- Category:
- Conventions & Trade Fairs Moorgate | Conventions & Trade Fairs London
- Address:
-
Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS
020 7382 7043
Tube:
- Moorgate Tube Station (0.2 km)
- Moorgate Station (0.3 km)
1 review of Barbican Hall in English
I visited the wonderful Barbican Hall for the first time last Friday evening to check out the Metropole Orkest versus Basement Jaxx gig, which had been put on as part of the Blaze summer season. I was more than impressed by the gig, which was just amazing – who would have thought that the Basement Jaxx tuneage would have sounded so good when played by an orchestra and supported by a choir, and the venue itself.
The Barbican complex is one of my favourite central London spots for a bit of culture, or just a wander around, and comes highly recommended. The Hall itself is situated on the ground floor of the somewhat labyrinthine complex and is a stunning and very functional spot. Before you reach the Hall itself there is a large front area which is home to a couple of decently priced, for this type of venue, and well stocked bars. There is plenty of space to wander about and some comfy seating areas where you can sip your drink and chat. There is also a cloakroom where you can dump all your gear free of charge which makes a nice change
.
A small stage had been rigged up in the middle of this area which was home to the after show party which saw Felix and Simon manning the decks into the wee small hours and rocking the crowd who had stayed behind after the main event. A word of warning: it may have been the nature of this event and the punters it attracted but both bars had run out of bottled larger by 11pm and all that was left were a few bottles of London Pride!!
The Barbican Hall is a site to behold with beautiful parquet floors, sculptural wooden acoustic panelling on the walls and extremely comfy, large, spacious seats (not much used during this gig as the crowd were soon on their feet). The large, fairly low set stage means that you have a good view from all the seats in the Hall which has a capacity of circa 2,000. I know that some music buffs complain that the sound is a bit “dry” in the Hall but I thought the acoustics were excellent; rich and warm with a great clarity.
Other plus points are the fact that you can take your drink into the Hall, no-one seemed to mind the hordes that kept popping out to the bar for a refill, and the friendly, efficient staff.
I can’t recommend this venue enough and I’m already looking forward to my next visit.
