Stormzy is set to recreate the house parties of his youth — complete with bedroom DJs, karaoke, and N64s — in a huge new bar opening in Soho this weekend, with £1 drinks offered on its opening nights.
Called House Party, fittingly enough, the immersive bar and nightclub will take over an enormous seven-storey site on Soho’s Poland Street, previously occupied by celebrated cocktail spot Milk & Honey. Each floor will offer something different, mirroring the typical layout of a house, albeit an admittedly large one.
“I’ve always loved the energy of a classic house party — it’s where the best memories are made. We wanted to create a nostalgic experience where everyone is welcome, and no two nights are the same,” the Vossi Bop rapper told the Standard. “We all know everyone wants to go to a house party, nobody really wants to host one — and this is exactly what this house is for.”
Within each room will be hallmarks of a classic teenage house party, with a somewhat American twist — red cups, beer pong tables, New York-style pizza, big sofas for lazing on — as well as actors and performers, who will, the press puff says, “offer customers an authentic house party experience and bring the space alive.”
Rooms that will feature include a kitchen, bedroom and garage. There will also be a roof terrace, as well as a “secret” room dedicated to Joey and Chandler from Friends, “with lazy boys, private mini fridge, a media centre and 1800 phone for fresh pizza.”
Pizza, then, dominates the food offering, though there will also be Dr Pepper-dressed, slow-cooked chicken wings. Drinks will be somewhat a-typical for a house party, at least the ones most teenage Brits attended, with cans of Red Stripe, bottles of Frosty Jacks and Malibu swapped out in favour of Tommy’s Margaritas and Dark n’ Stormys. All food and drink can be ordered via QR codes, which the founders say will avoid “breaking the illusion” of the venue as a party. The £1 drinks offer will only be available from 6pm-10pm on the opening two nights, Friday June 7 and Saturday June 8, but the venue is promising free drinks regularly for guests who can solve clues or tasks, such as “finding mum’s diary”.
Music will be a feature on every floor, with DJs spinning different genres throughout. Press information suggests the bar is looking to bring in big names to man the venue: “House Party is the only place in London where bedroom-DJs-turned-headliners will once again become bedroom DJs,” the release reads.
There will also be the chance for guests to “pass the Aux” — play their own music via Bluetooth — as well as Britney vs Biggie karaoke offering in the master bedroom, complete with costumes available.
The experience has been co-created with the Cream Group, whose other venues include Dear Darling, Cirque Le Soir and Reign.
