Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
mixed crowd of openminded office workers and dressed-up burlesque scenesters tak-
ing in the live shows, or dancing through the night as DJs play from inside a giant
golden birdcage. Nights change fairly regularly at the Bathhouse, so check the web-
site for listings.
8 Bishopsgate Churchyard, EC2.
&
020/7920-9207.
www.thebathhousevenue.com.
Admission £9-£45. Tube: Liverpool St.
Last Days of Decadence
Shoreditch has seen some curious trends over the past
decade, but even seasoned East Enders are surprised to wander past Last Days of
Decadence and find themselves immersed in a scene straight from the “Roaring
Twenties.” Every weekend this Art Deco-stylized bar is commandeered by legions of
flappers and dapper gents, who dance the night away to the hits of pre-Depression
America. You'll need to make an effort to fit in, but once inside you'll be sipping
Prohibition cocktails and dancing the Charleston in no time.
144-145 Shoreditch High St.,
E1.
&
020/7033-0085.
www.thelastdaysofdecadence.com. Admission from free to £10. Tube: Old St./
Train: Shoreditch High St.
The Gay & Lesbian Nightlife Scene
Admiral Duncan
A popular, fun and above all lively pub in the center of Soho, the
Admiral Duncan has long been one of London's most popular gay bars, and most
nights you'll find the pub packed with shot-downing regulars. Despite the fun within,
the Admiral Duncan also occupies a sadder place in the history of Gay London, as
the site of a bombing in 1999 that claimed the lives of three people. It's open daily
from noon.
54 Old Compton St., W1.
&
020/7437-5300.
Tube: Piccadilly Circus or Leicester Sq.
Candy Bar
This is the most popular lesbian bar-club in London at the moment.
It has an extremely mixed clientele, ranging from butch to femme, and young to old.
The design is simple, with bright colors and lots of mirrors upstairs and darker, more
flirtatious decor downstairs. It's open Monday to Thursday 5 to 11:30pm, Friday and
Saturday 5pm to 2am, and Sunday 5 to 11pm. Men are welcome as long as a woman
escorts them.
4 Carlisle St., W1.
&
020/7494-4041.
www.candybarsoho.com. Admission £5-£6.
Tube: Tottenham Court Rd.
Dalston Superstore
Cafe by day, disco bar by night, this Superstore is a
welcome addition to trendy Dalston, providing a space for gays, lesbians, and their
straight friends to party away from the mainstream scene. It's packed most nights
with a friendly, arty, and openminded crowd, and the music is much the same as at
any cutting-edge bar in this part of town, with disco, electro, and underground house
normally on the playlist.
117 Kingsland High St., E8.
&
020/7254-2273.
Train: Dalston Kingsland
or Dalston Junction.
Fire
One of the biggest gay clubs in London, Fire goes all night throughout the
weekend, from Friday night right through to Monday morning, pumping out house
and electro of various flavors to a devoted, full-on crowd. It's hot and sweaty, but not
to worry… shirts soon come off at this hedonist's playground. The contrast between
those staggering out of Fire on a Monday morning and commuters heading to work
is one of the more surreal London sights.
34-41 Parry St., SW8.
&
020/3242-0040.
www.
fireclub.co.uk. Tube: Vauxhall.
George & Dragon
A great deal of “Queer as Folk” life is shifting from Vauxhall
and Soho to increasingly fashionable Shoreditch. Its epicenter is this pub where the
late Alexander McQueen used to show up; Boy George still drops in. London's
Eve-
ning Standard
raved, “it's possibly the best pub in the world . . . ever.” It's also been
accused of “attracting flotsam,” of being “grotty,” and of looking “green and slimy.”
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