ShoreditchGayBoy

Going East? See ya there? A list of Gay Bars \ Clubs in the East

Some of my favourite haunts in and around Shoreditch / Hoxton.

The Black Horse, 168 Mile End Road, E1. Tel: 020 7790 1684. Mile End tube. Mon-Thurs 8pm-1am, Fri-Sat 8pm-3am, Sun 8pm-1am. Recently refurbished, this cavernous late night bar packs them in, offering disco and top drag cabaret. Perfect if you’re hankering after a late night drink as it’s open ‘til 3am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Bistrotheque, 23-27 Wadeson St, E2. Tel: 020 8983 7900. Bethnal Green tube. Cabaret start times vary. Great restaurant, fabulous bar and brilliant cabaret space that has become home to some of London's most interesting acts such as Jonny Woo, Tranny Lip Synching, Bear Beauty Contests and Spanky's amazing shows.

Charlie’s Bar, 124 Globe Road, E1. Tel: 020 7790 1007. Whitechapel tube. Recently refurbished Moroccan style, the bar offers food, a huge range of drinks and has a cocktail list to die for. From funky house to Greek and Turkish nights.

George & Dragon, 2-4 Hackney Road, E2. Liverpool or Old Street tube. Wicked gay friendly pub run by Warhol-esque Richardette, features Nelly's Top Forty Countdowns, trashy music, funny clothes and asymmetrical hair-do's. Rammed to the rafters, especially on Sunday!

The Joiners Arms, 116 Hackney Road, E2. Tel: 020 7739 9854. Hoxton's answer to San Francisco’s mad mash-up club, ‘The End Up’… says it all!

Red Lion, 41 Hoxton St, N1. Tel: 020 7729 6930. Old Street tube. Great little pub, attracting a mixed crowd, brimming with characters, a bubbly atmosphere, nice staff and good music - also roof terrace with Jacuzzi sporadically open. Plus, a Thai restaurant, too!

Royal Oak, 73 Columbia Rd. E2. Tel: 020 7739 8204. Liverpool Street tube. Mon-Sat 1pm-11.30pm, Sun 8am-10.30pm. Always plenty of queers here especially on a Sunday - getting sloshed the day after the night before.

The White Swan, 556 Commercial Road, E1. Tel: 020 7780 9870. Limehouse DLR. Mon 9pm-1am Tue-Thu 9pm-2am, Fri-Sat 9pm-3am, Sun 5.30pm-midnight. A legend in its own lifetime. Huge venue, steeped in history. From the alternative Windypops to the infamous Amateur Strip Contest to the Sunday Tea Dance with camp cabaret for good measure. A night out at BJ’s White Swan is always great night out.

ShoreditchGayBoy Goes West, Drag Stylie.

This weekend my friend decided to hold his b'day bash at the Haymarket Hotel. Whilst clearly one struggles with the idea of going West for a night out, one must abide by his mates b'day wishes.

Whilst the venue is pretty damm amazing, the service is a total disgrace. Taking over an hour to actually get served over priced drinks! 4 cocktail's for 46.00 sheets is a bit of a f@@king liberty in my mind! Also the 12.5% service charge is rather cheeky.

Entertainment wise, it lives up to it's reputation. All five members of the team jump into an energetic comedy dance routine: they ballroom dance, jump kick, spin on the floor and lift each other up with comedic timing and showmanship as the music medley mixes into Eighties tune On The Radio and then into Copacabana!

Highlight of the evenings. Watching the fatty of the outfit fall over in his high heels! Secondly, was when a very fit girl decided to take a plunge in the pool! Topless! Her rack was super duper... If only I was a breeder, I would have offered her a towel! Sadly she was told to get out, not before giving the security staff a good soaking! I imagine somebody jumps in every Friday night!

All in all, a top venue and well worth a visit, (Every Friday evening, and get there early). Cocktails at £10.50 a time... Even for the pink pound are excessive in my mind.. Me thinks you would be a wise man / women to take your own hip flask.

Check out www.globegirls.co.uk  for further information.

West is Dead, East is Best. But Deeper East is Better

Those in the know, stamp their feet in the East. But of late, the real parties are kicking off deep in Hackney.

Top marks goes to Club Night Bloodbath, a monthly night held in a basement in lovely Dalston.

The intimate underbelly of a friendly Jamaican restaurant, Passion (251 Amhurst Rd, N16 7UN) features the monthly Disco Bloodbath until 6am. On Saturday ace DJ Touché heads up their Hollywood horror-themed night, Living In A Disco.

Check out their website for the latest n greatest. http://www.myspace.com/discobloodbathdisco

Also worth a mention are:-

Dalston basement club Bardens Boudoir (36 Stoke Newington Rd, N16 7XJ) is already established with a wealth of ace nights like the fortnightly Club Motherfucker to choose from, but daring promoters are taking lesser-known dives hostage, too. You can’t miss the neon-signposted Pier One Nightspot (93 Kingsland Rd, E8 2PB) which gets properly freaky on Wednesday 31 (the dress code is Tron Trash vs Hammer Horror) to electro house whoppers at Ultra Violent Gets Ultra Violet.

For impromptu parties, the Kingsland Road area is a hotspot; keep your ears peeled for happenings around Ridley Road Market. Above the shops in the old shopping centre is the Max Wigram Gallery Temporary Exhibition Space (not to be confused with their premises on New Bond Street) that’s used for art shows and after-parties. Another exhibition space-cum-party place resides on Shacklewell Lane.

Fancy throwing your own law-jumping shindig? Investigate the council blocks on Cambridge Heath Road. (Anbody know how you can contact the owners?!). Apparently you can rent the scummy 250-capacity penthouse of one of them and hire bouncers to guard the back-door lift, where you’ll need a password to get in. Fewer risks await at sophisticated Broadway Market pubs the Cat & Mutton and The Dove, which are relaxed spots to sup at. Or make for the Jazz Bar (4 Bradbury Street, N16 8JN) for vintage vinyl and £4 cocktails. Its never-ending smoking area, outdoor table service and 3am licence make it a hip magnet. Venture past this cosy joint however, and there are open-all-hours speakeasy-style spaces where you can smoke indoors.

There are more kicks over in Hackney Wick. Blaise Belleville, the 22-year-old behind All Ages Concerts, throws the crunk ’n’ bass danceathon Joyride at the Whitepost Lane Warehouse (formerly the Lord Napier pub) and the African Centre (286-290 Cambridge Heath Rd, E2 9DA). For a bargain £3 you can get down to local legends Faggatronix, Ronojoy, Skull Juice and Prancehall. Check myspace.com/joyridelondon for their next party.

Would love to know if you have been to any other club nights in and around Hackney / Shoreditch, espically gay nights. As much as I love the breeders, ya can't beat a gayboy night out ;)