Lesley Lewis, the proprietor of the French House, a Soho mainstay since 1891, says the area’s late-night culture is being erased. At 71, her nights may not run so late these days, but she wants Soho to remain a place where people can come together and party until dawn.
Soho’s Changing market
Lewis has run the French House for 37 years and has seen the area change over time. She notes that back in the day, everywhere used to be open till 3am, but now it’s more restricted. The French House was kept alive during Covid by a crowdfunding campaign initiated by locals who couldn’t bear to see it shut.
A writer who visited Soho to experience its nightlife firsthand found that while there are still places to go, the area’s late-night culture is indeed being eroded. The writer’s plan was to ask someone at each bar where they should go next and see where it took them. At the French House, they met Eva, a bartender who said that in Soho, you’ll chat to people you wouldn’t normally meet.
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The writer then headed to Trisha’s, a bar down the street, where they met Imran, who’s been behind the bar for six years. Imran said that there are too many chains coming into Soho, which are ruining its individuality. He worries that places like Trisha’s are dying out.
The writer continued their night at The Pink Flamingo on Brewer Street, where they met Dave, who said that his bar used to be the moneymaker, but now it’s flipped. People want to go out to eat rather than dance all night in a basement. The writer suggested that the £14 drinks might have something to do with it, but Dave said that’s the price of keeping a venue open in central London.
As the night wore on, the writer headed to Udderbelly, one of their favorite underrated Soho locations. They spotted Bridgerton star Luke Thompson, but he didn’t have any spots to recommend.
Instead, the writer received confirmation that they were on the coveted guest list for The Box, a legacy of debauched Soho. The Box is extremely exclusive, only accessible to women with good contacts and men with deep pockets. It’s notorious for its hourly stage shows, which can feature everything from a ‘doctor’ giving a ‘patient’ a transplant to someone shooting ping pong balls across the room.
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Licence Applications Decline
According to the Home Office, only 16 out of 41 licence applications were granted in the West End between 2023-24, and applications for new pubs and wine bars fell by 80 per cent between 2022-24. The writer met Westminster council’s deputy leader Tim Barnes, who disputed the idea that there’s no nightlife in Soho, but acknowledged that there are fewer places open late than ever.
Barnes said that it’s not that people are looking for late-night activities and can’t find them, it’s that fewer people are going out late to begin with. However, the writer argued that this doesn’t quite wash, given that the underground runs 24 hours a day over the weekend and there are plenty of warehouse venues across London that are far less accessible than Soho.
The lack of late venues isn’t a London problem, but a Soho problem. The writer noted that in other areas like Dalston, Peckham, and Brixton, there are still plenty of places to go late at night. But in Soho, the options are limited, and the writer found themselves at the Hippodrome Casino at 4:30 am, nursing a Diet Coke and an incoming headache.
The writer’s experience suggests that while there are still some places to go in Soho past 1am, you either have to know someone or have near-unlimited funds. Places like The Box and Soho’s myriad members’ clubs are doing just fine, but nightlife in the area has always been built on queer, audacious events that were welcoming to anyone.
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Nightlife Behind Closed Doors
Now, these events are hidden behind layers of social privilege and wealth. The writer argued that every tequila shot taken in a sticky Soho basement is a socio-cultural choice, and that Soho should not be a quiet area of London. In the words of Lesley Lewis, “Let’s just dance. It’s all we want to do.”
The writer’s night in Soho ended with a visit to the Hippodrome Casino, where they found themselves sitting beside a man who had fallen asleep at a slot machine. The casino was one of the few places still open at 4:30 am, and the writer was struck by the contrast between Soho’s past and the limited options available today.
As the writer sat in the casino, nursing their Diet Coke and watching the sun come up over the city, they felt a sense of sadness. Soho’s nightlife had once been a scene where people from all walks of life could come together and have a good time. But now, it seems that this scene is in decline, and it’s unclear whether it can be revitalized. The casino’s clock read 4:45 am.