The Old Blue Last

To be fair, we were two girls inside a bathroom stall, which I can understand is not allowed. But a extremely rude female security guard nearly kicked down the door and wanted to search us while imitating my American accent. We weren’t even drunk and being very polite to her trying to reason and understand the situation, but she rudely grabbed my phone (not sure what sure what she was expecting to find) and then pushed us out the door, repeatedly saying «you’re leaving right now». ??? What just happened? Not sure why we were treated in such a manner. Definitely never going back.

Owned by Vice… so be warned expect hipsters! Lots of them. However, two floors mean however packed it is, and it is on weekends mean I can venture between each and pick which vibe I want.
Downstairs more conversion and buzzy atmosphere. Upstairs more live music (mostly indie) and dancing.
It’s also free every night bar some events for music (upstairs) that charge. I really like it. Been going for many a year and has never let me down, especially if you don’t like wandering the streets to find a late bar.

Well. I’m not sure what to think. I mean, it’s a pub, and not a bad one at that; the drink selection is rather nice, it’s not too crowded, prices are okay.
But is it an especially exciting place? Not really.
They do have live music upstairs for free on weekends though, which could be of interest if it’s your thing…

Un bar qui né paye pas de mine mais super sympa ! Ambiance cool, serveurs adorables et rapides, conso abordables. A tester !

This place is owned by VICE. Did you know this place is owned by VICE? Everyone who comes here likes to talk about how this place is owned by VICE, so definitely make sure you talk about how The Old Blue Last is owned by VICE if you come here.
I once saw a pug in a parka coat at the bar in this pub and it made my whole night. This entire place is a hipster’s wet dream (owned by VICE, dontcha know?), but it’s really not a bad boozer. Super easy to get lost in, as it’s laid out like a ruddy garden maze, BUT because I am a useless cow and also pull off ‘damsel in distress’ rather well, certain members of staff are more than happy to come out from behind the bar to personally accompany me to where I wanna be, so I don’t lose my way and die here. Super nice.
They put on gigs here — be sure to leave a trail of breadcrumbs when making your way upstairs to find the room they’re put on in in here. The sound quality rules. So much so, that I once watched a band perform here and had tinnitus for an entire week afterwards. Please wear earplugs.
VICE!

Even if you set out to start or end your evening at The Old Blue Last, you’ll end up there regardless. While the service isn’t the quickest and you’ll be left standing at the bar wondering ‘am I ever going to get the bar staffs attention?!’ — it’s a bit of a Shoreditch institution of grubby cool which is difficult to avoid.
Once you do get served, the prices are pretty reasonable and it’s always worth keeping an eye on their website, as they hold regular gigs and quite a few secret ones too. Stay for the people watching, if you can get a table.

The best thing this pub has got going for it is location. Most people know it so it’s useful for a meeting place.
There’s a room for live music upstairs but I’ve never been along to any of the gigs there so this is something that I’ll need to rectify soon as I’ve heard good things.
There’s a happy hour most nights up until 7 where you can get a pint/​wine/​house spirit & mixer for £3.33 which isn’t too bad at all and the place always seems to be fairly busy when I’m walking past then. If you arrive outside of these times be ready for a shock as the drinks aren’t the cheapest, even for the area

This is a nice pub/​bar with a relaxed feel to it, good range of music and an upstairs for live music gigs.
Unfortunately missed the Reds BBQ pop up but hope it comes back so I can try that.
Bit pricey on some of the drinks though, £5.80 for Sharps Pilsner! You’re taking the BEER!

Okay so it’s owned by Vice. Shane Smith is a really cool guy don’t you just love the documentary on North Korea? You’d think that an establishment owned by such a company would be the best, but compared to the bars in the area it’s lacking. I went with friends and in the middle of checking IDs, some staff member said the rest were not allowed in. In the end the whole group left, which cost the bar loads of money. Shame that this bar is not as great as it should be. Avoid if you can.

If a band I like is playing here then I’m happy. One of the smaller venues that known (ish) bands will come to on a UK tour and tickets are normally under £10.
Lots of free gigs featuring lesser known bands, no cover on most weekends.
I always end up spending a bomb on drinks here but I guess they’re not that bad comparatively. If you’re of the alternative music persuasion, you’ll probably enjoy it.

This place isn’t really my scene, but if you like music of the punk/​pop-​punk persuasion it’s probably gonna be yours.
Apparently they have live bands upstairs, but I only stuck around for 1 drink so I cannot verify this information.
Drinks are reasonably priced for Shoreditch and there was no cover charge, so that’s ok I guess.

Very quiet on a Sunday evening, unenthusiastic staff, £10 for 2 pints and an overpowering smell of bleach. Not a particularly welcoming feeling. Will have to try again another time I suppose.

One of the better pubs to go to in London if you’re looking for some good live music. The crowd can rub some people the wrong way — it’s mostly young, «hip» kids in their 20s, which fits the fact that the bar is currently run by Vice Magazine — but if you can get over that, you’ll find a reasonably priced bar with tons of free events to go to. Plus, since it’s situated in Shoreditch, there’s tons of other places to visit nearby as well.

It’s only reading the other reviews that I’ve come to realise that The Old Blue Last is some kind of hipster institution in Shoreditch. To me, it’s just the pub closest to my office that I got dragged to one night carrying a load of files after an incredibly stressful work week. I was too busy chatty to take much of it in/​notice that apparently I must have looked wildly different to the other clientele but overall I liked the atmosphere. What I did notice was that everyone in here was much, much younger than me. I’m not used to that, it was kind of nice to see the Youths enjoying themselves! I like the mix of unabashed fun and nervous energy that goes with that kind of crowd, you could feel it inevitably all about to escalate.

It’s taken me ages to work out how I ended up checking in at this place, and it just struck me — it’s that random pub stuck in the middle of Shoreditch! Pubs and Shoreditch don’t really go together. I mean, yes, there are a few around but a pub should be warm, cosy, and comfortable — words that are never used to describe the hipsters that inhabit this area of London town.
Still, the Old Blue Last finds a sort of compromise with a pub-​styled main level with comfortable seating and has converted the upstairs into a sort of indie rock hall for all those unknown bands to smash out a couple of covers. No idea if any of the bands are any good but I imagine these are the types that just formed in someone’s parent’s garage and have a small but devout cult following. Who knows, though, you may just hear the next big thing.
The other thing I’d mention is that they serve up Maker’s Mark neat for a reasonable price and have no qualms about serving you double after double even when the 10 foot walk across the room to the bar takes you the better part of 15 minutes. Just focus your glassy eyes on the shaggy bartender and slur your order away! I definitely support bars that let you get drunk because, as Danny Bhoy says, «you wouldn’t throw someone out of a restaurant because they were full, would you?»

Always a good place to grab a drink, good music and a cool crowd

Un pu aux apparences assez classiques voir banales mais qui né se découvre lorsque vous assistez à des concerts de qualité.
La bière n’est pas plus chère qu’ailleurs, les places aussi rares, les gens aussi rincés (dès 20h :-)) mais la musique vaut le déplacement.

I really like the vibe of this place, but I swear they have the slowest pouring taps I have ever seen. The bar staff are nice without seeming like they really care what’s happening. The upstairs area is a great space for gigs.

On a Friday night, this pub felt claustrophobic. Not necessarily for the obvious reasons, but I thought their use of space was kind of silly (internal bouncer taking up the space of two tables, tables laid out in the main room so that the traffic from the door has only one, invasive path that prevents getting to most of the bar, ect).
But the drinks were reasonably priced, and as someone who is unexceptional when it comes to cool and hip factors, it didn’t feel at all exclusive. It’s on a corner in a busy neighborhood… can’t be too exclusive with a location like that, and but for the odd orange pants or untamed mullet, it was just a Shoreditch kind of crowd… young, attractive, moderately hip. I thought the music was annoying– the kind of electronic music they play in blaringly cool retail stores– but the entertainment is different every night, it seems, and there’s an additional space upstairs that has live events.
A whiskey and a beer were £7 total. Definitely a decent place for a stop on a night out in the area, but I wouldn’t make it a destination on the weekend unless you were there for an event, specifically, because lounging and chatting isn’t an option, and there isn’t space downstairs to dance, so I’m not sure what one would do with oneself.

I came here for a drink on a weeknight and there were not many people there — not too hipstery at all. Nothing too offensive nor unique either, loved the old theatre seating though.

My friend and I came in before busy hours on a weekday, but he claims it gets crazy late hours and especially on weekends. I’m not a fan of crowds and loud people, so consider that when coming.
It’s owned by the founders of Vice magazine if that tells you anything. Most of the clientele will probably fit the mold, but then you have these other more preppy types coming in as well. I experienced a little of both, but hey it was a good experience.

What use to be the centre of young hip things and new indie music has been swallowed up and spat out by Laurence Llewellyn-​Bowen. It’s terrifying and now you’ll find a gang of suits and skirts taking up the space on the leather sofas staring at the gold-​guilt bar.
What a piss poor show. They have keep all the cool kids with attitude that serve behind the bar but have changed the clientèle. Not that it was great before but at least you knew what to expect. I have two words for you people, «bridge» and «tunnel»…

HIPSTERS EASTERS ALERT!
Oui mais en fait, ET ALORS? après environ 8 soirées, c’est un sans faute:
— de l’alcool gratos: parce qu’on tombe souvent sur des soirées Vice open bar bière, ou y’a un questionnaire pour tester des bières, ou juste des tickets de consos offerts comme ca…
— des bons concerts gratos à l’étage: Salem, O Children, Adam Kesher, LCMDF parmi d’autres; et j’ai aussi beaucoup dansé en bas: des DJ sets parfaits pour moi, j’étais tombée sur celui des Dum Dum Girls (elles ont decidemment bons gouts des 60s) ou meme à une autre fin de soirée, ca passait du En Vogue, Destiny’s Child, Backstreet Boys: trop bien
–une faune distrayante et SURTOUT bon esprit: oui tous le monde a des looks pas possible mais les gens sont là pour se marrer, danser et c’est ca qui est bon.