When was the last time you stood next to the jukebox with your thumbs sticking through your Wrangler belt-loops whilst chewing on a toothpick, confidently surveying the room as your song plays? C'mon, you know you want to.
We live in an age of self-broadcasting: Twitter, Facebook, the 'gram... you know the culprits. You post yourself online - thoughts, opinions, photos - and then anxiously sit back for the feedback. Well, who's got patience for that? We want instant feedback. And what better way is there to get it than to stroll over to a jukebox, pop in your ten-pence, hit the oversized buttons to pick your song and then twirl around to see the gratifying nod of every head in the venue as Sabotage by the Beastie Boys blasts out?
Conversely, things can turn sour if you get it wrong, so stay the hell away from anything by Simply Red, The Lighthouse Family and Blunters.
Poor old Blunters.
Best bars with a jukebox in London
If you know the Boogaloo’s history then you’ll know that this was quite the popular pub for the hip and the musically famous to come and drink at. As such, the jukebox here is second to none. And there are even playlists curated by some of the more illustrious visitors from the past.
Snooty by name, snooty by nature – when it comes to music at least. This vinyl-only jukebox is one of the best around, stocked with a collection of rare, not so rare and popular rock ‘n’ roll 45’s.
Bradley’s is another jukebox that plays from 7” vinyl only. And although that may limit the amount you can choose from, when there are choices like The Shadows, Roxy Music and Ian Dury it will do nicely.
The Three Kings in Clerkenwell is the owner of yet another vinyl jukebox that does its best to play along with the welcome alternative vibe in this Clerkenwell pub. Expect reggae, roots and rock for your coinage.
Ed’s Diner, what can we say? No longer the ‘only burger joint in town’, not by a long stretch. But at least that jukebox is still running. Did you know they even released an album of their jukebox hits? Average burgers, great music.
The Lexington does a good line on all things American and that includes the jukebox. Think classic American rock and other good taste/guilty pleasure sounds to get you in the mood for a trip upstairs to its excellent live venue.
You might expect to find a selection that sticks to metal in the jukebox at Soho metal bar Crobar. And while the majority of musical choices might lean that way there is a whole lot more to find here. Easily one of the best musical machines in one of the least pretentious bars in Soho.
The George is a small pub in residential Hackney that has grown a reputation over the years for its hip clientele and boss jukebox. The jukebox we can vouch for – you’ll find Beastie Boys, Sister Nancy and Can to name but a few.
Slim Jim’s is the kind of bar that you really need to be in the mood for. It has cultivated an image for itself as that of a hard-liquor toting, hard-partying dive bar and that is almost how it feels – if you’ve shotted enough ‘Jack’, as they say. Whatever, the jukebox is a doozy full of rock ‘n’ roll classics.