Pop-up parties and guerrilla-style events are becoming the clubbing ‘du jour’, and David Woode checks out a new night in Dalston that has got the Hoxtonites reliving the sounds of their teenage years.

Staged only for the fourth time, Super Youth invites you to ‘get your plaid on’ and re-capture the lo-fi rock movement of the American alternative underground scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Billed as a “left of the centre night with an insidious indie sound”, the succession of DJs, including Made in the Shade, Feeding Time and Ronojoy Dam dropped dirty guitar riffs and distorted sounds from the likes of Archers of Loaf, Pavement, Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr.

Super Youth is the brainchild of stylist Saffron Hunt and friend Martin Bliss, who, through their mutual love of raw, underground indie music, wanted to create an event where they played the tunes they wanted to hear.

Inside The Haggerston, a cave-like East End boozer, a cool, laid-back vibe prevailed throughout, even if you were minus the obligatory American Apparel attire, treasured vintage finds or geek chic specs. And while the music is niche, the sounds of murky guitars and chant-style vocals bounced off the exposed brick walls and stripped floors.

The fantastically hip but unpretentious crowd chatted and chilled out in the enclaves of the dimly lit Hoxton watering hole, and left their younger counterparts to rave to minimal electro and shimmy around their vintage handbags in the various Shoreditch hangouts.

There’s a feeling that anything could happen at any given moment, and this loyal set of followers and admirers have established an event which pays homage to their yesteryear. With a summer party in the pipeline, this super unpredictable and super cool night is definitely one to watch.

What:
Super Youth club night

Where:
The Haggerston
438 Kingsland Road
E8 4AA
8pm-1am

How much:
Free

Website:
Super Youth Facebook page

Entering through a side door, I’m greeted by staff dressed in spotted flouncy dresses, big blonde wigs and an abundance of red lipstick and quiffs. Downstairs I’m met by a projector screen showing a film starring a young Michael Caine. There’s a set of cinema chairs to my left, which will be used later for putting sleepy people on.

Inside, the buzzy atmosphere is awash with all manner of swinging ‘50s happenings: three soundproof karaoke rooms with brown and bogie green chairs, a games corner where guys in leather jackets and turn-up jeans ‘hang’, and an American style diner where burgers and fries are delivered to gabbling diners.

Not everyone is dressed up though, including me. But I wish I was. I’m outclassed by a hen party in Pink Lady jackets and plimsolls and a party of weirdly dressed clowns. They’re all on the dance floor. And if you like motown, you’ll like the DJs: two girls who dance as much they play songs. Everyone’s treated to Smoky Robinson, Ray Charles, The Marvelettes and the entire Dirty Dancing soundtrack.

The bowling, meanwhile, happens next to the dance floor. It’s an A&E accident waiting to happen. Booze + bowling = flying balls. Everyone knows that. But arriving at 9.30pm was no obstacle to booking an alley, straight away, for £6 per person.

Shake, Rattle and Bowl is a first, second and third date rolled into one, and then some. Time and bowling balls both fly, minimal damage is caused, and I win the game. I’ll be returning, I’ll be bowling again, and I’ll be dressing up next time.

What:
Shake, Rattle and Bowl

Where:
Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes
Basement of Tavistock Hotel
Bedford Way
WC1H 9EU

Tube:
Russell Square

Cost:
£7 (but pre-book a spot on the guest list and it’s £4 with a cheeky queue jump included)

Muireann Bolger enters Vinopolis: a sprawling venue celebrating the world of wine.

An intriguing cross between a museum and a giant bar, Vinopolis offers wine tours where you can try samples, learn how to taste properly and discover the history of winemaking.

The venue also has a restaurant, Cantina, and three smaller bars: Brew Wharf, Wine Wharf and Bar Blue. Entrance to these bars is not included in the tours.

The tour started with us being led through a shrine to the art of winemaking, with exhibits from archaic winemaking instruments to bottles of vintage wine worth thousands of pounds.Images of partying from ancient Egypt to Tudor Britain illustrated mankind’s long and loving relationship with wine. You can even see a copy of the first image of bacchanalian revelry drawn in Mesopotamia 4,000 years ago.

In our “how to taste wine” session, we were taught how to detect levels of alcohol content, sweetness and floral notes, and how to identify corked wine.

A method of tilting your head forward and slurping is apparently the best way to discover the different components of a wine. It’s precarious for a novice though, who could find their drink dribbling down their shirt.

Vinopolis offers wine from traditional winemaking regions like France, Chile, South Africa and Australia, as well as lesser-known areas like Thailand, India and Israel.

Then you are shown to the Bombay Sapphire room to sip a cocktail surrounded by cool blue hues and the jangling of Hindi music.

The tour lasts around two and a half hours and will please any aspiring connoisseur, or those after something a bit different.

The tours are self-guided, and there are four popular options. The original tour includes five wine tastings, a Bombay sapphire cocktail, an audio guide and a wine tasting notebook at £17.50. Other options – the discovery tour, the champagne tour and the vintage tour – offer the original package, plus extras.

But be warned: Saturday nights are busy so booking ahead is advisable. Also be prepared to wait for a while at the tables for your tastings.

Vinopolis
No.1 Bank End
London
SE1 9BU
0870 241 4040
Mon 12pm-10pm
Thurs-Fri 12pm-10pm
Sat 11am-9pm
Sun 12pm-6pm

Original Tour £17.50; Discovery Tour £22.50; Vintage Tour £27.50; Champagne Tour £32.50.

Looking for a venue for a date? George Terry ditches white table cloth service for Islington’s New Rose pub instead.

“I gotta new rose, I got her good
Guess I knew that I always would
I can’t stop, to mess around
I gotta brand new rose in town”
New Rose, The Damned

New Rose
84-86 Essex Road
Islington
N1
Tel: 020 7226 1082
Mon-Wed: 12-11pm
Thurs 12-12pm
Fri-Sat 12-2am
Sun 12-10.30pm