The London Life: Venice Trip

Image: Venice Trip 

Our next instalment of the City Life lands us in London, the home of the mythical fiver pint (to an extent) and some of the greatest institutions and landmarks on earth. In search of its hidden reaches we required a band currently setting the capital's live circuit ablaze with equal swagger about them. 

Psychedelic four-piece Venice Trip fit that mould immensely a band seemingly strolling the capital with a drink in hand whenever they're not plugging its inners with the hallucinogenic induced seventies grooves that make up their freshly dropped Look Forward EP. Undoubtedly the release will expand their borders, and having already played at this year's The Great Escape, hype around the band can only increase with plenty of good reason.

It's apparent from speaking with the band that they've got the capital by the balls, knowledgeable of all its cultured quarters with plenty of drinking time to hand - just the way it should be. So if you're requiring a tip top drinking hole, music venue or want to seek out a raft of charming ducks, Venice Trip have evidently got London covered.

Where to party in London?

Plastic People used to be pretty cool until it shut down, it was a small space pretty much in pitch darkness, but DJ’s would play full vinyl sets taking a journey through countless genres and everyone was there purely for the music.

(Image: Dalston Roof Park)

Dalston, although some may say it has a bad reputation is always a good time. We like having a few drinks at Dalston Roof Park as the sun goes down and then we move on to places like Dance Tunnel with purely vinyl sets and a brilliant sound system - the bouncers are also jokes.

East London has a few gems too like Cafe 1001 in Brick Lane and also Hackney where there is Number 90 Bar and The Lexington in Angel. We also love a traditional crawl in Camden or even just drinking down by the canal.

Favourite music venue?

We love The Shacklewell Arms, from the outside it looks like somewhere you’d want to avoid, but once inside the place has it going on. A cosy smoking garden, good tunes and a brilliant place to watch a gig. They’ve hosted the likes of King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard and more recently Kagoule, who are making some noise. We’ve picked it as the venue for our launch, as we don’t like charging fans much or even anything if possible.

(Image: KOKO London)

However, taking it up a few steps is KOKO beside Mornington Crescent. It used to be a theatre and that is still maintained visually when inside. It's beautiful and gigs there allow you to lose yourself for a few hours. 

Where do you buy your records?

We like hitting up the vintage record fairs in East London. Given our budgets, we have more of a chance of affording something there and you can usually come across some amazing records, as well as digging deep and uncovering obscure delights. Although Brick Lane-way lies Rough Trade, a staple in the crate digger’s diet, as well as Phonica in Soho and Sister Ray.

Favourite hangout?

Victoria park is a beautiful place to spend the day. You don’t really need to do much there to feel content. We buy some beers from the shop and lounge around on the grass chatting and soaking in the nature, both in the form of vegetation and women, tastefully of course. There’s also a lake that has pedalos which are always enhanced with a drink in hand. The ducks are charming too.

(Credit: Virginsandphilistines)

Best memory of London?

London is always buzzing so having lived here for just over two years there’s so many flashing memories, it’s hard to pick (in most cases remember) the best ones. However, a night that always sticks in our minds has got to be a show we played at the Vice owned Old Blue Last in Shoreditch.

It was the end of March but we were blessed with a beautiful evening; at that point we had been used to the winter months and cigarettes before shows had battles with the cold wind. Yet that night it felt like spring was showing its face. Loads of people came down to watch us and it was a perfect gig. It was so unexpected, people just kept piling in and we felt overwhelmed by their reaction.

After the show we were able to hang around and talk to them all over a few drinks and we all went home extremely satisfied. It may not seem like an extraordinary memory, but it just felt good and it seemed everyone was on the same page.

Thanks guys! 

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