This year, Ku celebrate their 20th birthday! They’ve been with us for twenty alcohol-soaked years! And in that time they’ve established themselves as one of London’s slickest, sassiest, sexiest gay venues!
We spoke to owner Gary Henshaw and manager Nieko Strobel about their plans to commemorate their twentieth, including a refurb, a rebrand, and a collaboration with Los Angeles underwear moguls, Marco Marco.
GARY
Hi Gary, we’re so happy for you boys reaching your twentieth year! Tell us your thoughts on it and what it symbolises for you.
It’s something I’m obviously very proud of. It’s a difficult market and one that has gone through incredible changes over the last 20 years. Ku has expanded and diversified and continually adapts to embrace the changes that impact the LGBT community. This is why we are still here and still improving. Ku will always strive to improve itself and always aim to make our customers enjoy themselves and return again and again.
“Ku has expanded and diversified and continually adapts to embrace the changes that impact the LGBT community.”
For readers who don’t know, give us a small history of Ku Bar! How did it all get going, and what have been your best times over the years?
Ku opened on Charing Cross Road in December 1995, moving to its flagship venue in Leicester Square in 2007. The Ku Group is now made up of 2 sites divided into 5 very different venues offering very different experiences. Ku Bar Leicester Square, Klub Leicester Square, She Soho – our women’s venue – Ku Soho, and our newest venue the fabulous Light Lounge – our 100 capacity cocktail venue.
We’ve had some amazing times over the years. The last night at Ku Charing Cross Road was amazing, a tearful goodbye to a venue with so many happy memories. Launch parties for me have always been exciting too and a nervous launch on Valentines Day 2007 of our flagship venue off Leicester Square remains a highlight of my career.
Do you have some exciting plans going forward?
We’ve got an all-new advertising campaign and a sexy new look! I love the fact that we’ve always used our own staff and management team in our advertising campaigns. It’s something that binds us all and makes the team so proud to be part of the Ku family. Damien our QX cover boy has been with us for over 6 years and has worked his way through the ranks to become a Ku manager. Ku is a team effort and the boys genuinely enjoy their job. I’m always pleased to see new staff members head out for a meal or to the cinema together. Working at Ku brings them an entire new group of friends. I love when I go on Facebook and see staff who worked at Ku many years ago visiting other ex-staff on holidays. Many of these friendships are for life. That’s something to feel good about.
Tell us about your exciting refurbs!
Our current focus is on upgrading our 150 capacity club venue in our basement at Ku Leicester Square, Lisle Street. We’re investing in an all new sound and light system. Rearranging the venue totally, with a complete refurb. Expect new furnishings and spanking new toilets, all over the coming weeks. This will be followed later in the summer with a total refurbishment of the main floor at Lisle Street. I’ve seen the plans and I’m very excited. Re-investing in our venues and enhancing our customer experiences is what keeps Ku at the top of its game.
NIEKO
Nieko! Tell us about the super glossy new Ku campaign
Oh, gladly! In recent years we’ve loved creating very high-end, fashion-esque, campaigns…bringing a bit of style to Soho socialising! We’ve gone for a bit more of a sophisticated image recently, so we thought…time to turn that on its head! Ahead of some really sexy refurbs taking place in our main bar and Klub, we’ve pulled the boys back to their lovely, skin-baring selves! The campaign includes all of those that make Ku what it is; The DJs, hosts…and also shows off our gorgeous Ku Bar Boys; the face of the brand. “Ku 20 Part 2” is an insight into what’s coming in the next chapter of the Ku Group; I’m incredibly excited for everyone to see.
“We are paying back to our customers by providing Soho’s most glossy, gogo dancer filled, 3am venue.”
Marco Marco is such a well-suited partnership with Ku Bar. Boys and bright colours! How did it all come about?
Isn’t it?! I’m ecstatic with excitement over this partnership. We are the FIRST bar in the UK to create an official partnership with LA based mega-brand Marco Marco; who are known for kitting out dancers and bar boys across the US; now, we are planning on bringing that LA, gogo sexiness to Soho… and of course, have the Ku boys baring ALL and nothing, in our new imagery.
And finally, your amaze new refurb and relaunch?
We’ve slowly started upgrade works the Klub. A venue that may have typically been known as simply “Ku’s late night venue”, is now making a serious name for itself; with queues every weekend, we are paying back to our customers by providing Soho’s most glossy, gogo dancer filled, 3am venue. Our music has been taken up a notch by our DJ team; you’ll find the sounds of Circuit and dance festivals keeping people dancing til’ the end. We will soon announce a relaunch date; expect state of the art lighting systems, pyrotechnics, our incredibly talented DJ team; and of course – the Ku Bar Boys in nothing but Marco Marco underwear. Keep…an…EYE OUT!
KU Leicester Square – Flagship Venue
30 Lisle Street, WC2H 7BA
