We see a lot of ‘pop-up’ bars, venues and restaurants these days, so many in fact that it take something a little bit special to grab our attention, such as the fabulous FLASH restaurant at the Royal Academy of Arts which we featured back in the summer and is now soon to close it’s doors after becoming a huge cult success. The Double Club, situated in a Victorian warehouse complex just beside the Angel tube station, is one such stand-out pop-up venue. The brainchild of German artist Carsten Höller, The Double Club is a unique coming together of African and Western art, food, drink and culture where the Congo meets the West, an alliance of civilizations without ever crossing over to the ‘dreaded’ fusion.
Artwork fills the space with Western artists such as Andy Warhol existing alongside Congolese artists like Mosengwo Kejwamfi, premium beer brands from the Congo have been specially imported and include Primus, Temba, Turbo King and Sköl, a Congolese oil drum bbq is fired up each night for the preparation of goat, chicken and beef brochettes and in terms of music Congolese DJs and live acts are showcased alongside eclectic Western counterparts with rising star Richard Mortimer of Hoxton’s BoomBox (strictly hipster only club night where Bjork and Pulp’s Steve Mackey have DJ’d and the guest list includes Naomi Campbell, Michael Stipe and Katharine Hamnett) organising Friday nights.
The Double Club has seriously good pedigree, project director Jan Kennedy, co-founder of the legendary dance music club We Love Sundays at Space Ibiza, opened the acclaimed Michelin starred restaurant Quo Vadis with Marco Pierre White in 1995, before opening the seminal Pharmacy with Damien Hirst in 1998. Carsten Höller’s recent installations include Test Site, the giant slides at Tate Modern in London (2006-07) as well as Revolving Hotel Room at the Guggenheim Museum in New York (2008). Being a not-for-profit organisation a percentage of it’s profits will be donated to the City of Joy charity that generates specialised projects to help abused women and children in the Congo. A fund-raising event is also scheduled for February 2009.
Opening Hours
Sunday & Monday closed
Tuesday to Thursday 6 pm to 2/3 am, last food order midnight
Friday & Saturday 6 pm to 4 am, last food order at 1 am
Words By;
James Davidson; Editor in Chief