troybar, Shoreditch, London

Absolutely amazing music on Sunday night, an absolute must!!!

Great food, great atmosphere, highly entertaining compare called Hannah. The band are AMAZING. Only negative is it doesn't always start on time so if you don't have to be at work early on a Wednesday I would recommend Open Mic on a Tuesday. Note, just because it doesn't start early does not mean you shouldn't get there early as it does get packed very quickly!

This place is really cool. If you ever want to feel like you’re in pulp fiction (with the appropriate soundtrack), this is probably the place to be. I’ve heard it’s usually packed on weekends but it was strangely deserted when I went. The few people who were there seemed pretty cool though, particularly the young Chuck Berry (or at least he could have been) who was dominating the dancefloor. The selection of drinks leaves a little to be desired, but the staff (even the door staff) are all very friendly, and I’ve heard the food’s pretty good too. The best bit is the proper old-school dancefloor, which was clean as a whistle and slightly slippy like a dancefloor should be. Recommended for one of those strange “only in London” experiences!

Up until recently I would have given Troy bar an excellent review, however now I can say it will only be moderate. Troy bar’s main feature is it hosts a number of live music and singing nights. Every Tuesday at Troy (which is the day I used to go) a band would be set up on a small stage along witha a host, who would always be a singer and who would call up singers from the audience to perform. The place has a very nice friendly vibe and everyone seems to get along with one another. It does have this ‘everybody knows everybody’ vibe and the place is very clicky which may feel slightly uncomfortable for those that do not visit Troy regularly. Nevertheless Troy is all about the music and there are some amazing singers and musicians that perform here. Troy has a very high standard of performers and I’ve watched many artists perform here that are now signing record deals or singing on our radios everyday.
The place is modestly decorated with small rickety tables and chairs that look like those that I used to sit on in primary school. The walls are painted in a dark red and it appears that the bar has not had much coinsideration in terms of it’s interior.
Troy used to be free entry on a Tuesay, however last time I went me and my friend were two of the first people to arrive, we sat down and had a chat as there was nobody at the bar! Once the bar opened we decided to get a bottle of wine, we were then informed that we would also be charged a five pound entry fee. We had been in the bar for half an hour already, why were they only charging us now? The management of the club is definitely not that of China Whites or even Jazz Café, which more resembles what Troy bar is doing.
The night all in all was a good night, the music was great, the host was incredibly funny and the crowd were really nice, however the management of the bar was slightly suspect and I’m not sure had we of been regulars at the Troy Bar if we would have been charged a five pound entry fee half an hour after entering the bar!
Troy Bar is a particularly chilled night, it’s the kind of place you can jump in your car and drive to and then drive back home. Troy is not about drinking or dancing, it’s a chilled way to enjoy some live music during the week and feel fine the next morning going to work. The night starts at eight thirty, although almost always starts late and finishes at one o clock.

Troy is a really cool afro-caribbean bar, with really good music and a pretty good atmosphere. It's always really busy at the weekend so you probably won't get a seat, and getting to the bar can take a while, but it's definitely a good place to meet with friends and knock back a few red stripes while listening to some cool tunes. Not too expensive either by london standards.