SOULBREW
Hoxton
Show off you pipes with some serious soul classics, backed by a live five-piece funk band. Perform music from all eras – from Jocelyn Brown to Beyonce.
Last Fri of every month. 8pm. £5.
1-5 Curtain Road, EC2A 3JX
queenofhoxton.com
Tube: Shoreditch High Street
HOUSE OF HOT BREATHE
KARAOKE
Bethnal Green
Husband and wife duo Hot Breath don’t like to do things the normal way. So instead of putting on straightforward karaoke nights, they’ve come up with a host of better ways to get pissed and belt out some tunes. Previous karaoke nights include I Sing Dead People – a Halloween night with a songlist made up of only dead artists. The next night is Cardioke, which is done on crosstrainers and the person who burns the most calories during their song wins an extra-special gift. Every night features a “Sing, Spin & Win” policy that lets singers spin a wheel to win a mystery prize.
Fri, Nov 11. 9pm.
Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club, 42-46 Pollard Row, E2 6NB
thehouseofhotbreath.com
Tube: Bethnal Green
KARAOKE BOX
Mayfair
At Karaoke Box, every room has its own theme – try the Rat Pack-inspired Old Boys’ Room, the Eighties-style Mixtape Room, the cabaret-themed Showgirls Room, or maybe bounce around in the Lady Gaga padded-cell room.
Daily. 3pm-1am. £30 .
14 Maddox Street, W1S 1PQ
karaokebox.co.uk
Tube: Oxford Circus
KARAUKE
Soho
You get a backing band for this karaoke night that champions cheesy pop classics. But not just any backing band – it’s a
10-piece ukulele band.
Thu, Nov 17. 7pm. FREE.
The Royal George, 133 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0EA
karauke.net
Tube: Tottenham Court Road
SPEED DUETING
Islington
A heady mix of karaoke and speed dating, Speed Dueting gives you a chance to work those lungs to wow any potential suitor. Singers will be put into girl groups and boy groups (so no one has to go it alone), who then sing for each other. And as it’s Movember this month, moustaches are compulsory for the boys.
Tues, Nov 22. 6pm. $7.
173-174 Upper Street, N1 1RG
luckyvoice.com
Tube: Highbury & Islington
INDIEOKIE
Islington
Would you prefer to get drunk and belt out your favourite songs by Pulp, The Gossip, Joy Division or Le Tigre instead of the standard karaoke cheese? Sing along to big indie tracks with the backing of a live band and you could be on the main stage at Glastonbury before you know it. Popular tracks on offer include Franz Ferdinand Take Me Out, Pulp’s Common People and Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes. After the show-offs have had their time to shine, a host of DJs play indie and pop until 4am. This sounds like a Friday night well spent – confirmed by the fact that BBC 6 Music’s Lauren Laverne is a fan.
First Fri of the month. 9pm. £6.
The Buffalo Bar, 259 Upper Street, N1 7RU
buffalobar.co.uk
Tube: Highbury & Islington
BLOOMSBURY LANES
KARAOKE ROOMS
Bloomsbury
After a game of bowling, head to the private lane-side karaoke rooms to sing some of the library of 7000 retro and indie classics. Floor-to-ceiling windows look out over the lanes, there are old-style red leather sofas and a mini-bar, plus the walls are covered with old records. Bookings last for two hours or more.
Weekdays til 2am, Fri/ Sat til 3am. £30 .
Tavistock Hotel Basement, Bedford Way, WC1H 9EU
bloomsburybowling.com
Tube: Russell Square
HIP HOP KARAOKE
Oxford Circus
There’s no singing, just rapping at this karaoke night with a hip hop twist. MC to your heart’s content with tunes from Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliot, Cypress Hill, 2Pac, Notorious BIG, Dr Dre, Dizzee Rascal, 50 Cent and other hip hop greats. Every performer gets a free bottle of beer after they spit their rhyme and the best rapper gets a goodie bag full of CDs. Performances are first-come, first-served, so brush up on your best gangsta moves and get there early.
Every Thurs. 6pm-1am. FREE.
5 Little Portland Street,
W1W 7JD
thesocial.com
Tube: Oxford Street
KARAOKE IN GRANDMA’S BURNT OUT LOUNGE
Shoreditch
Book into Villain Bar’s themed rooms – Grandma’s Burnt Out Lounge, decked out with comfy armchairs and twee lampshades, or the red leather chair-adorned Mad Men-style Ripped Out Office. Both booths are connected, so you can listen to what’s going on next door and, if you’re feeling competitive, hold your own singing tournament. Booths host up to eight people and have a selection of more than 8500 tunes. They’re also free during the week and £10 per hour on Saturdays. They both have their own drinks fridge and there’s the option to pre-order snacks. You won’t want to leave.
Tues-Sat. From 5pm. FREE.
Villain Bar, 89 Great Eastern Street, EC2A 3HX
villain-london.com
Tube: Old Street
THE NO-TELL MOTEL
Green Park
A room of debauchery at the Hawaiian-inspired nightclub Mahiki, where there’s a karaoke area and a fancy dress selection. Match your outfit to your song choice.
Mon-Sat. 5.30pm-3am.
1 Dover Street, W1s 4LD
mahiki.com
Tube: Green Park
HOT VOX FESTIVAL
Camden
Continue the weekend at the “festival without the mud” at Proud Camden. In the main room, discover a clubnight with bands and DJs playing indie, rock, funk, soul and electro. In the VIP stables, you’ll find table football, pole dancing, plus karaoke and Guitar Hero. This week, the venue will host The Yes Men, Dancing Lotus, LazyTalk and DeSylva and the Deadhorses, who will no doubt inspire you to get creative on the mic or
on that little plastic guitar until the small hours. It’s an ideal way to get over that Monday feeling.
Mon, Nov 14. 7.30pm. FREE.
Proud Camden, Stables Market, NW1 8AH
hotvox.co.uk
Tube: Chalk Farm
BUNGA BUNGA
Battersea
Bunga Bunga, the kitchy and incredibly brilliant tongue-in-cheek bar and restaurant that both champions and lampoons Italian politics, makes an interesting place for singing karaoke tunes. Scooters hang from the ceiling, pictures of Berlusconi adorn the walls and staff wear naked aprons of the opposite sex. Serenade diners from the stage, which has pride of place right by the bar and sports a painting of the Colosseum. Or let loose in
a superbly kitsch private karaoke room, which is dedicated to The Eurovision Song Contest.
Thurs-Sat, from 11pm; earlier on weeknights. FREE.
37 Battersea Bridge Road, SW11 3BA
bungabunga-london.com
Tube: Battersea Park
GAY KARAOKE
Limehouse
Release your inner diva at the original East End gay dance bar.
Every Thurs, from 9pm. FREE.
BJ’s White Swan, 556 Commercial Road, E14 7JD
bjswhiteswan.co.uk
Tube: Limehouse
ALL STAR KARAOKE
Brick Lane
After dinner and a game of bowling, head to either the “Country” or “Western” karaoke rooms to chant or croon the evening away to some retro and modern classics, over a few choice cocktails.
Mon-Thurs til 12am, Fri/Sat til 1am. £25+.
All Star Lanes, 95 Brick Lane, E1 6QL
allstarlanes.co.uk
Tube: Shoreditch High Street
ROCKAOKE
Kensington
This alternative night out lets you live the rockstar dream and sing with backing from a live band. Rockaoke nights happen all over London, but the next is at AAA in Kensington, where entry is free before 9pm and £6 after, and all singers get to fuel their rockstar behaviour with a free drink. The songlist includes Addicted To Love by Robert Palmer, Are You Gonna Be My Girl by Jet, Johnny B Goode by Chuck Berry, Allana Miles’ Black Velvet, Rock ‘n’ Roll Star by Oasis and Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit. You can also hire the Rockaoke band privately – now that would make a pretty awesome birthday shindig.
Fri, Nov 18. 8pm. FREE.
AAA, 11-13 Kensington High Street, W8 5NP
rockaokenights.com
Tube: High Street Kensington|
ON BOARD KARAOKE
Earl’s Court
The Japanese know how to do karaoke like no one else, and this is London’s only authentic Japanese social karaoke bar.
Everyday. 12pm-1am. £12+.
8 Kenway Road, SW5 0RR
onboardkaraoke.co.uk
Tube: Earl’s Court