In my quest to find fresh and exciting dates that get you out of the mundane and typical, dinner, drinks and coffee arena. I’ve be scouring the best alternatives London has to offer for date night ideas you can try for a first date or with your long term partner.
Recently we’ve been indoor skiing and completed a 7.5k assault course, so this time I thought we’d take the pressure off our aching bodies and try a musical date. Of course concerts are always a good date but that would be too easy, if you’re musically inclined, what better way to create great memories or find a common ground that take part in a jam session together.
Hidden away just off Streatham High street is the aptly nammed The Hideaway, a jazz club that regularly host jazz, soul and funk nights as well as a regular comedy night. Monday nights are turned over to a jam session with improvisation workshop, open to budding musicians.
The website states all levels are welcome, my level on the sax could be described as basic, with 1h of parctise since school music lessons, but I dusted it off and strapped it on. My date is an aspirational pianist, again with not much practice since school, but a burning desire to get back in the game.
We arrived at 7.30pm for the workshop, they let you know on the web site the jazz standard everyone will be playing so you have time to get to grips with it in advance. There are a mix of musicians in attendence, horns, sax, guitar, piano, drums and a great house band who keep things sounding professional. As we were presented with the sheet music and listened to a talk about the complex changes and minor arpeggios, we realised we were a little out of our depth. The organiser are extremely helpful and encouraging, even though we clearly had no clue what we were doing. After the workshop there is a jam session with musicians and singers from 13 to 60 all taking part.
At this point we decided to give our music talents a rest, we sat back with a 241 cocktail, some chips and enjoyed the show. It’s a lovely intimate, candle lit room, perfect for a date night that you’d never usually expect for a Monday night, the menu looked good if you just want to come for a meal with jazz and a good vibe. Even though we epic failed on the music front we had a good laugh at trying and promised ourselves we would prac
tice hard and come back and do it properly.
If you’d like more information about the Jam Session or Workshop visit the website Hideaway.co.uk
Musicians pay £10, audience are free.