21 years of KU!

A glittering pinnacle of Soho society, Ku has graced the cobbled streets of Central London across five venues. Whether you’re stumbling into steaming Chinatown for an aromatic bite after a Saturday night at Klub, or mincing down Old Compton Street to their Frith Street branch for a gossip and an Aperol Spritz, they’re always the perfect concoction or conclusion for a night out!

Now, they’re turning TWENTY-ONE years old. That’s the same age as Gigi Hadid. She’d love the Ku venues actually, we can just picture hr draped on a banquette in the Light Lounge, sipping a white negroni and unfollowing Selena Gomez on Instagram.

Anyway, in a world where many venues are being compromised, Ku are more cemented in society than ever! They’re having a wild month, with ambidextrously ambitious plans for new nights, new looks, and new horizons! We asked PR manager Nieko and owner Gary to tell us all about it.

 


NIEKO

Hey Nieko! Tell us all about your super cool 21st birthday campaign.

WELL, you know as well as a birthday celebration, we LUUURVE a brand shining new campaign to celebrate the milestone. So, our Ku boys have stripped it all back once again! Andrew Christian has styled our boys for this 21st Birthday campaign, which celebrates the recently re-furbished Ku Leicester Square venue – very “lighting installation” vibes; expected a cross between flesh-revealing Star Wars and The Saturdays’ “Not Giving Up” music video. Basically: We’re working with the talented Adam Khadaroo and Calum Ducat on producing some gorgeous imagery! The boys. In underwear. In our new venue. With sexy lighting. Hope you enjoy it!

You’ve got so much going on at the moment!

So much, right?! Since our Klub re-launch, our weekends continue to have capacity, party lovin’ crowds. So happy! So YES, Saturday 10th December, we’re bringing all those that have been involved in the new Klub back on decks for a set…one big epic birthday celebration with DJs, hosts, and those Ku boys in Andrew Christian! 

Have you got super-duper DJs as always?

Our DJ line-up includes: Matt Bogard, Zach Burns, Chris Brogan, Sexshooters, Marilio, Who is Tom Fox?, Rodrigo Tancredi, Kerol Garcia, Charlie Holland, Pablo Eseeme, Lady Lloyd. Nd then it’s me, Vicki Vivacious, Tristan Temple and Jacqui Swallows hosting.

And there’s a new cabaret night on Sundays isn’t there?

YAAS! Now THIS is something VERY new for Ku, and Soho too! We’re launching KABARET SUNDAYS on 11th December – in our own Ku style. We’ll be bringing the sassiest, most entertaining cabaret talent to our Klub stage, every Sunday evening from 7pm. Just WAIT to you hear the mouth on our weekly host: Jacqui Swallows. She’ll be hosting, doing numbers, and introducing acts… such as CHARLIE HIDES and SUM TING WONG on our first night!


 

KU

 


Jacqui Swallows

“I’m so thrilled to be joining the KU family to bring the world Kabaret Sundays! I’m excited to be bringing a new cabaret show to Soho on a Sunday, with some of the best acts from across the UK, in a sexy sophisticated new set up with gorgeous boys, drinks and tonnes of talent. Coming in January will be a glorious new Lip Sync for your Life competition allowing new performers on the scene the chance to compete, showcase their talents and even win a slot performing with some of the best acts across the country at a Kabaret Sunday!”

Finally, let us and our readers know what we can expect from the new KU!

It’s an incredibly exciting time at Ku Group as we’ve finished refurbishments across our flagship venue: The Light Lounge, Klub, now Ku Leicester Square. We enter the festive season with a “new look Ku”, a new campaign, and an energy to provide you with the best Soho can offer. Of course, we’ve got the boys…but we’ve also got great DJ and cabaret entertainment lined-up, and some delicious events to get you OUT! Welcome…to our 21st birthday celebrations Soho!

 


GARY

Hey Gary! So Ku is 21 years old. Tell us about your journey. There must have been some amazing moments…

It’s been an amazing 21 years. I opened Ku with then business partner Michal Joyce back in December 1995. I had been involved in a number of successful West End venues including The Village and Kudos, and after a short stint in PR I was delighted to get back to my calling, the bar business! Ku was launched at 75 Charing Cross Road, pre-internet, pre-apps, pre-twitter. It was an immediate success and became particularly famous as a young people’s bar, a ‘coming out’ bar if you will. I became the sole owner in 2000, and, facing a huge rent increase in Jan 2006, I made the decision to close the Charing Cross Road venue and find somewhere else. Ku closed its doors on Saturday January 8th 2005 to a capacity teary-eyed crowd singing along to The Spice Girls’ “Goodbye”  

A massive risk, all my savings, a brewery and bank of dad loan, and I launched Ku at a massively larger venue on Valentine’s Day Feb 14th 2007. Ku Lisle St was born. 

The risk paid off and Ku has gone from strength to strength since then, expanding to include: Klub, The Light Lounge, Ku Soho and She Soho.

There is a great camaraderie amongst my management and staff. People are happy to work at Ku and that comes across, and compliments the customer experience. 

I have a great team, employ over 50 people and get great pleasure from seeing thousands of satisfied customers every week.  

I have been very lucky and appreciate everything that Ku has become. I like to think we appeal to all across the LGBT scene. We strive to exceed expectations. 

KU

So you guys have had a major refurb! What was the process and the inspiration behind it?

Well, over the last 15 months we had invested in The Light Lounge, our premium cocktail bar on the 1st floor at Lisle Street. Having such a premium finish up there, we realised we needed to bring all 3 floors to the same standard. The Klub was refurbished at the end of summer and then we turned our attention to the main floor. It was a case of giving back to the customers, giving them a venue they could be proud of. The Ku brand has become iconic in London and it’s important to keep the brand at the forefront of innovation. Ku is all about high standards of service, sexy boys and fun nights. We also want it to be about quality surroundings. 

I’m very pleased with the end results, and the feedback has been amazing. At Ku we strive to constantly evolve – pleasing existing, and attracting new clientele. 

And we hear there’s a celebration and auction on Thursday 8th?

Our Annual Charity Auction will take place on Thursday 8th December as part of our 21st Birthday Celebrations. At 7pm sharp there is a free Champagne Toast, then it’s straight into the auction, which should last around an hour. The auction includes a vineyard trip to France, a Heineken trip to Amsterdam, a Trademark Bowie Mask, as well as restaurant vouchers and theatre tickets. There will be a massive raffle with lots of amazing Christmas hampers up for grabs. All proceeds are in aid of Diversity Role Models, a charity dedicated to education and the eradication of LGBT bullying.  So join us for a great charity fundraising event, the party continues all weekend across all Ku Venues.

 

• The Charity Auction on 8th December, the birthday celebrations on 10th December, and Ku’s weekly Kabaret Sundays will all be taking place at their Lisle Street Chinatown venue. 30 Lisle Street, WC2H 7BA. For more info, head to ku-bar.co.uk

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