24/05/11: It doesn’t take this reviewer much convincing to mince down to New Bloomsbury Set (or, in fact most places that serve me alcohol).
Not just because it’s one of our favourite drinking dens, or the fact my name is on the toilet wall in the classiest way ever (The bathroom is covered with pages of literature, and Mrs Dalloway gets a mention on the cubicle wall – as usual) but because on this particular night, they’re giving it retro!
Yes, every Thursday, NBS becomes a haven of, “Do the shake and vac and put the freshness back”, “Oh Ambassador, with these Ferrero Rocher’s you’re really spoiling us, and “secret lemonade drinker”.
If you’re too young to know what any of that sentence means, then FUCK OFF, JUST FUCK OFF [Slathers on another layer of moisturiser, placenta and essence of newborn child].
New Bloomsbury Set is serving up a weekly dose of nostalgia in Polaroid, with DJ Mike spinning super cool classics (Think cool 60s Motown, 70s cool disco, 80s new romantic and 90s indiepop) alongside an authentic 1970s TV set (with knobs to change channels instead of a remote control) blasting out classic commercials and even the old Thames Television ident.
We’d wipe a tear away if only the Botox would allow us to cry. There’s even a different ‘classic drinks’ deal each week, and we certainly started feeling very Joan Collins as we knocked back our fifth Cinzano.
The crowd was an eclectic mix of thirtysomethings happy to appreciate some childhood memories and twentysomethings lapping up the old skool tuneage, and everyone broke out into an impromptu karaoke sesh as the evening progressed.
And what better way to end the night than with hilarious guv’nor Jez pulling out an old fashioned vacuum cleaner from the cupboard and recreating Freddie Mercury’s infamous ‘I Want To Break Free’ video. An amazing night, you must go!
New Bloomsbury Set, 76 Marchmont Street, Bloomsbury, WC1N 1AG
Words by Lee ‘c.1892’ Dalloway
Photos by Joel-ryder.com (see T-shirt for further details)