Catch 22, Shoreditch, London

One of the better Shoreditch venues. Good for a casual drink but don't go there relying on having a 'big night' - it can be so hit and miss! One week you'll go and the music will be house and the same day the following week you'll having some banging electro! I recommend it as a place to start drinking before you go somewhere else.

I do enjoy Catch. You may be elbow-to-armpit most of the time but ain't that what makes a good night?

I'm down with Sunday nights at Catch, when the hardcore wheat are well and truly separated from the weekend chaff.

It can be as laid back or as lively and debauched as you wish, generally downstairs for the former and upstairs to indulge in a bit of the latter. I have slumbered many an evening here, downstairs in a booth and intoxicated on the chilled out vibes.

Accepted, if you're not as glacier cool as my good old egotistical (but, ironic) self, then you might find the crowd slightly intimidating. I have always found it pretty friendly and relaxed. And I don't need to get up early on Mondays. Usually.

Situated on Kingsland Road just off the East Ends fashionable Old Street, Catch comes alive on a Saturday night.

Catch operates on two floors, the bottom being more of a bar and the top is more of a dancefloor. You won’t find many places to sit and it’s quite narrow downstairs, so make sure you have your dancing shoes on and head on upstairs.

Upstairs plays host to a various number of nights, some great, some not so great. I found the more 'dance’ orientated nights to be the best over the band nights.

Two floors and two bars in this bar. Downstairs you have a series of little booths on a raise platform all opposite the bar. Cosy and ideal for 4 people to sit and chat. If you have more than 4 people - not such a good idea to sit here as there aren’t really many spare chairs to pop on the end. And even if you do get one, as the booths are raised and there is a railing running parallel you are going to get in everyone’s way anyway.

Upstairs is a long room, with a decent sized bar on the left hand side and a small stage for bands at the end - there are plenty of music nights here. However, even if the bands are great the acoustics are a little odd. The room isn’t a great shape for live tunes - being a little corridor-esque and the ceiling is all a bit awkward with slants and different height levels. Having said that they put some good nights on so well worth checking out.

All in pretty good bar - very shoreditch with plenty of angular haircuts around the place.