New twist on live music
THE House of Song, a nightclub group bucking the closures trend by bringing live music with a new twist back to London, is set to celebrate more good times next year as it eyes further city roll-outs for its crowd-pleasers.
Night owls are flocking to dine, dance and sing along at the brand’s two central venues, its The Piano Works and bigger sister Studio 88, a 12,000 square foot space for 400 with designer décor and state of the art sound near Leicester Square, which opened this year.
Combined they welcome more than 7,000 visitors a week generating a £9 million turnover, proof amid the shutdowns that people do still want to party, provided the experience is right.
So it is in the House of Song’s case, it’s struck a chord with customers by offering an inventive menu of non-stop live music based on audience requests passed to a six-piece band, accompanied by premium drinks and food. The concept is in tune with the times, as experiences are more popular than possessions, says Alan Lorrimer, a hospitality expert and majority owner of the group’s start up parent company TDC Concepts, that he founded four years ago.
“Our chosen market, the 25 to 35 year olds, have the highest expendable income and go out most often,” he explains. “These are people who now meet partners online not in clubs as they used to. They go out in large groups for a good time and do it every couple of weeks. Eighty-five per cent of our customers book in advance and our offers show you don’t have to spend a fortune for a big night out. “Our target market does a lot of sharing, in life and on social media. They are discriminating about service, food and drink and need entertainment. Live music is our key differentiator. “Customers love the skill of our musicians, we employ more than 65 a week. Audiences hear the music they have chosen and engage with the bands. Having opened venues with more niche musical appeal, this time I wanted to open a live music venue where no two nights are ever the same. Our repertoire is very varied. Staff have embraced the concept and have been easy to recruit. The challenge is keeping it consistent so it’s frictionless, with the last experience as good as the next.”
After starting with open mic nights, the value of the customer-curated playlist dawned and The House of Song also goes on tour to play outside events such as Royal Ascot.
The decline of London’s nightlife, where 50 venues have shut since 2007, has also meant fewer opportunities for musicians to play live.
Lorrimer says this lack of experience compared to previous generations “has had a detrimental effect,” but The House of Song is now doing a lot to counter that. The initial £850,000 investment for the business, which employs more than 160 aside from the performers, came first from shareholders benefitting from entrepreneurs’ tax reliefs, and bank debt, now repaid.
“For Studio 88 we used our own cash flow and bank debt, Santander has been excellent,” he says.
Confident that the concept could play well in other cities, openings in Liverpool, Glasgow and Leeds are being considered.
“There’s a wonderful feeling of community and bonding for hundreds of people singing the chorus of their favourite song,” he reflects.
“We’re an entire night under the one roof.”
thehouseofsong.co.uk