Shunt It

Another site I write for is the ace London blog - Londonist. It's a professional blog which is part of a worldwide chain covering cities such as Paris, Philadephia, and LA with the New York Branch being pretty massive over there.

Before I started writing for them, I read the site regularly and always heard about thing I'd never have known anything about otherwise. This still remains the same today prompting me into going to bizarre things I'd never heard of. My colleague Hazel writes about culture, events, arts and food - topics far more high brow that my music or entertainment nonsense.

A couple of weeks ago she wrote about the Shunt Lounge at London Bridge. I don't really want to say too much about this, I just want you to trust me and go. It's a bar in a very secret place and I guess it's only through word of mouth that people are going as you couldn't just find it. Going there makes you feel like you've discovered a secret bit of London and I love Hazel for telling me about it.  My old housemate Seldo saw a
production held in the same place a couple of years ago and urged us to
trust him and just go. We weren't too keen not knowing what the hell it
was and sadly didn't. How we regret this now.

The bar is open Wed, Thurs and Friday nights from 6pm until late and located on Joiner Street within London Bridge station. It's free at the moment although membership from Jan - March for £25 for you and a friend is purchasable, otherwise expect to pay £5. What you need to do is come out of the tube station through the ticket hall and that puts you in Joiner Street (which is still part of the whole station complex - it's got a pie shop on it.) Almost directly opposite the ticket hall is a door. Confidentally walk through that door and just keep going. Don't let anything stop you.

I can't find the damn Londonist post on it, but here is Hazel's personal one. Resist reading it if you can - just go there. At the very least don't tell whoever you take with you where you're going, just let it be a surprise. James nearly wet himself at the excitement of it all. Perfect for anything, but particularly to show someone a cool bit of London or to create a very memorable date (you'll at the very least almost certainly be forced to hold hands).