guest djs as the music gets predictable
every night of the week they need to change the set or have guest djs as the music gets
sundayMusiq @ russianBar - every sunday - midday - midnight
free sundayJoint with good music. from jazz to techno. just everything what we like...
sundayMusiq @ russian bar
267 kingsland road London E2 8AS
myspace.com/sundaymusiq
or find us on facebook as sundayMusiq
enjoy yourSelf with the music...
Horny Boogie will be rocking out at the Moustache Bar in Dalston on Friday 21st November. Residents Free Disco (Rong Music / Electric Minds), Bedroom Bounce and Nudymann will be joined by self-professed maker of Music for Freaks Johnny Rock. Expect nothing less than the finest 70s + 80's boogie, oriental funk, exotic rock, porn classics and space dub...ENTRY IS FREE!!!, sporting a lip rat will be favourably looked upon, and dancing like a loon even more so.
Cafe 1001 do free clubbing all week every week.
THURS: Minimal Tech/House 7pm-Midnight
FRI: Drum n Bass 7pm-Midnight
SAT: Electro Tech/House 7pm-Midnight
SUN: Minimal Tech Midday-Midnight!
BLOW - Free clubbin' @ Rush. The last sunday of every month. Next BLOW is 25/11/07!
Blow is a monthly tea dance held at Soho's Rush Bar. DJ's Include Faye Lanson (Barcode, Gaydar Radio, WISH), DJ Lewis (Barcode), Lil Nat (F-Rated) and Special Guests. Blow - is a free, fun nite that you can chill out from your hectic weekend or something to get you started for Sunday nite clubbin'.
The music is a Mish Mash of Funky, Progressive, Tech House with a lil sprinkling of Trance & Techno! which will have you dancin' all nite long!
DJ's:-
6pm - 7pm - Lil Nat - (Tech/Funky Techno)
7pm - 9pm - DJ Lewis - (Tech/Progressive/Funky House)
9pm - 11pm - Faye Lanson (Progressive/Funky/Trance)
FREE ENTRY!
Rush : 25th Frith Street, Soho, London, W1D 5LB
Nearest Tube - Tottenham Court Road/Leicester Square
DRINKS OFFERS TILL 9PM
In To Reggae ?
One Love Free Night Tonight Thursday 10th June and every Thursday at the
Telegraph Brixton.
Great vibes.. Great music..
10pm - 2.30am
Free Clubbing tonight @ Tabernacle Bar Shoreditch, breaks electro house and whatever else we fancy with Deekline, Unique3 and more. Free Entry, open to 1am.
FREE CLUBBING IN LONDON!!!
Thursday 10th May 2007 Filthy Few LIVE! & Transparent Magazine w/ THE REAL HEAT; FLORENCE & THE MACHINE; BURMESE DAYS
Plus DJ support from QUEENS OF NOIZE; FIRAS & CHRISTIAN K + FUN BONGO.
@ Bar Music Hall, Curtain Rd East London
Filthy Few Podcast No.15 out now; itunes or
www.myspace.com/filthyfewuk