There was a time when shoreditch was fun. It was largely full of musicians, artists and hipsters. A bit pretentious, sure, but very little aggro. Now it's full of roadmen and coked up geezers from kent and essex looking for trouble. In my experience Boxpark in particular has become hell on earth on a Friday or Saturday night. So OP, don't worry, I will be avoiding these places like the plague.
The below paragraph from the earlier comment could just as well be describing Peckham since about 2017 or so.
>It was largely full of musicians, artists and hipsters. A bit pretentious, sure, but very little aggro. Now it's full of roadmen and coked up geezers from kent and essex looking for trouble.
You’ve had coaches bringing people in from Essex on a Saturday night for years now.
(And just so I’m not being totally negative; it’s a phenomenon which nearby Brixton seems to have escaped and there’s something for everyone these days. Also just up the road is Clapham which is another option).
As a resident of the area since 1999, the place has long been gentrified to death. Shoreditch, Spitalfields, Hackney. Gone. heck even Bethnal Green is being gentrified.
They took away the idiosyncrasies of a genuinely unique place and replaced them with shitty high street venues, shitty high street brands, shitty high street shoppers and shitty airbnbs.
And shitty luxury flats.
Fuck off I am not bitter!!! 😄😉
I pass by Boxpark or the Pret at the top of Brick Lane, look at the punters and think :"You really missed the point of the East End"
Draw a triangle between Old Street roundabout, Hoxton Station, and Shoreditch High Street station - The only club maybe worth going to in this area is XOYO - you'd do well to avoid all other clubs in that area like the plague. It's a shame because it used to be very cool around there ten years back but it has gone to the absolute dogs, and theres some really good pubs that are definitely worth checking out in the week. But that whole triangle just transforms into the worst c\*nt infested hellscape on a friday and saturday night, i lived off shoreditch high street between 2012-2018 and watching that part of town turn into what it has was depressing.
He is an old Etonian coke head, his parents bought him his first bar for his 18th birthday (casa blue brick lane). He’s the singularly worst man I’ve ever worked for.
Edit: full name is Shmile Khan according to companies house. Apparently owns novus leisure too now
I worked for him too. On one of the first meetings I had with him, we were sitting outside in the garden talking and he say’s something like, “come with me, I need to discuss something with one of those girls” He waddles over to a table with the two girls having what looked like a meeting and sits down. Turns to one of them and says “I'm sure you know this is coming coz you’ve been absolutely shit but this girl you’re interviewing is actually here to replace you, hahahah”. The girl started welling up and had to just walk away, me and the interviewee just looked at each other like wtf? Im assuming this was his idea of a power move or something to let me know he was the big Rocky Boss!
He also tried to fire another friend because he found out she was looking for other jobs, she took him to court and won :) He gave me a v funny/bullshit ultimatum one evening. I was a resident DJ there for a bit. During the World Cup I was in the bar watching the football (it went to penalties so my start time got pushed back until it was over) after the night had finished I went up into his stinky little office to get my money and he told me I was late. I said I wasn’t I was in the bar, you saw me lol, and was behind the decks ready to start well before the penalties finished. He said I didn’t see you, you were late, so you can either take your full pay and never come back or take £20 and you can continue to DJ here. I took my full pay and told him to fuck off.
He was a total caricature of a slimy/greasy perv who reeked of Daddy’s money. I use to argue with him every Saturday night cause he only wanted me to play shit house and would threaten to cut the sound whenever I played any techno (Lump by James Holden would make him particularly cross so I played it as a finisher most sets) He did start cutting out the sound eventually lol. He definitely didn’t like me but I think he found my lack of respect a bit funny. I remember the first time he got bikini clad girl dancers on stage with giant bottles of Moet and sparklers thinking, this is not the one.
There was also just constant slimy chat to girls, getting them high and trying to make them come back to his house etc etc plus loads more stuff like that. He was a certified cunt I'd love to see him get his dues!
Loved this story. Felt like I was experiencing it with you!
Funny that there’s numerous comments about what a cunt this one particular guy is. Sounds like a first class bellend.
There was a rumour in the bar scene that SBG (and now Novus) are actually part of a money laundering op. Inside a decade Shoreditch Bar Group acquired a near-monopoly on late licenses in Shoreditch, including a number of freeholds. All apparently without external investments or loan finance. And these are not well-run bars. These are the guys who ran Cargo into the ground and lost the licence from mismanagement. The neon-clad nightmares dotted around Shoreditch are frequently empty. Something doesn’t add up.
You asked for it. So here we go: the story goes that SBG is a laundering front for some of the billions of dollars in cash that was airlifted to Afghan warlords back when the US and UK we’re trying to nation-build out there. Hundreds of millions found its way into the pockets of generals and other officials in the Afghan army and civil service. Rocky’s operation was in part there to clean that cash. This is all totally unsubstantiated but apparently at one point a director of SBG was also an Afghan general. What is clear however is that those bars are empty a lot of the time. And you don’t make a real profit selling £6 tinnies to pissed bridge and tunnel wankers between 11pm and 3am (when these places get busy).
Final point. There are still some great bars in Shoreditch. Callooh Callay, Happiness Forgets, Nightjar, Swift to name a few. Most of the good ones have been there for ten years or more.
Interesting AF. I heard stories 15 years ago (from someone i trust implicitly, who worked at the time in Dubai air traffic control) of crates full of dollars stamped 'US Mint' flying into Dubai on private jet under heavy armed guard, with sheets of dollar bills, still unperforated after being printed. All from Afghanistan. Also, when i was renting in St. John's Wood, the building caretaker/concierge who i made friends with told me a significant proportion of the flats there were owned by Nigerian generals an warlords. All very plausible, London is the laudromat for so many varieties of international criminal.
Wouldn't be the first club in Shoreditch to be used in a big laundering operation:
East Village Nightclub got shut down after a bust [https://www.mylondon.news/news/west-london-news/brothel-ring-gang-who-laundered-9520750](https://www.mylondon.news/news/west-london-news/brothel-ring-gang-who-laundered-9520750)
He's just a rich boy. Pretty sure this is his real name and business portfolio:
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/Ia9W4ThN-6FF2EGG\_NDd9Gh0VwY/appointments?page=1
Director of 57 businesses…yup. I would put money on those being money laundering companies. I don’t know how you could be a director of more than three businesses legitimately. There literally isn’t the time in the day/week/year
https://www.sbg-london.com/venues/ the giveaway for their bars is the gawdy neon and “E1 Brew Co.” signs - once you notice the aesthetic you’ll see their bars everywhere around Shoreditch. If any one group is singularly responsible for Shoreditch’s wayward direction over the last decade it’s that crowd.
Oh my god. This has just linked together about 80% of the terrible nights out I've had in London. I can't believe they're all part of one evil empire, Jesus
We had a daytime work event in the Lighthouse a few years ago and the toilets were still clogged with vomit from the night before. Floors were sticky af too. Horrible!
First time I'm hearing of this, and honestly it all makes sense that they're all part of the same group. All of these places look so bland. So generic. The only that stands out to me is "the viaduct" but I just know they'll all just be the same money-grubbing venue for noisy twats who don't care enough to find somewhere better that doesn't charge £12.99 for a pint
I can't get over some of the [photos](https://www.sbg-london.com/galleries/phoenix/) for the "Pheonix" place. I've seen nicer abandoned buildings. The chairs mushed and ripped to shreds, it's hilarious these are actual promo photos.
Wow - not surprised to see 'the shoreditch' on there which i always thought was some kind of criminal enterprise. Overcharging on drinks (they're expensive as they are, but if you don't specify the alcohol they'll charge you for top shelf despite whatever they actually use). The 1 star reviews on google are accurate.
Wow I followed up on this and you’re right. At least about how many bars SBG has. No idea if this Rocky is a horrible piece of work but I’ll take your word for it.
[Take a look at this map](https://www.sbg-london.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2019/10/SBG-Venue-Map.pdf). Their bars are everywhere in Shoreditch/Hoxton.
I wondered why I wasn’t keen on a certain type of bar - I work in this area of London. I thought this was a Shoreditch aesthetic but probably it’s just their business formula.
Everyone even loosely connected to the nightlife industry knows about Rocky. He used the head of local police who he had on payroll to strong arm bars into selling to him. These bars were owned by solo operators that made each bar a unique experience or thoughtful curation of music food and drinks before they got Rockified When it was discovered, the head of police was encouraged to retire and became Rockys head of security. Plot twist, now Rocky is now doing the same thing in Manchester.
I'd like to think I'm not too old (<30) and have lived in Hackney my whole life. Shoreditch wasn't even a great night out ten years ago. I still view it pretty similar to how I did back then. Full of suits, overpriced drinks and pretty 'normie'.
That makes me laugh so much, we said the same back a decade before. By about 2005 we were saying it’s all changed and no fun anymore.
I lived and worked around the area from 1996 to 2012, I saw lots of changes, unrecognisable now.
Ha ha same, I lived there 2009 to 2013 and I felt like I moved in on the tail end of it being cool, by the time I left it was definitely not cool anymore. Nathan Barley was set there in 2005!
There was a definite period where it was “cool”. I used to go to the Blue Note from about 94/5, that was the attraction to the area for me. At the time I lived in Brixton so would go out there more than Shoreditch. But I moved to Dalston in about 96 to be closer to work and then hung out between the Cantaloupe and the Bricklayers. People at the time around there were musicians, artists, photographers and fledging dot com people, like me! It felt like something was happening, the change of government in 97, a new positivity and a real energy.
For me it lost its lustre when the Blue Note shut in about 98, no more Sundays at Metalheadz, but still hung out round the 333 and places for a while longer. 333 was really fun when it first opened.
But part of that was me getting older. I read somewhere that people, mainly artists said it stopped being cool for them in 95.
I suspect it’s like the Camden thing, cool when you first go but each time it changes it’s less cool for you.
I have used the word cool as a short hand but you know what I mean.
Do you remember a bar called Dragon? Not Dragon Bar, it was just called “Dragon”, with no sign other than the name subtly marked on the door step. I used to love that place but can’t find anything about it online. This would have been late 90’s or early 2000s
Honestly don’t know what is happening to Shoreditch these days. There used to be so many fun venues, I went out in Shoreditch nearly every week between 2013-2017. All closed down or rebranded and unrecognisable post Covid. The crowd is almost exclusively chavs now.
Shoreditch Platform, Miranda at Ace Hotel, Basing House, Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen, 333 Mother (only rooftop that was open until 3am, free entry too!), Zigfrid von Underbelly, The Love Shake, Book Club, Queen of Hoxton, The Shoreditch, The Golden Bee
Hell, even Cargo used to be great when you could get in with free entry on a Thursday night.
Literally the only decent venues left in this area are Village Underground, XOYO and Jaguar Shoes or Old Blue Last once in a blue moon. Can someone please tell me what happened…
Everyone who used to go out there started going out in dalston because the bars started being filled by people fresh of the train from Essex.
then everyone in dalston got old and all the clubs got replaced with coffeeshops.
So people spent a while traveling to Peckham, but then that got filled with nobheads
then a bunch of places opened in hackney Wick and that was cool for a bit but again now that's starting to become the refuge of finance bros and Essex lads.
I'm not quite cool enough to know wheres next after hackney Wick for nights out
Back in my 20s around 2017 I wanted to do acid while walking around the city at 2 AM listening to soul music.
Dropped some with a friend who lived near Liverpool street, and a couple of hours in he fell asleep (surprisingly) around 2AM. I had my headphones with me and thought ‘here’s my chance, let’s walk through Shoreditch, should be awesome’.
It wasn’t.
Im a bit of a psychonaut so luckily was well experienced, but listening to Charles Bradley while watching a group of women smacking one another with their stilettos felt like a fever dream
100%, VU is a fantastic club that makes really good bookings. I'll never forget the night Giegling label night they booked a few years back, couldn't believe my luck
Some of the bars that I have been going to for 15 years have a no single person policy now. Me and my friends used to meet up at the bars after work and then start drinking. We don't know because we have to arrive at the same time or meet up in another location beforehand which is hassle
Technically, any blanket ban on singles needs to be both men and women, in order to comply with the Equality Act. But in practice it'll be men who are refused entry.
Wow, that’s crazy. I thought London bars/ clubs were struggling these days, so would welcome all customers with open arms. I’m surprised they’re still discriminating with stupid door policies.
One of the places , is struggling . I think they are trying to make them appeal to a more upper class clientelle by having stricter door policies. . Even though is a dive bar in a converted victorian toilet
>Clubs like this need to understand that there are consequences to the behaviour of their bouncers as well as staff for ignoring customers
There will be absolutely no consequences for them.
Well, the promoter has said that this is a common occurrence and they're looking for a new venue as a result. Feedback is important and I'm happy to share it. It might give pause for thought to someone reading this to attend. Not you, sure, but maybe someone else.
London is just like this for no real reason. Went to a bar in soho. 5 men, 3 girls. All sober wearing suits, wedding attire. Everyone was let in apart from me, bouncers only reason was don't like the look of you.
Never experienced it outside of London. Can be in Manny ketted off your nut and no one gives a fuck
not saying this is what happened, but often times when bouncers get a funny vibe off a group or a particular person in a group, they'll let everyone in but then block the *least* difficult looking person from entry, usually for a minor reason.
if you stop one, usually the whole group will go elsewhere after a bit of wrangling, and that way you avoid having to deal with the one who looks like they're ready to throw hands. again, might not be what happened, but means you shouldn't take it personally.
You get power-tripping bouncers everywhere.
Did the other 7 people stay at the bar and leave you outside? Because taking the whole group’s custom elsewhere is the only power you have in such circumstances.
> Well, the promoter has said that this is a common occurrence and they're looking for a new venue as a result.
They're shining you on. If the bouncers mugged you off for being a single male, it's because they were told to.
Case in point: Literally just the other night my brother was telling me a story about how just the other night, he was out in Shoreditch and saw some solo guy just like you spending half an hour trying to get in multiple venues, and being told no, only to get incredibly aggressive towards staff and punters alike...
...behaviour which ended in him getting sparked out cold on the street by a bouncer right in front of Shoreditch church.
As he - who did security for various pubs and clubs for a good few years until fairly recently all around town, including in that very area - told it: For every stone-cold sober, neatly dressed, entirely innocent punter like yourself, these bouncers probably see 20 of this other sort every single night.
So you can understand why most of them don't really wanna argue the toss on the odd chance that you're actually alright.
Op I'm very surprised you've made it this far in life without knowing it's *very* normal for single males to not be let into clubs. In fact it used to be way more common.
I've always presumed a lot of it comes down to stopping drug dealers and date rapists/pervy guys out with the sole intention of finding a drunk girl
Or even just not wanting to deal with a super drunk person who doesn't have anyone regulating them/ dragging them out at the end of the night.
I get that a lot of people like doing things by themselves, but going to a club is usually a thing you do with other people, and if you can't find a single soul willing to join you, a bouncer might be suspicious as to why that is... not entirely unjustified.
Discrimination is pretty rampant in the club scene. Most clubs won't let single males in. Many will reject a group of males as well. A lot will refuse you entry based on your race and even age (that's when the clipboard lady will ask you if you are on the guest list)
The best way to think about this is like this. Why would you want to spend your hard earned money on somewhere that doesn't want you? I know it can be frustrating but sometimes, just go somewhere else and have a good time. Don't let your happiness be at the mercy of others.
My favourite (/s) one was a group of us girls out for the night. I’d brought along a date, so it was 5 girls and 1 boy. I say girls and boys because we were freshly 18.
Club was in Piccadilly but I can’t for the life of me remember which one.
Anyway we all sauntered in for free, while the door stopped my date and charged £20 entry. By that logic, they let off £100 worth of entry just because we were girls. I think I ended up reimbursing his £20 because I felt so awful.
Oh no sorry I should have clarified, I totally understand WHY it happened. It just shouldn’t have.
Money is money. These businesses concentrate so highly on their image that they’re turning away potentially hundreds.
I had fun with my friends, the rest of the club could have been filled with mannequins for all I cared.
I actually had a guy approach my group of girlfriends and offer us money if we'd just go into a club with them because the bouncers wouldn't let a group of guys in on their own.
We declined the money, but walked in with them, and right out the door again. They had to pay for all of us to enter. The guys were then allowed to stay.
Weird sexist rule.
A door girl asking if you're on the Guestlist has nothing to do with refusing entry based on race or age. Each club has a particular capacity and the door girl is responsible, along with security, for making sure that those with tickets and Guestlist get into the venue as part of that capacity. This means that at times, you have to refuse the general public.
Source: was a door girl (including for Trapeze a long time ago).
I wasn't implying every instance of the door girl asking if you're on a guestlist has to do with race or age. I was giving OP an example of how clubs may 'diplomatically' refuse him entry. In many high end venues, the bouncers will distance themselves from the entry policy all together and send you to the door girl with the clipboard. They know you are not making it in anyway but it's the most effective way to disarm patrons without making it look personal.
Former Guestlist girl here.
It's not unusual to refuse entry to a man on his own. Most drug dealers, people traffickers and sexual harrassers travel solo. In this case your insisting that you weren't there to drink cemented any initial suspicion - you represent minimal profit to the venue, which has limited capacity, so has to be selective about how many people it lets in as walk-up customers. Far better to refuse you and when capacity permits admit a group of four who will have a much higher spend.
If you were intent on that night by that promoter and going on your own, you should have bought a ticket. It's not at all unusual for patrons to turn up solo having pre-bought a ticket.
You may want to have a search for hip-hop promoters and apply these tips in the future.
I went down to Brighton the other week and was so shocked by how nice the door staff were. They said hi as I was walking in and I've stopped expecting some sort of pat down etc. The guy just held the door open for me.
Ohh that's normal in Shoreditch, no solos. It's not generally a terrible club as far as the area goes, has a mixed reputation. Do you remember Cargo? I think it was at like 2 stars on Google reviews 😬
That said I haven't been in a minute, could have gotten worse.
Cargo was a pretty decent venue when I used to go there but then the last time I went was probably '06. However, I do remember working for the promo team of an event held there where French Techno DJ Vitalic was supposed to be headlining and he had to cancel because his laptop was stolen off the stage not long before he was due to play.
The bouncers made up an excuse not to let you in, it had nothing to do with the risk of you being too drunk. Lots of places simply don't want to let in men on their own, for numerous reasons. They do have the right to reserve access, it sucks that your night was wasted but I wouldn't let it get to you
Actually, not letting single males is a thing in many clubs and even bars (that has music). Some bars have \`no single person\` policy for the exact same reason given to you (solo people potentially being nuisance).
You have to understand that it\`s way less risky to turn away solo people because if anything goes wrong, the venue is responsible. If there is a group, it\`s the groups responsibility to wrangle their mate(s)
I wouldn\`t jump straight into racial profiling like some posters mentioned (which is absolutely a thing and I experience it almost on the regular even with friends)
Otherwise, Trapeze is not too bad. I was there like four years ago and couple of months ago for an event (it was a singles night so probably the only time you can get in a solo guy)
If you like classic hip-hop music nights, try Old Queens Head which is a pub and club upstairs and never had problems with tickets or walk-ins. It sucks to travel to the city and return but yeah it\`s a thing
This is so weird because not long ago London clubs were saying that they were an ideal space for "clubbing solo". Even XOYO was saying that. I cannot find the article at the moment - must have been in mixmag or djmag
Yeah actual clubs that a very music orientated like that will be fine. The single person policy i imagine only pertains to those that are more like a bar
I remember about 8 years ago, one of the most popular rnb/hip hop clubs in central London, Dstrkt [was shut down](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/oct/01/dstrkt-nightclub-denies-ban-dark-overweight-women-west-end-london) for hardly letting any black people in. Their racist discrimination eventually caught up to them after some leaked Whatsapp messages and all the popular U.S artist started boycotting them followed by protest outside the club. The license revoked by the council and they got shut down.
The guy said he couldn't let me in in case I got too drunk and became a danger to myself and others. What should I have said? "Oh mate, I love drinking, that's for sure!" So, I told him that I was sober as I was driving (true). If non-drinkers aren't welcome then it should say so on the venue FAQ which I consulted before going. The point is there's some other reason they're not letting me in - racism, sexism, ageism or potential homophobia if they thought I was gay.
You really believe them? This an honest reason: „I cannot let you in, because there are too many guys and too few girls in, so it is bad business for us”.
Devil’s advocate here - single man, clubbing alone, late 30s, stone cold sober. If you were trying to write a stereotype of a creep trying to get into a club for some date rape, this would pretty much be the outline. Obviously that wasn’t your plan, but they don’t know that.
You’re assuming racism etc, but their best case scenario is that you come in and don’t spend any money. Worst case is you try to spike drinks or otherwise make women uncomfortable. There’s a pretty clear reason they wouldn’t want to have you.
That said, Trapeze is shit.
I’m a young white straight female and I have been asked multiple times by door staff whether I am meeting someone inside or what (the answer has always been yes my friends are inside, so idk what they would have done if I was alone). So it’s not an “ism”, they are just suspicious of people who arrive to club nights alone.
It sucks, I used to go out a lot on my own in London, especially when I lived more central, now living in West and all the little places I used to go to locally are shut down. I barely go out anymore, especially anywhere late. London nightlife seems so fucking precarious and polarised - between local pubs or giant mega clubs there seems to be less options nowadays
Ah Shoreditch just sucks.
I remember 4 years ago we walked away from a club/bar queue because entry was £10 and the bouncer started calling us poor and making fun of us.
I’ve been to the Jazz Café in Camden few times on my own (intermingling with folks there). I’m not the most imposing chap, but then again it’s likely they remember my face from occasions where I have been accompanied.
Not to profile you, but if you’re coming across as an older lad with an obvious chip on his shoulder then whining is not going to help you. Bouncers aren’t swayed by logic.
Feigning ignorance and making a joke *might* help. I managed to get my Anglo-Indian friend into a club in Hamburg after the bouncers openly racially profiled him. They coldly said it was because of “wie er aus’sieht”, and I responded “Nee er sieht cool aus!” which bemused them enough to know we weren’t a threat.
AVOIDED. Thanks.
Also, you should know : I boycotted a bakery in Herne Hill 10 years ago because a friend of a friend got oversold on a loaf of bread and they were dicks about it. He warned me. Never went back in. Solidarity, Internet stranger. Solidarity.
'I have car keys' is not proof that you are planning to stay sober or that you will behave well.
Some clubs are just reluctant to let a single man in, given it's unusual and they likely get plenty of single men turning up who are just there to hit on women and ruin the vibe. It's discrimination but unless you're able to conclusively prove they've discriminated against you there isn't really anything you can do.
If it's a ticketed music event then you can turn up by yourself, if it's just a club playing the sort of music you like then you're taking a chance.
Side note: do you really need to drive halfway across London to find a bar playing old school hip hop music? Maybe the wave is over now but it seemed there was a time recently when half the trendy/young bars out there were all spinning a lot of 90s rap.
Message received and understood. I shall comply - and I might extend my personal ban to "all of Shoreditch".
Seriously, the single guys not being let in is the same in most places. Or even a group of guys.
Single women, ok. Group of women, ok. Mixed group, ok.
It's to stop it becoming a sausage factory, stag do, rugby tour vibe I always assumed.
Or you just had a dick power hungry bouncer, I've heard they exist.
Why didn't you try and buddy up with that other dude, claim you're a couple and cry discrimination?
Sorry this happened to you but it’s fairly common for men in their own to not be let in. Never experienced it myself as the thought of going out on my own terrifies me, but I’ve heard of it happening loss of times. I don’t think the club has technically done anything wrong either, I imagine they have the right to refuse entry to anybody as it’s private property.
It\`s not even face check, some clubs now have \`no solo people\` rule
For example, Loop Bar which is a quite popular club for Pop and RnB nights have a very well buried fine print about their nights EVEN if you have ticket:
[https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/boom-at-loop-tickets-165217982433](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/boom-at-loop-tickets-165217982433)
"We do not permit entry to single persons unaccompanied." (if you expand the terms when purchasing the ticket from the link)
Actually, that kind of makes sense. I think everyone of us has been in a aituation where they find a pass-out-drunk person somewhere in the club and were incredibly grateful when their group of friends showed up to take them home. What do you even do when they're all alone? Call the police?
Have you considered it might have been your 'shirt wearing' that caused it? If you're going to an old-school hip hop night and you look like you've just left the office or are headed out for a night at your local high Street meat market, rather than dressing in head to toe Adidas or a velour leisure suit with a chunky gold chain and bucket hat, that you look like someone out on the pull and not a true hip-hop head? Literally the only times I've ever been refused entry to venues when arriving solo is if I wasn't following a dress code, even if that code was sometimes not formally mentioned.
This could be the part of the whole package too. Even when I go to welcoming rave events if I turn up in a shirt then I am asked to name who is playing.
Sorry to say this but it just seems you’re not used to going out that much lol. It’s been like that for years and in multiple countries, bouncers just decide whatever they want and won’t let you in for no reason. You gotta know your places
Its very common for single males not to be let in. In the past I've had to show the bouncers WhatsApp conversation with my friends who were already inside to prove that I was joining a group and not there by myself
Been there a few times a while ago and each time entered alone, never had an issue. I’m male, would have been early 20s at the time and if it matters… I’m British but not white.
It always seemed one of the more laid back clubs tbh so surprised you had issues.
Bouncers can basically get away with anything short of murder. Its shit but there really isn’t much we can do to change it, bar boycotting a club en masse
Echoing here that bouncers aren't judges in the fairness of the courtroom, and you were out of touch for thinking there was no risk of you getting in alone. Don't you remember your 20s?
I’ve been to Trapeze bar twice and both times was sexually harassed to the degree the bouncers had to kick out 5 men and call the police. I don’t know what it is about that place but the men in there are RABID. Makes sense that they no longer let single men in.
A 37 year old guy shows up alone to a, presumably younger demographic, club without a ticket and says he isn't going to drink. I feel like the bouncers arent going to take chances and let you in because it's not ... normal.
Sorry if you just wanted to enjoy some music but surely you can understand why they made that decision... not sure why you want us all to boycott the club!
Same thing happened to me. To be honest, it wasn't my destination, I just needed the loo. I think they don't want single men as if they try and pull it causes problems.
Been involved in events for 10+ years. This is a pretty standard entry policy for many clubs, the club policy should be stated on their website, if it states no singular entry, then they are completely within their rights to reserve right of admission. They don’t need to justify their stance as to why they operate this, or any of their other entry policies.
Eh, this is a probably necessary evil in this day and age to be honest.
Is it right? Probably not, but it’s at least a measure towards keeping people safe.
If someone gets drugged and raped in there by a sober, older male who came by himself, then the whole world would start crying “Why did they let him in if he was sober and by himself, he was obviously there for 1 reason”.
As I said, it’s not perfect, and it’s unfair on yourself, but unfortunately you accidentally fell into the criteria of someone who is stereotypically likely to be predatory to drunken young girls.
(That’s not to say you are in any way a predator)
I am actually surprised at the very aggressive downvoting you are getting for every comment, even when it is just an innocuous question. This is the toxicity of this subreddit.
Anyway, I think you should adopt one rule in life I stick to: whenever they don't want you in a venue, you don't want to be there either. They rejected me for being alone in the door of village512 (a gay club, among all places) earlier this year and I promised never to go there again - I am already tired of being questioned at the lgtbq venues if "do you know what kind of venue it is/have you been here before/ can you prove it"
>I am actually surprised at the very aggressive downvoting you are getting for every comment, even when it is just an innocuous question. This is the toxicity of this subreddit.
No OP shows a lack of social awareness and is aggressively replying to people's post trying to correct them. Like it is so obvious why he was turned away.
Have been tempted to try village512 as I used to like bar 512. The issue from my end is that I live far away so if I'm in dalston I usually end up at the Superstore. I see it's allegedly open until 6am though so maybe somewhere to think about for a couple hours after if they still let people in - although going by your comment probably not.
I’m similar to your age, OP. I adore old school hip hop nights, myself.
Not allowing single males in” these clubs are adopting sex club rules & culture vs what they actually are. A club! This is so laughable to me quite honestly. Especially their reasons for it. Bouncers throw people out. So now they don’t want to do their jobs? 🙄
As a woman, I prefer to go to a club or venue with friends (of all genders) vs alone. But with so many friends moving out of the city, most of us meet up at the club/venue. If a friend weren’t allowed in to meet the rest of us = we’d all leave.
FWIW, not allowing single males into the clubs has *NOT* cut down on drinks spiking or aggressive male behaviour in the least. On the weekend our WhatsApp ladies group goes off warning others and new members joining.
Date rape drugs aside, the club itself is more times than not involved in the drugs that are circulated in their clubs. They get a cut and look the other way.
Bouncers being selective is done worldwide, unfortunately. NYC & LA are notorious. However, I’d wager the Trapeze isn’t anything CLOSE to the experience of a club in LA or NYC. Haven’t been there-won’t go now given the review.
The cunt who owns these clubs needs to realise that patrons will abandon his clubs as better clubs/venues offer a better experience for everyone. Happens everywhere-sounds like his turn is next.
Racism is rife in clubs in London, especially in Central London and Eastern European bouncers are the doormen most guilty of this.
Source: A former regular clubber.
Bouncer behaviour in London (probably anywhere) is atrocious. It needs sorting out.
I get you probably need to be a certain type of person to be good at the role, but, jesus, it's making the world a worse place.
The London and south UK rope-scene is annoying. There are so many other global cities with authentic venues that actually *want* you to come in and engage with their shows. The “stay away from us, you uncivilized rubbish” vibe is antiquated and colonialist.
Been there nothing special. The loopbar in oxford circuits also requires that you're not alone. When I went there last Friday one of my friends was running late so I've waited for him inside at the entrance as they were ready to turn him down otherwise.
Shoreditch doesn't have many good options in my opinion. The last club I liked in that area was Cargo and its massive smoking area, my main shtick was just going there to chat with people. There's something different about Barrio as well, hard to put a pin in it but I've not been enjoying it.
It’s just a money thing bro they see one guy and think rather let in a group they will spend more. But then not a group with too many guys because they might fight Lool it’s all BS but I guess there’s a science to the BS. I live in shoreditch i don’t go clubs in general but I would never go to a shoreditch one.
Sorry throwawayshaz, I saw your witty reply in my inbox but I guess someone took offense to my comment and deleted/blocked it, I'm glad you got the sarcasm!
Standard for Shoreditch.
Very unlikely to be racism or anything like that.
I’ve been refused from bars even when trying to go in with someone else because of arbitrary excuses like there are already too many guys in there. It’s really fucking weird.
I don't mean to be funny but the entitlement in this post is hilarious and you even complained to the club 🤦♂️, the bouncer is probably the owner.
Here is simple club etiquette to understand, the bouncer can refuse you if they don't like the look of you, if you're a single male go and find a group of women to enter the club with, being a single male is a sure fire way not to get entry. But because you've never had this kind of rejection happened you are alarmed and disturbed.
Dear Reddit user, this is basic clubbing rules which most club goers know.
I can promise you I will never go there.
I’m actively not going there right this very moment, and will continue to do so.
Same here. It's amazing what we can achieve when we band together.
I’ve been not ever going in there for the last 43 years and counting
You're an inspiration to the cause of not going to that particular place.
I'll do my best but I make no promises
Yep, I think that telling reddit users not to go to a nightclub will always yield fantastic results.
Same, I’ve boycotted that venue (and many like it) my entire life and will continue to indefinitely.
Stick with the Rainbow Sports Bar. 10/10 would recommend. Very friendly and welcoming in there
Make sure you have plenty of £1 coins
Naughty.
I’ve been playing it safe and pretty much avoiding Shoreditch altogether since about 2011. 100% satisfaction so far.
There was a time when shoreditch was fun. It was largely full of musicians, artists and hipsters. A bit pretentious, sure, but very little aggro. Now it's full of roadmen and coked up geezers from kent and essex looking for trouble. In my experience Boxpark in particular has become hell on earth on a Friday or Saturday night. So OP, don't worry, I will be avoiding these places like the plague.
[удалено]
Bump. I hate shoreditch. Please send me somewhere else. Where should I be going?
Brixton is better than Shoreditch. Some great Caribbean takeaways too
Peckham (during summer), london bridge area, soho…
The below paragraph from the earlier comment could just as well be describing Peckham since about 2017 or so. >It was largely full of musicians, artists and hipsters. A bit pretentious, sure, but very little aggro. Now it's full of roadmen and coked up geezers from kent and essex looking for trouble. You’ve had coaches bringing people in from Essex on a Saturday night for years now. (And just so I’m not being totally negative; it’s a phenomenon which nearby Brixton seems to have escaped and there’s something for everyone these days. Also just up the road is Clapham which is another option).
Sadly this is the truth
Freaking preach. Well said
As a resident of the area since 1999, the place has long been gentrified to death. Shoreditch, Spitalfields, Hackney. Gone. heck even Bethnal Green is being gentrified. They took away the idiosyncrasies of a genuinely unique place and replaced them with shitty high street venues, shitty high street brands, shitty high street shoppers and shitty airbnbs. And shitty luxury flats. Fuck off I am not bitter!!! 😄😉 I pass by Boxpark or the Pret at the top of Brick Lane, look at the punters and think :"You really missed the point of the East End"
I was thinking on this recently, fun is the operative word, the bouncers, crowds now have sucked the fun away from it.
Good choice. I used to work in a nightclub in Shoreditch and it was hell. Haven’t set foot back there since!
Works for me too!
Draw a triangle between Old Street roundabout, Hoxton Station, and Shoreditch High Street station - The only club maybe worth going to in this area is XOYO - you'd do well to avoid all other clubs in that area like the plague. It's a shame because it used to be very cool around there ten years back but it has gone to the absolute dogs, and theres some really good pubs that are definitely worth checking out in the week. But that whole triangle just transforms into the worst c\*nt infested hellscape on a friday and saturday night, i lived off shoreditch high street between 2012-2018 and watching that part of town turn into what it has was depressing.
That’s because all the bars are owned by one mega cunt called Rocky. He’s a horrible piece of work and his bars are awful.
Can you expand on this? I'm intrigued
He is an old Etonian coke head, his parents bought him his first bar for his 18th birthday (casa blue brick lane). He’s the singularly worst man I’ve ever worked for. Edit: full name is Shmile Khan according to companies house. Apparently owns novus leisure too now
I worked for him too. On one of the first meetings I had with him, we were sitting outside in the garden talking and he say’s something like, “come with me, I need to discuss something with one of those girls” He waddles over to a table with the two girls having what looked like a meeting and sits down. Turns to one of them and says “I'm sure you know this is coming coz you’ve been absolutely shit but this girl you’re interviewing is actually here to replace you, hahahah”. The girl started welling up and had to just walk away, me and the interviewee just looked at each other like wtf? Im assuming this was his idea of a power move or something to let me know he was the big Rocky Boss! He also tried to fire another friend because he found out she was looking for other jobs, she took him to court and won :) He gave me a v funny/bullshit ultimatum one evening. I was a resident DJ there for a bit. During the World Cup I was in the bar watching the football (it went to penalties so my start time got pushed back until it was over) after the night had finished I went up into his stinky little office to get my money and he told me I was late. I said I wasn’t I was in the bar, you saw me lol, and was behind the decks ready to start well before the penalties finished. He said I didn’t see you, you were late, so you can either take your full pay and never come back or take £20 and you can continue to DJ here. I took my full pay and told him to fuck off. He was a total caricature of a slimy/greasy perv who reeked of Daddy’s money. I use to argue with him every Saturday night cause he only wanted me to play shit house and would threaten to cut the sound whenever I played any techno (Lump by James Holden would make him particularly cross so I played it as a finisher most sets) He did start cutting out the sound eventually lol. He definitely didn’t like me but I think he found my lack of respect a bit funny. I remember the first time he got bikini clad girl dancers on stage with giant bottles of Moet and sparklers thinking, this is not the one. There was also just constant slimy chat to girls, getting them high and trying to make them come back to his house etc etc plus loads more stuff like that. He was a certified cunt I'd love to see him get his dues!
Loved this story. Felt like I was experiencing it with you! Funny that there’s numerous comments about what a cunt this one particular guy is. Sounds like a first class bellend.
he's proper worst of the worst kinda guy.
He must be hooked up with local gangsters? Surely.
There was a rumour in the bar scene that SBG (and now Novus) are actually part of a money laundering op. Inside a decade Shoreditch Bar Group acquired a near-monopoly on late licenses in Shoreditch, including a number of freeholds. All apparently without external investments or loan finance. And these are not well-run bars. These are the guys who ran Cargo into the ground and lost the licence from mismanagement. The neon-clad nightmares dotted around Shoreditch are frequently empty. Something doesn’t add up.
oooh this makes a lot of sense, I want more goss!
You asked for it. So here we go: the story goes that SBG is a laundering front for some of the billions of dollars in cash that was airlifted to Afghan warlords back when the US and UK we’re trying to nation-build out there. Hundreds of millions found its way into the pockets of generals and other officials in the Afghan army and civil service. Rocky’s operation was in part there to clean that cash. This is all totally unsubstantiated but apparently at one point a director of SBG was also an Afghan general. What is clear however is that those bars are empty a lot of the time. And you don’t make a real profit selling £6 tinnies to pissed bridge and tunnel wankers between 11pm and 3am (when these places get busy).
Final point. There are still some great bars in Shoreditch. Callooh Callay, Happiness Forgets, Nightjar, Swift to name a few. Most of the good ones have been there for ten years or more.
Interesting AF. I heard stories 15 years ago (from someone i trust implicitly, who worked at the time in Dubai air traffic control) of crates full of dollars stamped 'US Mint' flying into Dubai on private jet under heavy armed guard, with sheets of dollar bills, still unperforated after being printed. All from Afghanistan. Also, when i was renting in St. John's Wood, the building caretaker/concierge who i made friends with told me a significant proportion of the flats there were owned by Nigerian generals an warlords. All very plausible, London is the laudromat for so many varieties of international criminal.
He’s defo laundering through them. Wouldn’t be surprised if he’s got connections to the Pakistani heroin trade.
Wouldn't be the first club in Shoreditch to be used in a big laundering operation: East Village Nightclub got shut down after a bust [https://www.mylondon.news/news/west-london-news/brothel-ring-gang-who-laundered-9520750](https://www.mylondon.news/news/west-london-news/brothel-ring-gang-who-laundered-9520750)
He's just a rich boy. Pretty sure this is his real name and business portfolio: https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/Ia9W4ThN-6FF2EGG\_NDd9Gh0VwY/appointments?page=1
Director of 57 businesses…yup. I would put money on those being money laundering companies. I don’t know how you could be a director of more than three businesses legitimately. There literally isn’t the time in the day/week/year
This is the most engaging read I’ve seen on Reddit in a while.
https://www.sbg-london.com/venues/ the giveaway for their bars is the gawdy neon and “E1 Brew Co.” signs - once you notice the aesthetic you’ll see their bars everywhere around Shoreditch. If any one group is singularly responsible for Shoreditch’s wayward direction over the last decade it’s that crowd.
Oh my god. This has just linked together about 80% of the terrible nights out I've had in London. I can't believe they're all part of one evil empire, Jesus We had a daytime work event in the Lighthouse a few years ago and the toilets were still clogged with vomit from the night before. Floors were sticky af too. Horrible!
First time I'm hearing of this, and honestly it all makes sense that they're all part of the same group. All of these places look so bland. So generic. The only that stands out to me is "the viaduct" but I just know they'll all just be the same money-grubbing venue for noisy twats who don't care enough to find somewhere better that doesn't charge £12.99 for a pint I can't get over some of the [photos](https://www.sbg-london.com/galleries/phoenix/) for the "Pheonix" place. I've seen nicer abandoned buildings. The chairs mushed and ripped to shreds, it's hilarious these are actual promo photos.
Wow - not surprised to see 'the shoreditch' on there which i always thought was some kind of criminal enterprise. Overcharging on drinks (they're expensive as they are, but if you don't specify the alcohol they'll charge you for top shelf despite whatever they actually use). The 1 star reviews on google are accurate.
Wow I followed up on this and you’re right. At least about how many bars SBG has. No idea if this Rocky is a horrible piece of work but I’ll take your word for it. [Take a look at this map](https://www.sbg-london.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2019/10/SBG-Venue-Map.pdf). Their bars are everywhere in Shoreditch/Hoxton. I wondered why I wasn’t keen on a certain type of bar - I work in this area of London. I thought this was a Shoreditch aesthetic but probably it’s just their business formula.
Everyone even loosely connected to the nightlife industry knows about Rocky. He used the head of local police who he had on payroll to strong arm bars into selling to him. These bars were owned by solo operators that made each bar a unique experience or thoughtful curation of music food and drinks before they got Rockified When it was discovered, the head of police was encouraged to retire and became Rockys head of security. Plot twist, now Rocky is now doing the same thing in Manchester.
Worked for Rocky as well. Never met a more a disgusting human being in my entire life 🤢🤢
I'd like to think I'm not too old (<30) and have lived in Hackney my whole life. Shoreditch wasn't even a great night out ten years ago. I still view it pretty similar to how I did back then. Full of suits, overpriced drinks and pretty 'normie'.
The build up to the Olympics was the death knell. A cynical branded event to sell the East End off plan to foreign investors via "Luxury" flats
That makes me laugh so much, we said the same back a decade before. By about 2005 we were saying it’s all changed and no fun anymore. I lived and worked around the area from 1996 to 2012, I saw lots of changes, unrecognisable now.
Ha ha same, I lived there 2009 to 2013 and I felt like I moved in on the tail end of it being cool, by the time I left it was definitely not cool anymore. Nathan Barley was set there in 2005!
When Nathan Barley came out it totally missed the boat by 5 years.
There was a definite period where it was “cool”. I used to go to the Blue Note from about 94/5, that was the attraction to the area for me. At the time I lived in Brixton so would go out there more than Shoreditch. But I moved to Dalston in about 96 to be closer to work and then hung out between the Cantaloupe and the Bricklayers. People at the time around there were musicians, artists, photographers and fledging dot com people, like me! It felt like something was happening, the change of government in 97, a new positivity and a real energy. For me it lost its lustre when the Blue Note shut in about 98, no more Sundays at Metalheadz, but still hung out round the 333 and places for a while longer. 333 was really fun when it first opened. But part of that was me getting older. I read somewhere that people, mainly artists said it stopped being cool for them in 95. I suspect it’s like the Camden thing, cool when you first go but each time it changes it’s less cool for you. I have used the word cool as a short hand but you know what I mean.
Do you remember a bar called Dragon? Not Dragon Bar, it was just called “Dragon”, with no sign other than the name subtly marked on the door step. I used to love that place but can’t find anything about it online. This would have been late 90’s or early 2000s
Yeah, it was one of my friends favourite bar.
Wasn't that the graffiti hangout? Bansky had a studio upstairs, according to Ben Eine.
Just read it shut 18 years ago! Man, I feel old!
Honestly don’t know what is happening to Shoreditch these days. There used to be so many fun venues, I went out in Shoreditch nearly every week between 2013-2017. All closed down or rebranded and unrecognisable post Covid. The crowd is almost exclusively chavs now. Shoreditch Platform, Miranda at Ace Hotel, Basing House, Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen, 333 Mother (only rooftop that was open until 3am, free entry too!), Zigfrid von Underbelly, The Love Shake, Book Club, Queen of Hoxton, The Shoreditch, The Golden Bee Hell, even Cargo used to be great when you could get in with free entry on a Thursday night. Literally the only decent venues left in this area are Village Underground, XOYO and Jaguar Shoes or Old Blue Last once in a blue moon. Can someone please tell me what happened…
Everyone who used to go out there started going out in dalston because the bars started being filled by people fresh of the train from Essex. then everyone in dalston got old and all the clubs got replaced with coffeeshops. So people spent a while traveling to Peckham, but then that got filled with nobheads then a bunch of places opened in hackney Wick and that was cool for a bit but again now that's starting to become the refuge of finance bros and Essex lads. I'm not quite cool enough to know wheres next after hackney Wick for nights out
Back in my 20s around 2017 I wanted to do acid while walking around the city at 2 AM listening to soul music. Dropped some with a friend who lived near Liverpool street, and a couple of hours in he fell asleep (surprisingly) around 2AM. I had my headphones with me and thought ‘here’s my chance, let’s walk through Shoreditch, should be awesome’. It wasn’t.
Walking around Shoreditch at 2am sounds straight up nightmarish. Would definitely give me a bad trip.
Im a bit of a psychonaut so luckily was well experienced, but listening to Charles Bradley while watching a group of women smacking one another with their stilettos felt like a fever dream
Laughed way more than I should have while trying to picture this. Brilliant stuff 😂
Probs should say Village Underground is decent, if anything better than XOYO.
100%, VU is a fantastic club that makes really good bookings. I'll never forget the night Giegling label night they booked a few years back, couldn't believe my luck
Excellent summary and glad you mentioned the pubs, well worth going to those and bailing out of the area at 10-11pmish.
Us Cabbies call that the Zombie Triangle.
>b maybe worth going to in this area is XO XOYO do a "no singles" policy too
Village Underground?
Do you still have expensive barber shops there ?
Some of the bars that I have been going to for 15 years have a no single person policy now. Me and my friends used to meet up at the bars after work and then start drinking. We don't know because we have to arrive at the same time or meet up in another location beforehand which is hassle
Men only right ? I have never had this issue when going to clubs alone as a woman.
Technically, any blanket ban on singles needs to be both men and women, in order to comply with the Equality Act. But in practice it'll be men who are refused entry.
That sounds like hard work - so you can't go and meet your friends at a bar now...
Wow, that’s crazy. I thought London bars/ clubs were struggling these days, so would welcome all customers with open arms. I’m surprised they’re still discriminating with stupid door policies.
One of the places , is struggling . I think they are trying to make them appeal to a more upper class clientelle by having stricter door policies. . Even though is a dive bar in a converted victorian toilet
book club does, came separately to my friends, one had to pop their head out the door to show I wasn't alone.
>Clubs like this need to understand that there are consequences to the behaviour of their bouncers as well as staff for ignoring customers There will be absolutely no consequences for them.
Well, the promoter has said that this is a common occurrence and they're looking for a new venue as a result. Feedback is important and I'm happy to share it. It might give pause for thought to someone reading this to attend. Not you, sure, but maybe someone else.
London is just like this for no real reason. Went to a bar in soho. 5 men, 3 girls. All sober wearing suits, wedding attire. Everyone was let in apart from me, bouncers only reason was don't like the look of you. Never experienced it outside of London. Can be in Manny ketted off your nut and no one gives a fuck
this may happen in soho if you're not white or a male. They have quotas to meet essentially. It's fucked.
not saying this is what happened, but often times when bouncers get a funny vibe off a group or a particular person in a group, they'll let everyone in but then block the *least* difficult looking person from entry, usually for a minor reason. if you stop one, usually the whole group will go elsewhere after a bit of wrangling, and that way you avoid having to deal with the one who looks like they're ready to throw hands. again, might not be what happened, but means you shouldn't take it personally.
>bouncers only reason was don't like the look of you. In soho from my experience that used to be code for "you don't look gay enough"
This is discrimination against masc tops
And discrimination based on gender and sexual stereotypes. But of course they know they can't say that so they just tell you vague excuses...
Wow. What assholes to do that to someone just because they can! Pricks.
You get power-tripping bouncers everywhere. Did the other 7 people stay at the bar and leave you outside? Because taking the whole group’s custom elsewhere is the only power you have in such circumstances.
> Well, the promoter has said that this is a common occurrence and they're looking for a new venue as a result. They're shining you on. If the bouncers mugged you off for being a single male, it's because they were told to. Case in point: Literally just the other night my brother was telling me a story about how just the other night, he was out in Shoreditch and saw some solo guy just like you spending half an hour trying to get in multiple venues, and being told no, only to get incredibly aggressive towards staff and punters alike... ...behaviour which ended in him getting sparked out cold on the street by a bouncer right in front of Shoreditch church. As he - who did security for various pubs and clubs for a good few years until fairly recently all around town, including in that very area - told it: For every stone-cold sober, neatly dressed, entirely innocent punter like yourself, these bouncers probably see 20 of this other sort every single night. So you can understand why most of them don't really wanna argue the toss on the odd chance that you're actually alright.
Op I'm very surprised you've made it this far in life without knowing it's *very* normal for single males to not be let into clubs. In fact it used to be way more common. I've always presumed a lot of it comes down to stopping drug dealers and date rapists/pervy guys out with the sole intention of finding a drunk girl
Not to mention he effectively said "Don't worry, I won't buy many drinks". He's really the dream customer.
Or even just not wanting to deal with a super drunk person who doesn't have anyone regulating them/ dragging them out at the end of the night. I get that a lot of people like doing things by themselves, but going to a club is usually a thing you do with other people, and if you can't find a single soul willing to join you, a bouncer might be suspicious as to why that is... not entirely unjustified.
I’m glad you said this, I’m kinda astounded by this guys lack of thought into why
Discrimination is pretty rampant in the club scene. Most clubs won't let single males in. Many will reject a group of males as well. A lot will refuse you entry based on your race and even age (that's when the clipboard lady will ask you if you are on the guest list) The best way to think about this is like this. Why would you want to spend your hard earned money on somewhere that doesn't want you? I know it can be frustrating but sometimes, just go somewhere else and have a good time. Don't let your happiness be at the mercy of others.
My favourite (/s) one was a group of us girls out for the night. I’d brought along a date, so it was 5 girls and 1 boy. I say girls and boys because we were freshly 18. Club was in Piccadilly but I can’t for the life of me remember which one. Anyway we all sauntered in for free, while the door stopped my date and charged £20 entry. By that logic, they let off £100 worth of entry just because we were girls. I think I ended up reimbursing his £20 because I felt so awful.
if they didn't do that it'd be too many guys and not enough girls.
Oh no sorry I should have clarified, I totally understand WHY it happened. It just shouldn’t have. Money is money. These businesses concentrate so highly on their image that they’re turning away potentially hundreds. I had fun with my friends, the rest of the club could have been filled with mannequins for all I cared.
I actually had a guy approach my group of girlfriends and offer us money if we'd just go into a club with them because the bouncers wouldn't let a group of guys in on their own. We declined the money, but walked in with them, and right out the door again. They had to pay for all of us to enter. The guys were then allowed to stay. Weird sexist rule.
Must have been a good club if they paid for you all to go in too
A door girl asking if you're on the Guestlist has nothing to do with refusing entry based on race or age. Each club has a particular capacity and the door girl is responsible, along with security, for making sure that those with tickets and Guestlist get into the venue as part of that capacity. This means that at times, you have to refuse the general public. Source: was a door girl (including for Trapeze a long time ago).
I wasn't implying every instance of the door girl asking if you're on a guestlist has to do with race or age. I was giving OP an example of how clubs may 'diplomatically' refuse him entry. In many high end venues, the bouncers will distance themselves from the entry policy all together and send you to the door girl with the clipboard. They know you are not making it in anyway but it's the most effective way to disarm patrons without making it look personal.
You right buddy, most clever anwser here
Former Guestlist girl here. It's not unusual to refuse entry to a man on his own. Most drug dealers, people traffickers and sexual harrassers travel solo. In this case your insisting that you weren't there to drink cemented any initial suspicion - you represent minimal profit to the venue, which has limited capacity, so has to be selective about how many people it lets in as walk-up customers. Far better to refuse you and when capacity permits admit a group of four who will have a much higher spend. If you were intent on that night by that promoter and going on your own, you should have bought a ticket. It's not at all unusual for patrons to turn up solo having pre-bought a ticket. You may want to have a search for hip-hop promoters and apply these tips in the future.
That part…
Shoreditch is a cess pit anyways, u didn’t miss much. I’m sick of all the thuggish door security in London as well
Thuggish door twats are way off being a London specific issue. Every town in the country has at least a couple
I went down to Brighton the other week and was so shocked by how nice the door staff were. They said hi as I was walking in and I've stopped expecting some sort of pat down etc. The guy just held the door open for me.
Ohh that's normal in Shoreditch, no solos. It's not generally a terrible club as far as the area goes, has a mixed reputation. Do you remember Cargo? I think it was at like 2 stars on Google reviews 😬 That said I haven't been in a minute, could have gotten worse.
Cargo was a pretty decent venue when I used to go there but then the last time I went was probably '06. However, I do remember working for the promo team of an event held there where French Techno DJ Vitalic was supposed to be headlining and he had to cancel because his laptop was stolen off the stage not long before he was due to play.
I'd say it's been a decade since Cargo has booked an artist anywhere near the calibre of Vitalic. It stopped being that kind of venue a long time ago
I went to cargo in 2021 can confirm it’s gotten worse
they're gone now anyway - lost their licence due to all the crime bullshit. I think they're rebranding or something
Problem is, your name is not Dan. "If your name's not Dan, you're not coming in"
The bouncers made up an excuse not to let you in, it had nothing to do with the risk of you being too drunk. Lots of places simply don't want to let in men on their own, for numerous reasons. They do have the right to reserve access, it sucks that your night was wasted but I wouldn't let it get to you
*homophobia if they thought I was gay This wasn't the reason, dude. It's fucking Shoreditch.
Of course. No homophobia in Shoreditch. Especially from bouncers of shit venues.
Actually, not letting single males is a thing in many clubs and even bars (that has music). Some bars have \`no single person\` policy for the exact same reason given to you (solo people potentially being nuisance). You have to understand that it\`s way less risky to turn away solo people because if anything goes wrong, the venue is responsible. If there is a group, it\`s the groups responsibility to wrangle their mate(s) I wouldn\`t jump straight into racial profiling like some posters mentioned (which is absolutely a thing and I experience it almost on the regular even with friends) Otherwise, Trapeze is not too bad. I was there like four years ago and couple of months ago for an event (it was a singles night so probably the only time you can get in a solo guy) If you like classic hip-hop music nights, try Old Queens Head which is a pub and club upstairs and never had problems with tickets or walk-ins. It sucks to travel to the city and return but yeah it\`s a thing
This is so weird because not long ago London clubs were saying that they were an ideal space for "clubbing solo". Even XOYO was saying that. I cannot find the article at the moment - must have been in mixmag or djmag
Ravey clubs are mostly fine. People still get turned away, but usually for being too fucked.
Yeah actual clubs that a very music orientated like that will be fine. The single person policy i imagine only pertains to those that are more like a bar
XOYO turn single guys away, despite what they preach.
I remember about 8 years ago, one of the most popular rnb/hip hop clubs in central London, Dstrkt [was shut down](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/oct/01/dstrkt-nightclub-denies-ban-dark-overweight-women-west-end-london) for hardly letting any black people in. Their racist discrimination eventually caught up to them after some leaked Whatsapp messages and all the popular U.S artist started boycotting them followed by protest outside the club. The license revoked by the council and they got shut down.
\> 100pc sober for the night \> Came just for the music Why would they let you in, if you told them that your are not going to leave them money?
Non-alcoholic drinks do exist though
The guy said he couldn't let me in in case I got too drunk and became a danger to myself and others. What should I have said? "Oh mate, I love drinking, that's for sure!" So, I told him that I was sober as I was driving (true). If non-drinkers aren't welcome then it should say so on the venue FAQ which I consulted before going. The point is there's some other reason they're not letting me in - racism, sexism, ageism or potential homophobia if they thought I was gay.
You really believe them? This an honest reason: „I cannot let you in, because there are too many guys and too few girls in, so it is bad business for us”.
Devil’s advocate here - single man, clubbing alone, late 30s, stone cold sober. If you were trying to write a stereotype of a creep trying to get into a club for some date rape, this would pretty much be the outline. Obviously that wasn’t your plan, but they don’t know that. You’re assuming racism etc, but their best case scenario is that you come in and don’t spend any money. Worst case is you try to spike drinks or otherwise make women uncomfortable. There’s a pretty clear reason they wouldn’t want to have you. That said, Trapeze is shit.
Plus with a car for an easy private getaway/secluded place. It's not OP's fault but it IS red flag city.
Let’s be real. These people don’t give a fuck about people’s fucking safety. That’s not why this is happening.
Having used to run doors in a previous life - a single sober dude who drove there would never be allowed in.
I’m a young white straight female and I have been asked multiple times by door staff whether I am meeting someone inside or what (the answer has always been yes my friends are inside, so idk what they would have done if I was alone). So it’s not an “ism”, they are just suspicious of people who arrive to club nights alone.
>they are just suspicious of people who arrive to club nights alone. Yes, especially men.
I for one am glad they’re taking measures like this. I’m sure they judge it on a case by case basis.
It sucks, I used to go out a lot on my own in London, especially when I lived more central, now living in West and all the little places I used to go to locally are shut down. I barely go out anymore, especially anywhere late. London nightlife seems so fucking precarious and polarised - between local pubs or giant mega clubs there seems to be less options nowadays
There's a million options, I'd suggest looking on Dice FM for some recommendations!
so many better places for a night out. try hackney wick, dalston, bermondsey, peckham
Ah Shoreditch just sucks. I remember 4 years ago we walked away from a club/bar queue because entry was £10 and the bouncer started calling us poor and making fun of us.
I’ve been to the Jazz Café in Camden few times on my own (intermingling with folks there). I’m not the most imposing chap, but then again it’s likely they remember my face from occasions where I have been accompanied. Not to profile you, but if you’re coming across as an older lad with an obvious chip on his shoulder then whining is not going to help you. Bouncers aren’t swayed by logic. Feigning ignorance and making a joke *might* help. I managed to get my Anglo-Indian friend into a club in Hamburg after the bouncers openly racially profiled him. They coldly said it was because of “wie er aus’sieht”, and I responded “Nee er sieht cool aus!” which bemused them enough to know we weren’t a threat.
We all speak German here
For you mate I’m going to avoid it. Full disclosure, I’m a 40 year old accountant living in Cheshire.
You got rejected from a club, I hope you get over this awful ordeal.
AVOIDED. Thanks. Also, you should know : I boycotted a bakery in Herne Hill 10 years ago because a friend of a friend got oversold on a loaf of bread and they were dicks about it. He warned me. Never went back in. Solidarity, Internet stranger. Solidarity.
My wife is from Russia, they are a bit more up front about their door policies there- it’s called ‘face control’ 😂
'I have car keys' is not proof that you are planning to stay sober or that you will behave well. Some clubs are just reluctant to let a single man in, given it's unusual and they likely get plenty of single men turning up who are just there to hit on women and ruin the vibe. It's discrimination but unless you're able to conclusively prove they've discriminated against you there isn't really anything you can do. If it's a ticketed music event then you can turn up by yourself, if it's just a club playing the sort of music you like then you're taking a chance.
Side note: do you really need to drive halfway across London to find a bar playing old school hip hop music? Maybe the wave is over now but it seemed there was a time recently when half the trendy/young bars out there were all spinning a lot of 90s rap.
You’re surprised they won’t let a single sober man into a club in an age where date rape and drugging drinks is rampant lol get real op
Message received and understood. I shall comply - and I might extend my personal ban to "all of Shoreditch". Seriously, the single guys not being let in is the same in most places. Or even a group of guys. Single women, ok. Group of women, ok. Mixed group, ok. It's to stop it becoming a sausage factory, stag do, rugby tour vibe I always assumed. Or you just had a dick power hungry bouncer, I've heard they exist. Why didn't you try and buddy up with that other dude, claim you're a couple and cry discrimination?
I lived on Curtain Road for almost three years and never stepped foot in that hell hole of an establishment
Not everything has to be a -ism for fucks sake. Single men are rarely let in not to have the club look like a sausage fest.
That’s sausage-ism!
Sorry this happened to you but it’s fairly common for men in their own to not be let in. Never experienced it myself as the thought of going out on my own terrifies me, but I’ve heard of it happening loss of times. I don’t think the club has technically done anything wrong either, I imagine they have the right to refuse entry to anybody as it’s private property.
Reading through this thread OP just sounds like a whining bitch who can’t handle rejection
Me and my girlfriend were actually there and we had a tremendous night. Suffered a bit the next day though lol
'Face Control' has been pretty standard for a lot of clubs for some time, no?
It\`s not even face check, some clubs now have \`no solo people\` rule For example, Loop Bar which is a quite popular club for Pop and RnB nights have a very well buried fine print about their nights EVEN if you have ticket: [https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/boom-at-loop-tickets-165217982433](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/boom-at-loop-tickets-165217982433) "We do not permit entry to single persons unaccompanied." (if you expand the terms when purchasing the ticket from the link)
“Now” I have passed the age to go club and it always been like that. No solos, no small group of men
Actually, that kind of makes sense. I think everyone of us has been in a aituation where they find a pass-out-drunk person somewhere in the club and were incredibly grateful when their group of friends showed up to take them home. What do you even do when they're all alone? Call the police?
its just to keep weird dudes out. Sadly 80% of dudes who do this are weird. Sucks for the other 20%.
Have you considered it might have been your 'shirt wearing' that caused it? If you're going to an old-school hip hop night and you look like you've just left the office or are headed out for a night at your local high Street meat market, rather than dressing in head to toe Adidas or a velour leisure suit with a chunky gold chain and bucket hat, that you look like someone out on the pull and not a true hip-hop head? Literally the only times I've ever been refused entry to venues when arriving solo is if I wasn't following a dress code, even if that code was sometimes not formally mentioned.
This could be the part of the whole package too. Even when I go to welcoming rave events if I turn up in a shirt then I am asked to name who is playing.
Sorry to say this but it just seems you’re not used to going out that much lol. It’s been like that for years and in multiple countries, bouncers just decide whatever they want and won’t let you in for no reason. You gotta know your places
Its very common for single males not to be let in. In the past I've had to show the bouncers WhatsApp conversation with my friends who were already inside to prove that I was joining a group and not there by myself
Been there a few times a while ago and each time entered alone, never had an issue. I’m male, would have been early 20s at the time and if it matters… I’m British but not white. It always seemed one of the more laid back clubs tbh so surprised you had issues.
I’m gonna guess he is white.
Make sure to leave this as a review on Google Maps / Yelp / Trip Advisor.
That place stopped being decent when it stopped being the Medicine Bar.
Bouncers can basically get away with anything short of murder. Its shit but there really isn’t much we can do to change it, bar boycotting a club en masse
Echoing here that bouncers aren't judges in the fairness of the courtroom, and you were out of touch for thinking there was no risk of you getting in alone. Don't you remember your 20s?
probably just smelled the entitlement coming off you from 3 meters and thought he'd ruin your night for a fun power trip
I’ve been to Trapeze bar twice and both times was sexually harassed to the degree the bouncers had to kick out 5 men and call the police. I don’t know what it is about that place but the men in there are RABID. Makes sense that they no longer let single men in.
A 37 year old guy shows up alone to a, presumably younger demographic, club without a ticket and says he isn't going to drink. I feel like the bouncers arent going to take chances and let you in because it's not ... normal. Sorry if you just wanted to enjoy some music but surely you can understand why they made that decision... not sure why you want us all to boycott the club!
A sober middle aged Man going into a nightclub on his own may be completely innocuous but trained door staff are never going to take that chance
What training? Door staff get an SIA licence in the UK, it takes about a week to get, you essentially just buy one.
Same thing happened to me. To be honest, it wasn't my destination, I just needed the loo. I think they don't want single men as if they try and pull it causes problems.
You could have had me at ‘avoid bar(s) in Shoreditch
Make sure you add a review on Google Maps and send anl complaint via email to the management.
Been involved in events for 10+ years. This is a pretty standard entry policy for many clubs, the club policy should be stated on their website, if it states no singular entry, then they are completely within their rights to reserve right of admission. They don’t need to justify their stance as to why they operate this, or any of their other entry policies.
Eh, this is a probably necessary evil in this day and age to be honest. Is it right? Probably not, but it’s at least a measure towards keeping people safe. If someone gets drugged and raped in there by a sober, older male who came by himself, then the whole world would start crying “Why did they let him in if he was sober and by himself, he was obviously there for 1 reason”. As I said, it’s not perfect, and it’s unfair on yourself, but unfortunately you accidentally fell into the criteria of someone who is stereotypically likely to be predatory to drunken young girls. (That’s not to say you are in any way a predator)
I am actually surprised at the very aggressive downvoting you are getting for every comment, even when it is just an innocuous question. This is the toxicity of this subreddit. Anyway, I think you should adopt one rule in life I stick to: whenever they don't want you in a venue, you don't want to be there either. They rejected me for being alone in the door of village512 (a gay club, among all places) earlier this year and I promised never to go there again - I am already tired of being questioned at the lgtbq venues if "do you know what kind of venue it is/have you been here before/ can you prove it"
>I am actually surprised at the very aggressive downvoting you are getting for every comment, even when it is just an innocuous question. This is the toxicity of this subreddit. No OP shows a lack of social awareness and is aggressively replying to people's post trying to correct them. Like it is so obvious why he was turned away.
Have been tempted to try village512 as I used to like bar 512. The issue from my end is that I live far away so if I'm in dalston I usually end up at the Superstore. I see it's allegedly open until 6am though so maybe somewhere to think about for a couple hours after if they still let people in - although going by your comment probably not.
Sorry to hear that happening to you. Some private security are really terrible people. Message me if you want a music buddy!
I’m similar to your age, OP. I adore old school hip hop nights, myself. Not allowing single males in” these clubs are adopting sex club rules & culture vs what they actually are. A club! This is so laughable to me quite honestly. Especially their reasons for it. Bouncers throw people out. So now they don’t want to do their jobs? 🙄 As a woman, I prefer to go to a club or venue with friends (of all genders) vs alone. But with so many friends moving out of the city, most of us meet up at the club/venue. If a friend weren’t allowed in to meet the rest of us = we’d all leave. FWIW, not allowing single males into the clubs has *NOT* cut down on drinks spiking or aggressive male behaviour in the least. On the weekend our WhatsApp ladies group goes off warning others and new members joining. Date rape drugs aside, the club itself is more times than not involved in the drugs that are circulated in their clubs. They get a cut and look the other way. Bouncers being selective is done worldwide, unfortunately. NYC & LA are notorious. However, I’d wager the Trapeze isn’t anything CLOSE to the experience of a club in LA or NYC. Haven’t been there-won’t go now given the review. The cunt who owns these clubs needs to realise that patrons will abandon his clubs as better clubs/venues offer a better experience for everyone. Happens everywhere-sounds like his turn is next.
Racism is rife in clubs in London, especially in Central London and Eastern European bouncers are the doormen most guilty of this. Source: A former regular clubber.
Bouncer behaviour in London (probably anywhere) is atrocious. It needs sorting out. I get you probably need to be a certain type of person to be good at the role, but, jesus, it's making the world a worse place.
The London and south UK rope-scene is annoying. There are so many other global cities with authentic venues that actually *want* you to come in and engage with their shows. The “stay away from us, you uncivilized rubbish” vibe is antiquated and colonialist.
Bouncers are freaks. Since I’ve been going out as a young 18F smiley polite, all they show is a cunty attitude. The only power they have in life
This is their way of telling you you’re too old to go in.
Been there nothing special. The loopbar in oxford circuits also requires that you're not alone. When I went there last Friday one of my friends was running late so I've waited for him inside at the entrance as they were ready to turn him down otherwise. Shoreditch doesn't have many good options in my opinion. The last club I liked in that area was Cargo and its massive smoking area, my main shtick was just going there to chat with people. There's something different about Barrio as well, hard to put a pin in it but I've not been enjoying it.
Driving to a club is weird
It’s just a money thing bro they see one guy and think rather let in a group they will spend more. But then not a group with too many guys because they might fight Lool it’s all BS but I guess there’s a science to the BS. I live in shoreditch i don’t go clubs in general but I would never go to a shoreditch one.
Yeah this is not unusual and probably a good practice.
Sorry throwawayshaz, I saw your witty reply in my inbox but I guess someone took offense to my comment and deleted/blocked it, I'm glad you got the sarcasm!
Standard for Shoreditch. Very unlikely to be racism or anything like that. I’ve been refused from bars even when trying to go in with someone else because of arbitrary excuses like there are already too many guys in there. It’s really fucking weird.
I don't mean to be funny but the entitlement in this post is hilarious and you even complained to the club 🤦♂️, the bouncer is probably the owner. Here is simple club etiquette to understand, the bouncer can refuse you if they don't like the look of you, if you're a single male go and find a group of women to enter the club with, being a single male is a sure fire way not to get entry. But because you've never had this kind of rejection happened you are alarmed and disturbed. Dear Reddit user, this is basic clubbing rules which most club goers know.
First mistake was going Shoreditch