Pub Choir | An uplifting night of mass karaoke in one of London’s best music venues
Pub Choir is a liberating experience that’s sort of like singing in the shower, only with thousands of other people around you.
In the sense that the shower is a judgement-free zone where you can sing loud and proud without a care… less the communal nudity part.
The gist is that you’re essentially in on a giant singalong session where you and a crowd of fellow singers learn a famous hit in one night and then, all together, belt it out at the top of your lungs (harmoniously, of course). The Pub Choir concept was born in Australia where it proved hugely popular, and now at the end of August (Sunday 27th), it’s coming to London – specifically to The Garage in Highbury, as part of its ‘This Worked at Home’ US and UK tour.
A combination of communal karaoke, a singing lesson and for some, de-stress therapy, Pub Choir may sound riotous, but it’s little more organised than the average Oasis rendition down at your local. That’s all thanks to organiser and former music teacher Astrid Jorgenson, who humorously guides the audience through a mystery song (announced only on the night) in a three-part harmony, doing her very best to conduct a thousand or so dodgy-sounding strangers through classic anthems like Kate Bush’s Running up that Hill and I Want It That Way by The Backstreet Boys.
And the good news is that you don’t have to have the voice of an angel to take part. There’s really no prerequisite to have any sort of singing talent at all. Any voice is welcome and after a few minutes or so you’ll be feeling pretty confident anyway – helped out by the fact that everyone is in the same boat, and you might have sunk a few nerve-settling beers. Then by the end of it, you’ll have hopefully found your range (or at least have a decent understanding of the words), so you’re ready for the climax: a spine-tingling filmed performance that may – if past events in Australia are anything to go by – go viral on social media.
Tickets are already on sale, and like any anticipated event in London, you’ll want to snap them up sooner rather than later.
Yes, we know we’re preaching to the choir…
NOTE: Tickets to Pub Choir at The Garage on Sunday 27th August cost £17. You can find out more & purchase those here.
The Garage | 20-22 Highbury Corner, London N5 1RD
Rather do it in a more private, less crowded space? Perhaps try the best karaoke bars in London…