From craft fairs to boxing squirrels; it’s The New Going Out

No one can deny the fact that the recession is a bit of a bore.  You’re skinter than ever and can’t afford to live the champagne lifestyle you feel you so very much deserve; even if you can still afford to buy drinks AND dinner, chances are your friends cannot, and eating alone in public is so… brave.

The knock-on effect of all this austerity is that lots of great bars and pubs have been forced to close. Some venues however, are getting wise to the times what are a-changin’ and have created a sort of New Going Out scene.

The New Going Out bars have worked out that to lure patrons off their sofas and away from their hard earned pennies, you need more than just moderately priced drinks and a little background music. The Book Club in Shoreditch hosts a diverse range of nights, from craft fairs and philosophical lectures to club nights and art exhibitions downstairs and has a ping-pong room upstairs, while the Proud Galleries in Camden manages to be an art gallery, a bar, a gig venue and a club all at the same time. Still, our props have to go to The Victoria in Mile End. By day it is an old fashioned pub with a bizarre collection of taxidermy, a wide food menu and lovely homemade cupcakes. By night it variously transforms into an achingly cool club, a teeny cinema or a gig venue. We recommend, especially if you are a fan of dioramas featuring boxing squirrels.

- Anya Driscoll, Contributor