The ViewLondon Review
Plan B is solid but doesn’t break any boundaries. If you’re south of the river and up for a party with hip hop or a smattering of 4 by 4 beats, you can’t go far wrong.The VenuePlan B is located on the corner of Stockwell Road and Brixton Hill, less than three minutes from the tube and mainline stations. Inside, it's split into two levels - a main room and basement.
The cavernous main room is minimalist in style and is divided into smaller areas by high surfaces, columns and plenty of accompanying stools (try counting the right angles in here and it’ll turn you mad), making the dancefloor comparatively small. Downstairs is similar, with a few comfy black leather sofas. The far wall on the ground floor is dominated by a long cocktail bar, to the left is the entrance to the prison yard-like smoking area. If you’re lucky you’ll be able to bag a coveted perch on the picnic table.
The AtmosphereOn non big name nights the clientele is a mixed bag of locals of all ages. You’ll get mammas shaking their booty on the dancefloor next to a gangs of students, all being eyed up by the men littered around the edge of the dancefloor. On nights with big name DJs the place will be rammed with a more devoted crowd. This isn’t really a place for fashionistas or cutting edge ravers. The atmosphere is typical South London crowd – relaxed, friendly, non-pretentious and up for a dance. The bar staff are just as friendly, but some doormen have an attitude.
The MusicThe main room boasts a Funktion One rig, which is, in layman’s terms, The Tits. This cutting edge system means you’ll get crystal clear sound at a lower volume. This doesn’t mean it’s quiet in here, just that your ears won’t ring quite so much after.
Plan B secures big name DJs from both dance and hip hop communities (local boys DJ Yoda and Nextmen have a history with the place) but famous DJs don’t play every week. Check in advance who’s playing because if there are no big names on the bill the music policy’s more eclectic – on Fridays you’re likely to be listening to funk, soul, and disco as well as hip hop classics. Saturday’s line-up changes to a mixture of house and electro. Bookings range from commercial acts such as Joey Negro, Giles Peterson and Basement Jaxx to lesser known artists. During the week you may catch an afterparty attached to a indie tour or hip hop event such as LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy’s indie disco or the B-Boy Championship event.
The DrinkIt’s bottled beer here, a large selection of spirits and the cocktails are very popular with the girls. A few years ago Plan B won a glut of awards for these.
The Last WordPlan B is one of the brightest jewels in Brixton’s crown. The venue does get the big names in, just not every week - check the line-up before going.
Plan B has been reviewed by 10 users