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Party with mates, go on the pull, or just stay at home with a video. Either way, if you're single you'll have way more fun than all those couples feeling the pressure to spend the evening whispering sweet nothings and spending vast sums of cash.
 Bloomsbury Bowling Underneath Tavistock Hotel, Tavistock Place, WC1H 9EU This concept bar is an inspired idea: eight lanes of bowling, in a stylish venue, with a classy diner, eccentrically located in an old car park under the Tavistock Hotel. For their Valentine's Day Special 'the lanes' are putting on some top musical entertainment with Sean Rowley of Guilty Pleasures, The Broken Hearts and The Laundrettas replacing the jukebox with live music. Sean will be spinning some classic 'I love this one' tracks while The Broken Hearts - Amber and Nisha - will be dressing up and DJing in their own unique style. Singles looking for love - or someone to bowl you over - should join in the Match and Bowl. Cheap drinks and the pure fun of bowling make this night a cracker, whether you're on the pull, or just hitting the lanes with a few mates. Address: Underneath Tavistock Hotel, Tavistock Place, WC1H 9EU Phone: 020 7691 2652 Timing: 20:00 - 3:00 Pricing: £7 Nearest Station: Russell Square Tube Bloomsbury Bowling - Information   Bodean's BBQ Smoke House10 Poland Street, W1F 8PZ If you fancy a meal with mates on Valentine's, and don't feel like being surrounded by a lot of dismal couples, hopelessly attempting to find something to talk about they haven't said a hundred times already in their stale and meaningless relationships, then Bodean's is probably the place to go. There are branches all over the capital, and it's the last place any drippy romantic would choose for a date: there's sport on the TV, tables are in large and comfortable booths, designed for cheery groups, and, above all, the food is authentically American. This means enormous portion of rich, slow-cooked, smoky, carbs-and-meat. It's not sophisticated, it's not attractive and it's certainly not healthy, but it is an unadulterated pleasure, especially on the dullest winter day of all. Details given are for the Soho branch, there are also branches in Clapham, Westbourne Park and Fulham. Address: 10 Poland Street, W1F 8PZ Phone: 020 7287 7575 Pricing: Evening Main courses £6-£15, Lunchtime from £4 Nearest Station: Oxford Circus Tube Bodean's BBQ Smoke House - Information  Gaz's Rockin' BluesSt Moritz, 149 Wardour Street, W1F 8WL Valentine's Day, 14th February 2008, and every Thursday Gaz Mayall started DJing in the early 1970s, picking up a huge collection of ska and reggae records from stalls and shops in Notting Hill. In 1980, he opened his first regular club... and it's run every Thursday since, making it the longest-running regular night in London. Reggae is still the mainstay, but blues, basement, hip-hop, soul and jungle, as well as live bands and a regular appearance at Notting Hill Carnival, have helped to keep this Soho legend bang up to date. The current venue is not exactly the most sophisticated nightspot in Soho, but the unappealing appearance of St Moritz has helped keep the tourists at bay, and ensured that Gaz's Rockin' Blues remains one of the best music-lovers' nights in the capital. Venue: St Moritz Address: 159 Wardour Street, W1F 8WL Phone: 020 7734 3324 Date: Valentine's Day, 14th February 2008, and every Thursday Time: 22:00-3:30 Pricing: £8 (£6 before 23:00) Nearest Station: Tottenham Court Road Tube Gaz's Rockin' Blues - Information  The HomecomingAlmeida Theatre, 1a & 1b Almeida Street, N1 1TA 31st January 2008 - 22nd March 2008 Harold Pinter knew the score: this is a play that makes Sex, Lies and Videotape look like Disney's Cinderella. Philosophy professor Teddy returns to the gloomy household in London where his father and brother still live, bringing his wife Ruth with him. What follows is a series of mind games, as the family members compete to dominate the household. Full of ambiguity, malice and black comedy, with a particular emphasis on sexual cruelty, The Homecoming is one of the most brutal depictions of the battle of the sexes ever staged, and an ideal antidote to all that sickly Valentine's nonsense. Venue: Almeida Theatre Address: 1a & 1b Almeida Street, N1 1TA Phone: 020 7359 4404 Date: 31st January 2008 - 22nd March 2008 Time: Mon to Sat 19:30, Matinees Sat 15:00 Pricing: £6-£29.50 Nearest Station: Highbury & Islington Tube or Rail The Homecoming - Information  JusticeThe Astoria, 157 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0EN Valentine's Day, 14th February 2008 Mixing the cool Gallic disco-funk of Daft Punk with twisted distortion and samples taken from the rawest punk and metal sounds has made Justice the dance music act of the year. The live show, played beneath their signature giant glowing cross, is a rare phenomenon in dance music, setting up a genuine moshpit among the fans at the front. Mixing original tunes with some of their most celebrated remixes, they've got more than enough material for a full-length live set, and with their scruffy, leather-jacketed look, they're a world away from the geekiness that many DJs display when dragged onto a stage at a proper rock venue. Venue: The Astoria Address: Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0EN Phone: 020 8963 0940 Date: Valentine's Day, 14th February 2008 Time: 19:30 Pricing: £15.60 Nearest Station: Tottenham Court Road Tube Justice - Information  Palladium + AlphabeatThe Borderline, 16 Manette Street, W1D 4JB Valentine's Day, 14th February 2008 The last couple of years have seen Palladium tipped for success by everyone from Amy Winehouse to The Guardian, and although single High 5 wasn't quite the breakthrough they expected (it peaked at number 44 in the charts), 2008 is surely their year, and this will be one of the last chances to catch them for under a tenner in a tiny venue full of obsessive fans. If they don't hit the bigtime soon, they seem certain to be overtaken by their support act, mental Danish ABBA/Bowie crossbreeds Alphabeat. Anyway, if you want to snog a skinny hipster this Valentine's, or simply jump up and down to some fantastic tunes, the Borderline will be the place to do it. Venue: The Borderline Address: 16 Manette Street, W1D 4JB Phone: 0870 060 3777 Date: Valentine's Day, 14th February 2008 Time: 20:00 Pricing: £9 Nearest Station: Tottenham Court Road Tube Palladium + Alphabeat - Information  Roller DiscoRenaissance Rooms, off Miles Street, SW8 1RZ Valentine's Day, Thursday 14th February, and every Thu, Fri & Sat If you do want to pull this Valentine's, and can't be doing with the crushing social awkwardness of a speed dating event, then this is the place to go. Cheery seventies hits, funky house music and some pretty good Hip-Hop and RnB, provide the music, and the standard of the skating is hugely varied, from cheerful drunken fun (with instructors on hand to help untangle the amateur skaters), to some skatetastic body-popping. The constant crashing into each other makes for a thoroughly friendly atmosphere, and the skating gimmick has produced one of the most mixed crowds in London, with students and locals, gay and straight, and all different races happily spinning round, helping each other off the floor and flirting in the bar. Arrive early, or you won't get in. Venue: Renaissance Rooms Address: off Miles Street, SW8 1RZ Phone: 0207 630 6625 Date: Valentine's Day, Thursday 14th February, and every Thu, Fri & Sat Time: Thu 20:00-0:00, Fri & Sat 20:00-2:00 Pricing: Thu £10, Fri & Sat £12.50 Nearest Station: Vauxhall Tube / Rail Roller Disco - Information  Today is Boring | Video CityIt's becoming ridiculously hard to rent a DVD in London, as one-by-one the local stores fold under the combined pressure of rising rents and the pay-per-view digital channels. The places that have survived the cull, however, are really rather good. Shoreditch's Today is Boring offers a madly eclectic selection of 2500 DVDs, mixing the finest arthouse classics with barely-remembered 80s teen comedies, pulp favourites and action blockbusters. West Londoners should check out Video City, whose name betrays their relentlessly low-tech approach - it sometimes takes a while to find the film you're looking for in their vast photocopied catalogue, but ask the staff, and they're almost certain to be able to dig it up from somewhere. Both places offer multi-day rentals, so even if they aren't close to home, you should be able to return your tape without incurring fines. Today is Boring - Information Video City - Information  YOYO - You're Only Young OnceNotting Hill Arts Club, 19 Notting Hill Gate, W11 3JQ Valentine's Day, 14th February 2008, and every Thursday A fierce party blend of hip-hop, R&B and soul, and a funky young crowd make this a top night out with DJs Seb Chew and Leo Greenslade. Whether you're single, coupled-up, on the pull, or just fancy a boogie, the Notting Hill Arts Club's regular Thursday-nighter can't be faulted as Valentine's entertainment. This is old-fashioned, hard-dancin' stuff and a top way to get warmed up for the weekend, escape the pressures of 14th February, and maybe meet the love of your life. It's become so popular that some nights are guestlist only: check out their myspace (yoyouk) for details of how to get in. Venue: Notting Hill Arts Club Address: 19 Notting Hill Gate, W11 3JQ Phone: 020 7460 4459 Date: Valentine's Day, 14th February 2008, and every Thursday Time: 19:00-2:00 Pricing: £5 Nearest Station: Notting Hill Gate Tube YOYO - You're Only Young Once - Information  25th Luton Beer FestivalHightown Sports and Arts Centre, Luton, LU2 0JD 14th - 16th February 2008 We don't normally cover events this far out of London, but we just LOVE the fact that Luton Beer Festival is opening on Valentine's Day. A real ale festival in Luton: what could be a greater symbol of the British spirit of romance? If you fancy giving two fingers to the whole idea of Valentine's Day (or if you just like your real ales) this provides a cheaper and more intimate alternative to the Earl's Court event later in the year, with around 80 real ales from independent breweries, as well as ciders, perry and foreign bottled beers. Venue: Hightown Sports and Arts Centre Address: Concorde Street, Luton, LU2 0JD Phone: 01582 513 159 Date: 14th - 16th February 2008 Time: Thu 17:00-23:00, Fri 12:00-23:00, Sat 11:00-23:00 Pricing: Thu £2.50, Fri & Sat £1.50 (before 18:00) £2.50 (after 18:00), Nearest Station: Luton Rail 25th Luton Beer Festival - Information |
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