Sound Lounge, Sutton

Official site of Sound Lounge - www.thesoundlounge.org.uk

Official site of Sound Lounge - www.thesoundlounge.org.uk

This is a very unusual live music venue in a converted shop on Sutton’s main retail street, which doubles as a bar, vegan cafe and record store by day. You enter past crates full of vinyl and shelves displaying various LP’s, to reach the bar area. Most people were here to eat when I turned up on a Saturday afternoon, so the bar was initially unmanned and I was concerned that they might insist on table service, but someone eventually turned up, served me, took my payment straight away and told me I could sit wherever I liked, which was reassuring. The bar has a basic timber fronted counter, lined with a long row of delicious looking cakes, a pillar twined with fairy lights part-way along and a bar back dominated by blackboards listing tea, coffee and juice options. The room opens out to the left, across a large space with a skimmed floor full of tables and chairs plus a few sofas under the floor to ceiling windows at the front. One wall was labelled the ‘Exhibition Wall’ and displayed various photos from aspiring local artists, which may well have been for sale. The stage is to the left and has a decent rise and a good looking PA system. To the rear is a kitchen counter, with more baked goodies on display, which was churning out vegan food at quite a rate. Some pavement seating is also available out the front and music was playing quietly inside, allowing a nice buzz from a near full house to build up. Amazingly, they have a handpull on the bar, but sadly it was unclipped on this visit, which makes you wonder if it ever gets used. Instead, draught options were limited to a few mainstream brands and two house beers - Sound Lounge Lager and Pale Ale - both brewed by the local Wimbledon Brewery , although with the latter clocking in at £5.60 a pint, very steeply priced for Sutton. I had no idea what to expect from this place, but thought it was a decent venue that will appeal to anyone looking for something a little different to the usual High Street eateries and watering holes. It had more of a café vibe on my lunchtime visit, and may work better as a bar in the evening or on a gig night, although the high prices may prevent extended sessions. Not really one for the pub drinker, but a good addition to Sutton’s High Street nonetheless.