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Foundry

Current

84-86 Great Eastern Street
Shoreditch
London, EC2A 3JL
Nearest Transport: Old Street
020 7739 6900
Gimpo & Bill Drummond, formerly of 1990's pop band KLF, have turned this ex-bank into a place to experience outlandish DJ's plus poetry and art- which anyone can exhibit in the basement for free. This pub seems to be one of a kind.

Reviews for Foundry

  • 5
    Foundry
    84-86 Great Eastern Street London EC2A 3JL uk
    t0m
    6th October 2007
    a classic
    Current
    The Foundry has really stood the test of time - it's a lively and extremely unlikely bar with an excellent mix of customers.

    A thoroughly interesting place to drink. It's my number 1 choice in that party of town.
  • 3
    Foundry
    84-86 Great Eastern Street London EC2A 3JL uk
    13th September 2007
    Went to see a mate play music
    Current
    I saw a mate of mine play a gig there once downstairs as part of a charity film screening back in March (www.solidaritynotcharity.org.uk)

    Whoever the venue had let mix the sound was pathetic. That said, the sense of sitting in the dungeon-like space of what must be the former foundry was... interesting. That and the opportunity to add graffiti to anywhere you could fit it in.

    God knows what it's like the rest of the time. Wasn't there for drinking, but noticed they had organic bottled beers. Didn't drink them - drank another generic bottled lager.

    The main bar was full of intriguingly dressed people and there was another room downstairs displaying artwork. Most of which was fair to middling in quality/interestingness
  • 4
    Foundry
    84-86 Great Eastern Street London EC2A 3JL uk
    16th July 2007
    the Foundry
    Current
    The Foundry is one of its kind! The best thing about it is that you can get your 15 seconds of glory or even more.
    The sign at the bar is saying something like 'we don't want to see your CV, we don't care who you are , but if you want to show some art speak with us' how beautiful! an open stage!
    My friend was VJing there once and it was great! The atmosphere is weird... many random items around the floor, puppets, computer and god knows what- but it is a place you need to check at least once...
  • 3
    Foundry
    84-86 Great Eastern Street London EC2A 3JL uk
    1st April 2007
    Current
    Decorated in that (hopefully soon to be obsolete) "trying far too hard to be ramshackle and quirky" way that's blighted this part of London for a while, The Foundry is definitely not for all tastes. So, tatty sofas and weird crap dangling from the ceiling - which can all be very jolly, but more than a little wearing as well. Certainly, the prices and quality of service at the minuscule bar (more dithery than actually rude) don't exactly help matters - although they're far from the worst in the area.

    One saving grace is the fact that it puts on a large number of endearingly odd - and frequently very good - art, music and performance events. Another is that the crowd it attracts tend towards the genuinely eccentric, rather than the obnoxious posers.

    You can have a properly great night out here, if the circumstances smile on you - but if they just toned down the desperate attempts at "character", and paid a bit more attention to getting the basics right, it'd be a darn sight better.
  • 2
    Foundry
    84-86 Great Eastern Street London EC2A 3JL uk
    2nd August 2006
    What is Cool?
    Current
    The Foundry is that pub you see with a big outdoor space between 2 roads as you walk down Old St from the Tube station to the Hoxton/Shoreditch zone of uber-trendiness. I've been past it many times, but last Friday patronised the place for the first time. The whole Hoxton scene is not really my thing, though it is usually quite good fun ogling the frontline fashionistas who sit cross-legged, fag-in-hand in their latest artfully contstructed charity shop outfit. Lets cut to the chase: this is a weird place. The interior would probably warrant closing down on public health grounds if it wasn't so arsty-cool. It really is A Hole. Marvel at the bank of old computer screens covered in dirt and dust. Give full respect the liberal policy of allowing every square inch of the bogs to be covered in graffiti (most of it intellectual, of course). Delight in the over-priced, horrible pint of beer that you've just been given by a gobby art-student behind the bar. Oh yes, and the final joy was to be turned away from the bar with a "F*@k off" at exactly 11pm - gotta love our licensing laws. So, you've gathered that I'm being sarcastic here. Play to your strengths I always say, but the place was bearable thanks to the large outdoor area where all of the above negative points aren't really a factor. Also its a convenient meeting point if you're headed on a night time wander around the area. I think they feature lots of up and coming artists there as well, but I didn't notice as I was too busy trying to get back outside. Ah well, I guess I'm not their target demographic anyway.

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