Xoyo

XOYO is probably the only venue in Shoreditch that is still making an effort not to become just another generic club full of generic people. They put on great club nights and gigs almost every night of the week and tickets are always reasonably priced depending on the lineup.
Its a massive venue with an upstairs area (also used for art exhibitions sometimes) and a massive basement where the main nights are hosted. There is a great soundsystem, the only thing I would probably complain about are the drinks which are priced from about £4.50 upwards. Music shuts off at 3am so there’s always plenty of time to dance your heart out before home time…

I went to XOYO for Stand up for Japan, a charity gig featuring a stellar line-up of DJs including 2manydjs, Erol Alkan, Caribou and The Horrors. That night was indeed fantastic. It's a pity the club wasn't quite up to the occasion though. It's really small, and while small can also mean intimate which can be surprisingly fantastic (such as in the case of the much-missed Luminare), it's not quite the case here. The sound system isn't top-notch either.

As for drinks... well, I got there around 6.45 pm and, by 8 pm, requested a round of Jager bombs (as you do), only to be told that the bar had run out of Jagermeister. Fair enough, they had other shots - sambuca, tequila, whatever - but the special that night was supposed to be Jager bombs, and, to run out at such an early stage only speaks of poor planning.

XOYO's got a great location and there're tonnes of great acts who perform there. The club, however, needs to up its ante to match the quality of the events.

The first time I went to XOYO was during the first week of opening and as a consequence things didn't run very smoothly. Fair enough, it takes a while for a new venue to settle into itself but I've been back a couple of times since and I don't think the venue has yet reached it's full potential.

The space is great, the location is perfect (especially for me as I work on Old Street roundabout) and the acts that they get are inspirational. However I don't think the acoustics are up to much downstairs and the smoking area leaves a lot to be desired. Another thing that is disappointing is the lack of atmosphere before and sometimes during the sets. Waiting for Mount Kimbie to come on was like hanging around in a train station and at the end of night they have a horrible habit of making you feel like your mum's about to pick you up from the school disco and it's time to go to bed.

Hopefully these things will get sorted out and XOYO will reach it's potential as a fantastic venue. But right now I don't think they are doing the big names they pull in or themselves justice as the music gets lost.

After all - that's what we're there for.