| Venue name: | 100 Club | Contact: |
|---|---|
| Address: |
100 Oxford St London W1D 1LL |
| Transport: | Tube: Tottenham Court Rd |
| Do you own this business? |
Average User Rating
3.8 / 5
Rating Breakdown
- 5 star:0
- 4 star:4
- 3 star:1
- 2 star:0
- 1 star:0
Having been around for over 70 years, if this place could talk, wow we'd hear some stories...I can't imagine how wonderful it would have been to be there, dressed in a cocktail dress back in 1950, dancing to a little bit of swing....Nowadays it plays host to a mixture of great Northern Soul nights, swing dances, jazz and blues bands and a few contemporary events and comedy evenings.
In the heart of the shopping strip that is Oxford Street, one can easily walk by this place without knowing it's there. It's nothing particularly special. A dark basement, with rundown bathrooms and a very basic bar...but its history, the photos on the wall whispering of it's hedonistic past and the fact that it's holding on against the forceful tide of corporate chains makes its simpleness so very great. This may well be one of the last ones still standing and long may it last......
The 100 Club has an excellent size and location. It looks oddly caught between two worlds: on the one hand, authentically scruffy, with what look like burn marks on the ceiling. On the other hand, it's got some slick signage and own-venue merchandise, in an attempt to capitalise on its legacy. It's a good place to see an up-and-coming band in all their sweat-drenched glory.
Great small venue right in the middle of oxford st, it has great acts playing and a very relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. Its hard to imagine that a place like that would be located in such a touristic area, which definitely adds to its charm. The only issue is that drinks are a bit on the pricey side, but it is to be expected based on its location.
I was recently at 100 Club for a free Kelela gig courtesy of Converse Rubber tracks - it's a cool little venue shaped in a way that means it's always going to feel intimate, and you can never really be too far from the stage (capacity is only like 350 people or so). Definitely the kind of venue that'll work for some acts better than others due to that, and there's a massive pillar right in front of the stage, so you do have to make sure you avoid it if you want to see things.
It's hard not to appreciate the musical heritage of this iconic venue, the pictures are everywhere: every music legend that has ever played the stage over the last 60 years. The night I went was northern soul and the clientele clearly know how to dance northern soul. "This is my dance space. This is your dance space. I don't go into yours, you don't go into mine." This is the order of the night.
A true London institution, go and drink in the music, the history, and a couple of G&T's to boot.
