Things to do

Neil Frame 07/01/70


TJ Johnson at the Brompton Bar & Grill

TJ Johnson at the Brompton Bar & Grill | Live Music

This Friday evening, if you’re not too busy booking a high-speed, ice driving course in the Finnish wilderness or winning our tickets to Rihanna’s sold out raunch-fest, “Loud”, then there’s only one place you ought to be.

The Brompton Bar and Grill, home of the Absinthe Bar, is for one night only playing house to the King of dirty jazz, backroom swing, and rhythm n’ blues: TJ Johnson.

Given that TJ’s one of the leading jazz and blues artists in the UK today, you’ll be wondering why he isn’t playing larger venues – like Ronnie Scotts or the new Boisdales in Canary Wharf.

Here’s why: because he’s a maverick.

He’s an eccentric, trilby-topped, gravelly bluesman who shuns the bright lights of stardom in favour of sharing a bottle of bourbon with a few strangers in an intimate space.  It’s not about fame or “the big stage” for guys like TJ – it’s about sharing stories of love lost and gained, of life wholesome and corrupt and of eternal hope.

That said, he’s also playing Ronnie Scotts and Boisdales in November. But even legends have bills to pay.

This Friday, though, is very much the real deal.  You can either book in for a meal to have a table on the night or just head down at 10ish, take a space at the bar and enjoy a Don Draper-style Old Fashioned (or ten) while TJ does his thing.

TJ Johnson Live at BBG : Friday 21st October, 10pm-11-45pm

Brompton Bar & Grill | 243 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London SW3 2EP


Like live music and alternative nightlife? Check out our guide to the best of what’s on in London this month.


TJ Johnson at the Brompton Bar & Grill


The Brompton Bar & Grill, 243 Brompton Road, London, Knightsbridge (SW1), SW3 2EP