The Macbeth

Fun venue with live gigs, DJ’s and plenty of space to have a dance. They have a second floor for during the day I suppose and a stage for the acts.

I once paid £5.80 for a bottle of Punk IPA here and then knocked most of it over into the sink while drying my hands in the bathroom. That’s the closest I’ve ever come to crying in Shoreditch, and I still get weepy thinking about it now.
This place is expensive, and I’ve yet to discover what exactly it is that my money is going towards, bar bog standard beer that I can have and pay less for literally anywhere else in London?
I only ever come here for gigs and, if you are too, be warned — get there early and hoof it to the front, lest you end up in the bottleneck created by the bar and entrance, and end up with a crappy view, and people pushing you to get to/​from the bar all night to boot.
They used to have a guy working behind the bar here who was a total megababe, but he left, so yeah, definitely go somewhere else. There’s nothing left for you here.

truly stupid experience here last night — my friend had beef with the jumped up barman, cos he dared to sit on the bar when the gig started. this place is absolutely tiny and we’ve came to see gigs here many times before and perched on the bar to watch whoever is playing. it’s always so rammed there is never any hope of anyone moving, let alone managing to get served, when people are squished right up against the bar. ANYWAY. the barman was a jumped up little snot who had a total power trip and got my friend thrown out by his big, burly bouncer friend. honestly, if he didn’t want people sitting on the bar, fair enough, but don’t throw a shit fit over it, it’s no big deal! it would never have happened in a bigger, or less cliquey venue as the bouncer could have reasonably seen that my friend and the barman had just had a disagreement, and that it was ridiculously unfair to power trip and throw him out (missing the guy he’d came to see play) over it.
yes, the crowds who come here can be fun when they are really into the bands they come to see (& it’s always nice to see local bands being so well supported), but poor attitudes from staff means it’s not likely i will ever return here, and nor will my extended group of friends.
thanks for wasting our money, macbeth, you actual cretins!
(i was mostly angry as i chose to leave and go with my friend, and i’d just bought a large glass of wine, which i had to leave behind. RUUUUUUUUDE.)

Confussing! Is this place a metal, or is it a trendster bar. It looks and feels like a metal bar. the clientele wear a lot of black and long haired men and women looking like Elvira. but I couldn’t see any band t-​shirts which is the normal give away! The music was distinctively ‘gothy’ in tone, the walls are faux stone, it’s dingy and lit with candles and fairy lights but there were quite a few high top! Great gig venue however! Cheap drinks, bands and life drawing events are a definetly a pro, but it is run down and can get quite busy if you’re looking for a quiet night out. Do however check out upstairs where you’ll find a black and white graffitied quiet room and a small outdoor beer garden which is great in summer.

Everytime I come here, everytime, the music is perfect. Friends have hosted two birthdays at various cover band nights here (Limp Bizkit and Rhianna). Both nights had our group in a sweaty mess on the dancefloor.
If you get there early and you need to get there early if you want to get a seat, you can play pool. I love me a good game of pool.
Sweaty, Dancey, Drinky.
Perfect.

I was pretty excited when I moved seconds down the road from the Macbeth, I’d always been in for gigs that various good promoters had put on, and was almost certain I’d become a regular.
It’s been a year now, and I think I’ve been in less than five times, and I can’t quite figure out why. I’m in my early 20s and yet feel old here… and though I adore the rooftop smoking terrace (free burgers & folk one sunday? yes please) I find myself cringing at overheard conversations and wincing at overly polished quiffs & creepers.
So my overall consensus? A great place to come once in a while, if you’re okay about being stared up an down once you enter, then when you’re at the bar, then when you’re in the toilet, oh and when smoking too… hm, maybe I do know why.

la devanture n’est pas très belle, la rue non plus d’ailleurs… mais l’endroit est très acceuillant, une super ambiance, une fréquentation jeune et sympa, il y a de la musique live ou un dj qui se succèdent. De bonnes bières, j’ ai bien aimé !

Like the rebellious outcast of the trendy family, the Macbeth sits on one of Shoreditch’s backstreets making a silent stand against overpriced drinks and badly dressed door whores. There is a nice smoking terrace and in the evenings there is a free BBQ if you get there early.
The sound system is absolutely incredible and the line up is always festival-​worthy (last time I went I saw Fake Blood, Annie Mac, Diplo and Mowgli for only £5!) A definite must if you like dirty basslines and dirty sweatboxes.

Used to frequent this place all the time when I lived in the area. Loved the atmosphere here, with bands, good music, nice staff, good crowd and a generally fun night. Although i’ve been to the pub a few times recently, and it has definitely seen an influx of non-​regulars and a different clientele, unfortunately this is now reflected in the way the establishment runs.
Pricier drinks and bad music, the once good upstairs area has now been totally changed. Cheesy graffiti now covers the walls and floors of the upstairs bar, which only a few months back used to be a grubby little chill out space. The smoking area is now so strict and so are there guys on the door, you almost get the feeling you could be drinking in Soho.
Admittedly the line up of live bands is still strong and the nights are still fun, but apart from that, this pub/​bar is slowly transforming into another boring Shoreditch/​Hoxton bar. Let’s hope it doesn’t complete the transformation too soon.

So nice to know there is still a bar in Hoxton that has that Hoxton charm about it and not host a gaggle of «Sloany ponys».
The type of night you have at the Macbeth really come down to the promoter and event that is on.
The upstairs is a must– see
Last time I went there was a open-​mic night on and none other than Bjork was there, sitting at a table with her friends. Priceless!

I realize I have not written a review in months but i’m in London. So sue me.
Anyway, I grabbed three of my flat mates, put on my gold chain and went to Beef, a monthly hip hop night at the Macbeth in Shoreditch. Beef is like 7^th grade dance heaven. The DJ goes back and forth between each set of beef: Jay Z versus Nas, Biggie against Tupac and even Ja Rule going head to head with 50 Cent and so on and so on (I even heard Gangstarr’s Dwyck, which just made my night. Ooh la la ow we wee, you say Muhammad Ali, I say Cassius Clay. You say butta I say Parkay. Perfect.) With every jam turning into a new one I found myself saying «Ah, now THIS is my favorite song!!!» I was a lyric rapping machine. People stared in awe.
See you next month, Macbeth. If not sooner.

Nice venue, with a good downstairs dancefloor and stage and a smoking terrace upstairs. The smoking terrace has a shelter over it, with plenty of space, so really good if it’s raining (as it was last week when I went)
I think they have a variety of nights on, all of which are on their website and myspace.
The night I went to was ‘Prom Night’, which was pretty fun… though some of the music was a little recent for the 80’s cheese theme! Drinks are average for a night out in London. One problem-​they only accept card for transactions over a tenner.
Allin in all a fun night for a bit of a laugh.

I was meant to go home! I was not meant to come here! I wound up here on Thursday, when I was actually just ten minutes away from my house. This place is in the opposite direction, yet I’d had just enough to drink to throw caution to the wind and come out and play.
And play we did, and it was messy. The Macbeth isn’t going to get points for the nicest bar in the world. There’s a cut on my finger from broken glass which was all over the floor and yes THE CARPET IS STICKY. But sometimes, that’s kinda fun.
There’s an outdoor terrace which was nice, although I walked into the men’s twice while trying to find it. That was fun. I can’t remember how much the drinks were or what everyone else was like. It was a bit snotty, bit then, it’s Hoxton.
It’s fake shabby chic, but it works. I like it here. I can’t remember ANY of the conversations, or even half the people I spoke to, but damn it was a good night.

I think this warrants a 4*- after a particularly ridiculously anti– supercalifragilisticexpialidociou band, I kinda stormed out. Let just say, there is a reason why «modern» (as in modern art) music never made it into the mainstay and there is also a reason why you don’t mix it with electronica. The result is that I am pleasantly surprised that I didn’t start bleeding from my ears.
The funny stone wall décor (DON’T pull the nails out!), pool table (yes, Lizzie there is just the one I believe…), smoking terrace, rentable 3^rd floor and reasonably cheap bar with friendlyish service all ticked the right boxes. The accompanying patrons were of the expected kind.
Shame about the terrible music.

Ah the dirty drunkenness that has happened within these very walls I can not sum up in words, it would require an interpretive dance which would put mere mortals to shame.
This dingy dark music venue has comfy sofas, shoreditch twats and overflowing toilets — oh how I love this place. They even have a pool table or two (I could have been seeing double) that is really useful for entertaining people with high spirits, be them gin or whiskey. Ah… Love!

This is where the prodigiously talented Amy Winehouse’s scabby husband committed the crime that landed him in the old bucket and pail. That’s jail to you and me. Right, glad we got that out of the way.
The Macbeth is, as previous reviewers have remarked, truly a musician’s pub. A gloriously insular feeling and unpretentious little pub whose main focus is music, good music, and good up and coming musicians.
I have a soft spot for this place since seeing a good friend play a gig here a couple of years ago. A good place to go for a few bottles of wine with friends and to catch a band. Oh, and I hear the almost Dickensianly grotesque Fielder-​Civil has gone back to jail so there’s no danger you’ll encounter him here.

The Macbeth, like the Old Blue Last, busies itself with music. DJs, club nights, and, most importantly, live gigs. At these, there is often not much room for maneuvre, as (again, like the Old Blue) generally good bands are chosen.
If you wish to escape from the throng, you can hop upstairs, where there is another (small) bar and a balcony. The balcony, more a roof terrace, is quite large, and has a covered area.

The Macbeth is a strange venue. Located in an unlikely part of Shoreditch, it often feels as though you are heading the wrong way. Once there, the pub itself is decorated in a dark way and there is very limited seating downstairs. The upstairs feels as if you are walking through somebody’s house corridor and the roof terrace could be better arranged. But I guess that the whole feel of the place is that they are too cool to care about such menial things anyway.
This venue is usually filled with the usual trendy cream of the crop. It hosts bands on a regular basis and has a good sound and space for them. Unfortunately for me, when I was there I had to greeted by Peaches Geldof’s band, and they were pretty awful. Arrrgghhh. That girl is everywhere!

This venue has gained a reputation for putting on some of the «hottest» in the indie circuit — both new bands and breaking bands have played here. It’s right in the heart of Shoreditch and all the trendy «kids» come here to watch a band and hang out.
I’ve DJ-​ed here before and I quite liked the surroundings and the buzzing atmosphere. The bands attracted a fair crowd and because the venue already has a bit of a rep, there seemed to be some regulars floating about.
I must say, if you’re not a Shoreditch resident, it’s a little bit out of the way to visit just based on a reputation alone. Whilst the clientele wasn’t annoying, loud or overly rowdy, I just prefer my venues with a little less pomp, somewhere more down to earth.
It’s a decent enough little venue for music but as the stage is in the middle of the pub, it’s not a place for a quiet chat with mates.
I’ve been to better venues, more central to the city centre. I wouldn’t come back and would perhaps only visit again if someone really great was playing.

The Macbeth is a pub stoke club with live music, acts that have included Man Like Me and Jammer. The venue is Owned and run by musicians hence the need to have some form of music operating all the time whether it be live or booking in an DJ, the pub hosts a variety of club nights and gigs on each night of the week most popular being GASH club night.
Tuesday nights features the in-​house band and guests hosting an improvised jam session called Mum’s Jam. Wednesdays are claimed by cabaret acts and performance art think Scottee, The-​O, type art. Thursday through to Sunday the Macbeth features London’s most exciting bands and DJs and is open until 2am. Drinks prices aren’t that bad either starting from £2.00 +

Great bar, I spent New Years eve here this year and had a great night. Definately way more grungy than the majority of the bars you will find in Hoxton! which is a good thing in my opinion!
friendly people, everyone seemed to be out to have a good time and a dance! If you want a break from the music there is a little cosy lounge to relax in upstairs.
I’ve been told they have live music here every week! Must check it out some time!
Well recommended!