* * * * * * * *

Thursday,
March, 30,
2006

Fly Home Page      
Europe: City Guides/Events

FLY HOME
NEWS
AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST
ASIA/PACIFIC
CARIBBEAN
EUROPE
-Features
-Reviews
-City Guides/Events
LATIN AMERICA
US/CANADA
- - - - - -
FLY VIDEO
FLYkr GALLERIES
FLY CD SHOP (UK)
FLY CD STORE (US)




world music ring
womex 08


www.flickr.com
This is a Flickr badge showing public photos from flykr. Make your own badge here.

The Big Chill House - Kings Cross, London

April sees the addition of a new house of entertainment as The Big Chill follows the success of their Brick Lane bar with the opening of The Big Chill House.

“Fresh, alternative and, in true Big Chill style, oozing friendly vibes, the multi-faceted House is set to become a home from home in the up-and-coming King’s Cross village”, say The Big Chill’s Pete Lawrence and Katrina Larkin and “this is the perfect place to do it”.

The site in Pentonville Road was originally three town houses but over the years they have been used as various themed bars. It’s said that it will have a 5000+ capacity with a large main room, dining areas, first floor club, chill out zone in the basement and an outdoor terrace. The idea is that these different ‘rooms’ will be as close to the festival feel of their main summer event throughout the year. Even better than that, it’ll be free to get in except for a small night time fee.

Locals or visitors to the area may have known 257-259 Pentonvillle Road in its last incarnation as Sahara Nights. Before that it was The Crossbar (as it’s next to the Thameslink Station) and before that The Bell. As it’s just around the corner from where Mole Jazz was, I used to go in The Bell when it was a gay bar as it had a rather good pool table, happy days.

But times change and this looks like a shrewd business and property move as the area is undergoing a mass regeneration project associated with the high speed Channel Tunnel Rail Link (remember Ministry Of Sound and the affect the opening of the nearby Eurostar Terminal at Waterloo had on its popularity?). So, while the area has been a building site for ages and Planning Consents have recently been granted to build loads more hotels, bars, restaurants in the area behind the mainline station, The Big Chill’s timing looks right as they’ve got in first in an established location just as the work to the train stations looks like it’s coming to an end.

Not to be confused with the Big Chill Bar or The Big Chill Festival, the Big Chill House looks like the place to go and a brilliant excuse to miss the train home.

Links:
www.bigchill.net & The Big Chill House 6am entertainment and 4am drinking licence at weekends.
THE BIG CHILL FESTIVAL AT EASTNOR CASTLE DEER PARK 2006 (already confirmed Coldcut (AV set), Bugz In The Attic (full live band) Kieran Hebden / Steve Reid, Sebastien Tellier (La Ritournelle) and Hanne Hukkelburg, DJ Gilles Peterson and many, many more to be announced) The Big Chill festival 2006 will take place from 4th-6th August 2006 at the beautiful Eastnor Castle Deer Park. Tickets are now on sale, but will not be dispatched until May 2006.
Camden New Journal: Kings Cross Redevelopment
North London CAMRA: Sahara Nights, 257-259 Pentonville Road, N1 9NL: “No real ale Formerly The Bell - now a “Moroccan” theme pub - only in North London! Formerly Bell. Last update: 23/05/2005”
Sahara Nights: “This bar/club/restaurant has four floors and a roof garden, allowing them to offer dancing, eating, and chilling-out all at the same time. It’s beautifully designed, with an Arabic theme, which means lots of low benches, drapes and coloured glass, with red and yellow furnishings”.
The Bell as mentioned in ‘The Lost Gay Scene Of The Eighties



COMMENTS

am i the only person who thinks this place suck’s… bad sound, and so crammed you can’t get to other floors. the bar in east london is full of dorks in suits… have seen the growth of big chill, looks like they’re chasing the £’s

—tony
Friday 1 September 2006


30 minute que & the doormen are idiots! the doorman removed the barrier so i made the mistake of stepping through to discover he had to grant permission and look me in the eye first before i could go in. he made a song and dance for ten minutes, so i apologised (only because my friends birthday going on inside and needed to go in). then shouted that i didnt need to apologise. idiot. then had the pleasure of being frisked for ten minutes by a larger lady, even checked between every rail card and receipt. then she asked if i had any weapons or drugs!! ha ha. would anyone admit this?? then it cost me £5 for the pleasure. i literally was shaking when i got in. the music is some rave concoction from east europe in the 90s and the rude pretentious people barge past with no manners. bar service needs sorting out. if you can bare this long enough to find your way up stairs then stay up there and dont come down till you are too drunk to remember what rubbish lurks beneath. upstairs is chilled with live cello, beanbags and dj- and nice barstaff. not worth it tho. go somewhere else.

—samantha b
Saturday 13 January 2007


Hey I love this place!!!

—Nina
Tuesday 5 June 2007


TWICE, WITH THE SAME PERSON AND ALSO WITH THE SAME ATTITUDE!

THE FIRST TIME WAS BECAUSE THE PEOPLE CANNOT SMOKE AT THE BAR AND THE REASON WAS BECAUSE THE SMOKE IS BEEN AFFECTING THE STAFF WORKING THERE, YOU CAN SMOKE IN ANY AREAS (WHEN SMOKE IN PUBLIC PLACES WAS AUTHORIZED)BUT JUST NOT AT THE BAR, RIGHT I ACCEPT IT EVEN WHEN WAS ABSOLUTELY STUPID FOR ME, BUT VIEW MINUTES AFTER I SOW A GIRLSMOKING AT THE BAR, OBVIOUSLY IN HER BREAK AND ALSO SHE (THE MANAGER)SOW HER TOO WITHOUT SAY A WORLD ABOUT…THAT MEANS THIS ABSOLUTELY BULL SHITS IS NOT FOR EVERYONE AS SHE EXPLAINED TO ME IN THAT MOMENT…

AND THE SECOND TIME (TONIGHT, SATURDAY 12/O8/07, 11:30 PM), I WAS MORE THEN HALF HOUR WAITING FOR THE BARTENDER (A GIRL)TO BUY MY DRINK AND I COULDN’T HAVE IT… I PAID £5 TO GO INTO THE PLACE AND DURING THE THIS TIME WAITING AT THE BAR SHE WAS JUST TELLING ME TO WAIT IN THE QUE UNTIL MY TURN ARISE TO BE SERVED, AFTER THE FIRST PERSON WAS SERVED I SUPPOSEDLY TO BE THE NEXT AND I WASN’T, HAPPENED AGAIN AND AGAIN…RIGHT I SAID I IF AFTER PAID £5 TO GO IN AND I CANNOT GET A DRINK EVEN WHEN I AM PAYING FOR IT AFTER 30 MINUTES WAITING AND NOT BECAUSE COMPLETELY FULL THE PLACE WAS (WHICH CAN BE A GOOD EXCUSE), JUST BECAUSE SHE DIDN’T HAVE THE SKILLS OR KNOWLEDGE TO KEEP THE ORDER SERVING ALL THE CUSTOMERS IN THE RIGHT WAY, I MIGHT AT LEAST CAN HAVE MY £5 BACK, ANY WAY I HAVEN’T SPENT HERE MORE THEN HALF HOUR. I CAME TO THE SAME MANAGER FROM WHICH I GOT THE SAME EXPERIENCE BEFORE (NOT SMOKE AT THE BAR) AND I PLAINED TO HER WHAT HAPPENED AND I JUST WANTED TO GET MY £5 BACK, SO I MIGHT COULD GO TO ANOTHER PLACE AND BY ME A DRINK… ALL WHAT SAID WAS: WE DON’T SERVE DRINKS AT THE PLACE YOU WAS WHICH IS A CORNER AND I SAID: EXCUSE ME THERE WERE SERVED THREE OTHERS BEFORE ME AND ALSO I WAS AFTER THE COLUMN NOT BEFORE, IMMEDIATELY SHE REPLAYED TO ME WITH THE BEST WEAPON WHICH ONE MANAGER CAN HAVE IN THIS CITY: (I AM REALLY SORRY ABOUT THAT)…YEAH BUT UNFORTUNATELY I DON’T WANT YOUR SORRIES, YOUR SORRIES DON’T SORTER OUT THE PROBLEM AND THE LAST THINK A CUSTOMER BEEN TREATED LIKE ME TONIGHT WANT TO HEAR ARE YOU SORRIES, SO ALL WHAT I WANT IS JUST MY MONEY BACK AND SHE SAID NO I CAN’T DO IT…ALRIGHT I DECIDE TO LEAVE AND TRY A DIFFERENT PLACE…
I THINK IF I AM NOT WRONG THIS IS HER NAME “Hanne Hukkelburg”, AND BECAUSE THE NAME AND VIKING ACCENT MIGHT SHE IS FROM SWEDEN…ANY WAY, ONE CUSTOMER COMPLAINING WOULD NOT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE FOR A PLACE LIKE THAT, BUT FOR SURE 120 CUSTOMERS TRYING DIFFERENT PLACES WILL…
JUST IN CASE, THE £5 WASN’T THE PROBLEM,IT WAS THE BLOODY ATTITUDE OF THE MANAGER IF SHE IS REALLY A MANAGER…BECAUSE SOMETHING DEFINITELY IS TRUE IN THIS COUNTRY A MANAGER CAN BE ANY ONE, BUT GOOD MANGER’S KNOWLEDGE; ONLY VIEW CAN HAVE…USUALLY MANAGERS IN THIS CITY DON’T GIVE A SHIT, SO MIGHT THIS COMPLAINT WILL SOUNDS STUPID FOR THEM, HOWEVER THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ARE GOING A COMING, SO ONE CUSTOMER UPSET IS NOT A PROBLEM BUT ALSO HUNDREDS OF CLUBS, BARS AND PUPS; ARE CLOSING AND OPENING EVERY DAY, SO FIND A NEW PLACE IS ALSO NOT A PROBLEM…

I JUST STARTED RUNNING A SMALL BED&BREAKFAST IN KING’S CROSS; AND I USE TO GO TO THAT PLACE VERY OFTEN BECAUSE IS CONVENIENCE FOR ME (NOT FAR FROM MY HOTEL), BECAUSE I REALLY ENJOY A DELICIOUS BOTTLE OF SUFFOLK’S CIDER, BECAUSE THE MUSIC MOST OF THE TIME IS NICE,ETC, ETC, ETC AND LIKE THE PLACE WHERE I USUALLY HAVE MY FOOD EVERY DAY; WHEN ONE OF MY CUSTOMERS ASK ME WHERE TO GO TO HAVE A DRINK, I ALWAYS GIVE THE “BIG CHILL HOUSE” AS FIRST SUGGESTION, BUT NOW NOT ANYMORE, BECAUSE THE MIGHT COULD GET IN THAT PLACE A REALLY BIG CHILL AFTER HAVE TO WAIT FOR SO LONG TO BUY A DRINK, SPECIALLY IN WINTER TIME WHEN SOMEONE REALLY NEEDS TO HAVE GLASS OF WINE AS SOON A THE BARTENDER PUT AN EYE ON HIM…

—ROBERT
Sunday 12 August 2007


LIKE YOUR MANAGER LIKES TO SAY; I AM REALLY SORRY, I CAN ALSO SAY TO YOU; THAT “I AM REALLY SORRY” FOR THE PS WHICH I FORGOT TO WRITE DOWN IN THE FIRST COMPLAINT TO YOU…

SO!

PS: OPEN A NEW BAR BUT WITH A BETTER STUFF…

YOUR SINCERELY.

ROBERT PECK

—ROBERT
Sunday 12 August 2007


 




Visit Fly's new Amazon shops:
Fly Music Shop UK / Fly Music Shop US
CC Some Rights Reserved FLY 2008 || add to del.icio.us Add to Del.icio.us