42 Pollards Row,
Bethnal Green,
London,
E2 6NB
0871 971 4529
The ViewLondon Review
Bethnal Green Working Mens Club offers a truly unique experience for Londoners with a lust for life.The VenueThis working mens club come fifties cabaret ballroom is located just off Bethnal Green road, almost equidistant between Bethnal Green Tube and the bustling beginning of Brick Lane. The venue is one of the greatest charms of the club. Sparkling bunting hangs from the walls, with a light scheme of moody reds to magnify the ambience – wedding reception meets makeshift chic. This may sound like an odd combo but it’s the hotchpotch of styles that makes Bethnal Green Working Mens Club quaint, whilst being quirkily hip.
The AtmosphereThe atmosphere strikes you as soon as you walk through the door. With a mindset of dress to impress, it will always be lively; not that there will be any dirty looks if you don’t come decked in stay pressed slacks or a vintage fifties number! Look around and there are broad smiles to be seen on faces in all directions, from those in full fifties regalia to the boys on the edges in jeans and t-shirts. Think Moulin Rouge on a tiny scale. The sheer movement around Bethnal Green Working Mens Club shouldn’t fail to invigorate, and if you’re not taken with the dancing, spirits will always be lifted with a glance at the huge heart-shaped tunnel of pink lights that frames the stage.
The MusicThere are lubricious cabaret performances from showgirls to the sound of fifties, sixties and seventies pop and rock ‘n’ roll spun by a DJ. The stage can play host to any imaginable type of performance and the noise doesn’t stop until 2am. This place can often define ‘eclectic’ and the music is a driving force behind why the club boasts so many regulars.
The DrinkThe drink is not what the punters frequent this place for, and it’s a good job too. There’s nothing beyond the usual stock of spirits, and beers are sold in bottles – straight from ice buckets behind the bar.
Last WordThis is a bar and club that offers an off the wall, individual experience. In an ultra modern London it’s reassuring to know that there’s still somewhere you can go to hear a showgirl or two singing an old East End ditty after she’s had one too many gins.