Old Street Records

Old Street Records occupies a particular niche in Shoreditch's crowded bar landscape: a proper live music venue that happens to be excellent for private hire. Where most bars offer a speaker and a Spotify playlist, this one comes with two stages, a network of professional musicians, dedicated sound engineers, and a Funktion One system in the basement that would be the centrepiece of a much more expensive venue. It's been the formula since 2016, and it works.

Record-Store Character, Nightclub Sound

The interiors lean into the music theme without tipping into novelty — vinyl records and vintage music press on the walls, a relaxed neighbourhood bar feel on the ground floor that shifts to something more intense in the basement after dark. The two floors operate as genuinely distinct spaces: the main bar at street level is open, social, and stage-focused, while the basement below is self-contained with its own bar, club-grade sound, and enough atmosphere to feel like a completely separate night out. Together, they take up to 400 guests for exclusive hire.

Part of Something Bigger

As part of the Records Bars group — with Eastcheap Records in the City, Northcote Records in Clapham Junction, and Battersea Records south of the river — Old Street Records benefits from an established events operation. The group has been running private hires across London since 2010, and the concierge team here builds bespoke packages around food, cocktails, and entertainment with the efficiency of a well-practised operation. No hire fee keeps the model simple — minimum spend only, with live music included as standard rather than itemised as an extra.

Five Minutes from Old Street Station

Sitting on Old Street itself, transport links are as straightforward as Shoreditch gets. The venue draws from the creative and tech companies concentrated in EC1, but the 2am licence and genuine late-night credentials pull audiences from well beyond the immediate area. For event planners looking for a venue where the entertainment arrives with the space — rather than requiring separate coordination — Old Street Records is one of the more convincing options in East London.