With celebrity customers from Keira Knightley to Simon Amstell, the Hackney Attic has emerged as the newest and coolest kid on the East London block.
On the fifth floor of the Picturehouse cinema on Mare Street, the restaurant and bar has seen some of the city’s best musicians.
“We have had some truly great bands, ones that we are proud to have here,” says Laura Mills, events manager for the venue.
“We won’t hold a night if we don’t totally believe in how good it is.”
This seems to be the ethos that the Hackney Attic is governed by. The place is unashamedly eclectic, featuring Gypsy music, African dance, theatre, comedy, short films, and club nights.
The venue is plush but modern, with deep red decor and pop art montages in the bathrooms. It is a venue that caters to literally everyone.
“We don’t have an average customer. We have 19-year-olds mixing with raving hippies and East London cool people.”
They run a monthly Question Time tweet-along, where punters drink and debate, with their tweets projected onto the wall, a night that has become so popular that David Dimbleby even mentioned them during the show.
But what’s next for the Hackney Attic?
“We have only been open since October, so we are just a baby,” says Laura. “But I can tell you that the programme for the next couple of months is just amazing.”
And with a swing night, a screening of the earliest remaining animated feature film and a fundraiser for a music festival in Sierra Leone, it is clear that it really will be amazing.
