51-53 Southwark Street,
London,
SE1 1RU
(020) 7403 9643
The ViewLondon Review
Set under four large railway arches, in the heart of SE1 clubland, this newly relaunched venue is set to take the underground music scene by storm.
The Venue
Formerly The Arches, Arcadia is another addition to the late night south London scene. A little tricky to find, it is a five-minute-walk from London Bridge, (make sure you come out the Borough High Street exit) and through the nearby car park. Initially, you enter a large room which resembles a foyer with a big square sofa in the middle of the room, a large bar to the right and a cloakroom and toilets at the far end. To the left of this room is a comfortable chill out area with a dozen or so seats and tables, so you can have a smoke and a chat. The main dance room is to the right and has a large screen playing visuals at one end. Through more double doors are two small cavernous spaces going off to either side, both with DJ booths. Straight on past these rooms is yet another room with a long bar, several sofas and another DJ set-up. There is state of the art sound and lighting throughout the club, which really provides a suitable canvas for the big underground music promoters to put on a memorable event.
The Atmosphere
Arcadia aims to draw in dance enthusiasts from around the country, so the atmosphere will depend on what night is on and what beats are playing. Early signals are that house music lovers are going to well provided for, however events supplying heavy basslines and grimey beats are also likely to attract a street-wise crowd intent on creating an incendiary dance floor vibe.
The Music
Events and nights will be running throughout the week. Thursdays will predominantly play house, from progressive to tech to electro. Also on rotation you can expect hard dance from Riot!, bass music from Eight:FX, a special under-18s event courtesy of Let's Go Crazy and even heavyweight birthday bashes from the likes of clubbing goliath Trade. Up and coming DJs will also get their chance behind decks, so clientele can catch the next big thing alongside household names.
The Drink
As with most big clubs, a large selection of drink is on offer, with Stella, Guinness and Kronenberg on draught and many more varieties in bottles. Kopparberg cider and branded spirits are also available and prices are similar to most late night clubs of the scale.
The Last Word
With so many big clubs having closed down in the past few years, it’s elating that others are stepping up to fill their shoes. With such a wealth of clubs now on offer around the London Bridge area – Arcadia, Counter Culture, Cable, Hideout and Debut to name but a few - it seems the capital’s clubbers have well and truly got a concentrated cluster of clubs to rival Vauxhall or the days when King’s Cross ruled the roost.
Arcadia has been reviewed by 3 users