Ballyhoo, Bloomsbury, WC1

Official site of The Bowery - www.thebowerylondon.co.uk

Official site of The Bowery - www.thebowerylondon.co.uk

Formerly a relatively well known music venue for new bands called the Fly, it still functions as the same but as a pub it is really more of holding bar for people attending whatever gigs are on in the basement. The main bar has little in the way of aesthetics with a mass of air conditioning pipes being the most prominent feature. There is a single flat screen TV and that’s about as far as the interest goes. The music venue downstairs has its own bar and the stage, lighting etc is functional rather than groundbreaking although it does provide an intimate setting to see a band. There is at least a more expanded selection of beers on offer since my last visit (when it was still the Fly) although it won’t cover everyones tastes. I noted Amstel, Heineken, Guinness, Red Stripe, Birra Moretti and Symonds Cider. I had a trawl through most of them and found prices around the £3.80/£4 mark which is actually more reasonable than most mainstream music venues. As a pub I wouldn’t particularly go anywhere near it but I have had a few half decent evenings here watching bands although its transition from the Fly to the Bowery is hardly noticeable.