HERE at Outernet – London [Review]

Published July 28, 2023

A venue with potential

HERE at Outernet is a new live music venue in London’s West End. It is located 4 levels underground, beneath Denmark Street, and it is the first purpose-built venue in Central London since the 1940s.

I recently visited the venue for a club night and was surprised that the finishing time of the event was 2am. (Pretty early for a club night)

I arrived around 10pm and entered from Denmark Street, where security and door staff were stationed to check tickets. You can also reach the entrance by walking from Tottenham Court Road.

The entrance is hidden within a tunnel with a stunning LED light installation. Following the ticket check, we were met by security at another entry for a bag search and instructed to proceed through the doors and down the stairs to the event.

I could hear the sounds coming from below as soon as the doors opened, so I followed the signs down the stairs round and round until we reached the bottom. One thing to note, there are a lot of stairs to reach the main room.

I entered the main room on the left, which is massive and has a stage, a gigantic screen behind the stage, and two long bars. The cloakroom is to the right of the door, and this is the first time I’ve seen a digital system for obtaining a ticket, which is then texted to your phone – impressive given how many times I’ve been left searching for my cloakroom ticket at the end of the night.

So the venue has a capacity of 2,000 people, but it wasn’t busy when I arrived so it was the perfect time to grab a drink. The bar serves a variety of alcohol and was well-stocked with a choice of brands; I chose a premium Vodka and lemonade for £14.50, which was not a terrible price for a central London location. (As a side note, the bars do not accept cash).

Once me and my friends had our drinks, we found a little spot along the wall. The music was blasting from the speakers above, and a variety of visuals were rotating on the screen behind the DJ. I must say that the soundsystem setup took me by surprise; the music was loud, clear, and sharp, and the bass was deep.

The venue was now filling up and I noticed it was starting to feel a little warm; there was air conditioning in certain areas but not everywhere, so bring a fan.

The toilets are located to the right of the main bar at the back, through a set of doors and down a long corridor. I visited the toilets at the beginning of the night and they were fresh with cleaners nearby. On the second visit, they were slightly messy with some cubicles missing toilet paper.

The venue does also have a smoking area, but it is at the entrance, so you must climb all the stairs to get there.

The event I attended was enjoyable & had a great atmosphere. The DJs all brought their A-game and played well.

The venue surprised me; I was impressed with the design and drink prices for a central London location. However, the bar’s waiting times could be improved, the security checks should be stricter and the toilets really need more attention during peak hours.