Old Street Records takes private parties of up to 400 guests across its two floors, or 150 standing and 60 seated in the Basement on its own. During the day the same rooms can be hired for corporate meetings, training days and film or photo shoots. The venue is a bar and live music room at 350-356 Old Street, in Shoreditch, east London, with two stages and two bars.
Seminars and company events
Companies use the venue in two ways. In the evening it works for Christmas parties, launches, client nights and team celebrations, and live bands or a DJ can be booked from the venue's own roster of acts. In the daytime, the rooms are available for meetings, workshops, training sessions and shoots. The Basement has a full PA system, a projector and a screen, which covers presentations, speeches, awards and screenings. There is no room hire fee: bookings are made against a minimum spend that depends on the date. The events team adapts the layout and the drinks offer to the format of the day.
Rooms and capacities
The full venue is laid out on two levels, with two stages, two bars, a green room for performers and a cloakroom downstairs. Exclusive hire covers up to 400 guests. The Basement can be booked alone for 150 standing or 60 seated. It has its own bar with a cocktail menu designed for the event, the PA and projection kit, and a private cloakroom. Its dance floor runs on a Funktion One sound system, the same one used for the venue's regular DJ nights.
Catering
Food comes from the bar's own menu. For private events in the Basement, the team serves pizzas or canapés, and a bespoke cocktail list can be set up for the evening. The format suits standing receptions and parties. Groups that want a seated meal should plan around the 60 seats in the Basement.
History and setting
Old Street Records runs as a public bar and music venue most nights of the week, with songwriter rounds, live bands, a weekly open mic on Tuesdays and DJ sets. It belongs to the Records Bars group, which also runs bars at Venn Street, Northcote and Eastcheap. When the venue is booked for a private event, the bar can close to the public, and the party gets the stages, the sound system and the staff who run the regular program. It suits organizers who want a music-led evening with a real stage rather than a hotel function room.
Getting there
The venue is at 350-356 Old Street, London EC1V 9NQ. Old Street and Shoreditch High Street stations are both within walking distance, and several bus routes run along Old Street. There are no bedrooms on site, so guests staying overnight need a hotel nearby, and Shoreditch has a wide choice of them.
