Heavy breathing and sweating profusely wasn't the look I was
going for when I planned my grand entrance to this "night of
sophisticated Tomfoolery for metrosexual women" but then I should
have thought of that when I chose to take the stairs instead of the
lift to the 8th floor Penthouse. I did however receive a
delightful frisking from a friendly female bouncer on entering the
club which was tantamount to foreplay. I didn't take her
number.
Lately the club's been given a monthly theme, the most recent
one being 'At it like bunnies" - no doubt a throw-back to
pagan times when Easter was a celebration of fertility. So if you
dressed as a bunny you got in absolutely free; if you wore just the
ears, you got free shots. I find this "dress up like an idiot for
free booze" sort of negates the "sophisticated" Lounge philosophy
but I've never been one to let dignity stand in my way. If nothing
else, it gets you attention. I went in full camo gear on the month
they held "Disguise" lounge and for their Valentines party dressed
from head-to-toe in red, like some kind of deranged off-duty Father
Christmas.
The drinks here are expensive, so don't get a round in unless
you've just re-mortgaged your house. But the girls are great.
Despite expectations this isn't a club full of glamazonian women
barristers and fashionistas from the city. Mainly it's just the
normal mix of girls in plaid, with tatts and a smattering of badly
fitting waistcoats and kitten heels. I worried that I was
underdressed but as we all know, lesbians and dress codes are like
oil and water - there's always going to be a girl skulking around
in boyfriend jeans and Converse.
Lounge music is charty with absolutely no room for music
snobbery, it's fun and the rhythm (and free shots) definitely did
get me. Everyone is friendly and it's easy to get chatting to
strangers, which is a refreshing change from moody East London
clubs where I have perfected my 'I don't give a fuck' scowl. As I
spend a lot of my time wondering whether when I am "between jobs",
I can call myself a "freelancer" I was worried I would be
outnumbered by loaded young professionals but the fact is, you can
come to Lounge irrespective of what job you do, or what clothes you
wear, unless you want to get in free, that is…
NB Some words of warning - DON'T look into the mirrors in the
lift, the light's awful. DON'T get off at the wrong floor or you
might find yourself in whole other kind of hell, aka the straight
R&B nights that are scattered over the other floors.
The Penthouse
1 Leicester Square
London, United Kingdom
Every 3rd Thursday of the month
lounge.uk.net
