Karaoke Box, Smithfield

It’s an acquired taste but sometimes karaoke is just what the doctor ordered. Close a long working week by embracing your inner Dolly with 9 to 5, or support a friend during a heartfelt rendition of I Will Survive­ – only to merrily dance the conga to Gloria Gaynor’s party classic at the end of the night, of course.

At Karaoke Box, you can belt all life’s sorrows away with your mates in your own private room. From the cosy four person to a relatively spacious 40 person, Karaoke Box in Smithfield has 16 rooms to cater for different groups and occasions. Prices vary from £20 to £210 (for a VIP area) an hour.

My group of six was the perfect mix: we had the karaoke queen, the karaoke virgin, three enthusiasts – of which one refused to sing unless we all sang – and one girl in need of a party. The majority of enthusiasts sung meaning that, despite the karaoke queen’s pitch-perfect performance of Whitney Houston, the newbie wasn’t too shy to have a go. Thus an ordinary Thursday was transformed into a much welcomed party!

Room 12, supposedly for seven people was a little bit tight. We couldn’t all fit on the sofa but, then again, there was always at least one person singing. Each room gets two microphones and you can adjust the volume of mics and music with two dials on the wall. The die-hards can even mix in some echo but a group effort on 500 Miles will prove microphones aren’t always needed.

Each room has atmospheric light dimmers as well as a button for waiter service to bring you the necessary refreshments. The Karaoke Box bar provided us with plenty of tasty champagne cocktails, classic mojitos (for the usual £8-£10) and ice-cold beers from £3.95. They also have finger food and fresh stone-baked pizzas to munch on. The bar itself is spacious and has stylish booths and seats for those preferring conversation over karaoke.

If you cannot think of any (more) songs to sing– and believe me, we were there for four hours straight – the Karaoke Box touch screens have a random button which will play you any of their songs or use pre-set playlists filled with everything from musical songs to pop songs from every decade. If you are super organised you can even make your own karaoke set on their website which you can use on the night.

So get your friends together and have some fun!

Karaoke Box Smithfield
12 Smithfield Street
Smithfield
EC1A 9LA

Tel: 020 7329 9991