Love and liquor isn’t always a good combination, as songs like Dead Kennedy’s “Too drunk to f***” can tell you. But in the case of this cool nightclub in Kilburn, the only negative side effects were spells of lightheaded euphoria on the dance floor and a sudden eruption of separation anxiety at 3am.
Love and Liquor is bringing late-night cool to Kilburn
Venue and Vibe
Their Brooklyn inspired scenery features the obligatory neon signs, exposed brick and gritty street art in a venue that has a lightning system casting swirling red lips around you like a cabaret version of a shaken-up snow globe. The club has two table areas with cosy leather booths which were bustling with party groups when we arrived at 10.00pm. The club also has a dance floor, wardrobe, VIP table area, street side smoking area and a private bar. The high ceiling and industrial metal grids generated a nice open vibe between the different spaces.
Exposed brickwork and a secret bar at Love & Liquor
Clientele
Love and Liquor walks the middle ground between gritty Shoreditch hipster clubs and sophisticated central London boutique clubs. The clientele was sociable and out for a fun Saturday night, with ages ranging from 21-40. The girls wore trendy outfits and cute dresses and guys mainly rocked casual shirts or t-shirts; and looked like they spent more time at the gym than with fashion blogs. With Kilburn being a bit off the beaten track I got the feeling most people were there specifically because they had been recommended this urban hot-spot, with very few tourists or sheeple in sight.
Get some New York style at Love and Liquor
Music
By 11pm Love and Liquor was pretty packed and the dance floor was raving in the midst of artificial smoke. The DJ mixed the most commercial RnB- receiving an ecstatic cheer for “Niggas in Paris” and “We Found Love”– with popular House remixes and the likes of Swedish House Mafia. Keeping it on the right side of cool he also introduced a few quirky mash ups and eclectic heavy beats. The club had a better girl ratio and was more sophisticated than most butt-rubbing RnB clubs around town, without completely compromising the edgy Azealia Banks NYC attitude that had the venue bouncing until 3am.
Drinks
The bar was very busy but the bartenders were friendly and tried their best to keep up with demand. Their cocktails definitely had some personality and originality to their recipes and ingredients. I recommend the “Velvet Elvis” (Jack Daniels, Chambord berry liquor, lime juice and lemonade). Their offer of 6 shots for £20 seemed like a popular venture with interesting flavours to choose from like Peanut Butter & Jelly (Baileys, Chambord and Frangelico) and Cajun Thunder (Southern Comfort and tabasco).
Conclusion
After four hours of riotous dancing at Love and Liquor I was ready to mark the cool urban club as a new favourite among late-night clubs for funky Londoners. And to book their booths and tables for 6-30 people seemed perfect for a birthday celebrations etc. Love and Liquor is shaking things up in north west London, that’s for sure!
Book a table or get on the guest list.
And Finally...
This is what the private bar, The Volstead Library, looked like just before closing. We love the fact that they have a pop-corn machine! The bar takes up to a hundred people.
The secret bar: The Volstead Library
