89 Great Eastern Street,
Shoreditch,
London,
EC2A 3HX
(020) 7739 5173
The ViewLondon Review
East Village is a club meets bar set over two and a half floors (it has a cute mezzanine), in the heart of Shoreditch. Its opening four years ago, on the site of the former Medicine Bar, reflected clubland’s move away from soulless and pricey super-clubs towards intimate and personable spaces, where you’re not treated like dancefloor cattle.
The Venue
The 480-capacity East Village takes its name from Lower Manhattan’s famed counter-culture quarter, and has two distinct spaces. Upstairs has a long bar, sofas with tables in cosy corners and a mezzanine (which you can reserve for a particularly bling night out) which makes this level ideal for gathering, chatting and taking time outs from the basement club.
Downstairs is a 200-capacity club with a DJ booth at the far end as you walk in, and intricate and playful LED light display (think bouncing graphic equalizer visuals a la Daft Punk) courtesy of clubland lighting guru ‘Mirrorball Paul’. There’s a bar (so there’s no need to run upstairs after working up a sweat) downstairs too, and thanks to the low ceiling, the fierce Eskimo Noize sound system packs an even more mighty punch.
The Atmosphere
Downstairs is all about getting lost in music – you'll struggle to have a meaningful conversation in the basement’s wall of sound. Whereas upstairs’ bar feels busy and fast moving as people duck in and out for cigarettes, go to the bar, chat and flirt.
The Music
East Village’s New York-inspired name is a knowing wink to where its heart lays – Big Apple-style soulful house. Notting Hill Carnival crew Sancho Panza regularly host house-flavoured raves, while hotshot DJs such as Baltimore’s gospel house DJ Spen, New Yorkers Joe Claussell (Body & SOUL) night, and Frankie Feliciano, regularly fly into join resident and co-founder of East Village, and all round London house legend Stuart Patterson (Faith, Soulsonic).
Besides house you’ll find monthly Rootikal with wildly enthusiastic reggae statesman David Rodigan (MBE), The Nextmen juggling, bubbling hip-hop, funk, soul reggae and jungle, and ubiquitous bruising bass nights.
The Drink
Bottles of beer start from £4 a bottle, house wine from around £15 a bottle, and cocktails cost in the region of £7-£8.
The Last Word
Four years on from opening, East Village’s motto, ‘The small club with big ideas’ rings as true as ever.