Lucky Voice Islington Private Karaoke (Bar)

You should be so lucky, lucky lucky lucky, you should be so lucky (Kylie) to find Lucky Voice: half-bar, half karaoke-booth-joint, with a song and a cocktail to suit any taste, style or range of vocal talent.
 
Roughly half-way down the street where you live (Nat King Cole), if you live on Upper Street, Islington that is, half-way between Angel and Highbury & Islington tube, though probably closer, just closer (Ne-Yo) to Highbury & Islington, is Lucky Voice. It's subterranean sister in Soho is better-known and perhaps better situated in the middle of the West End, but Soho Lucky little sis has got a big whopping extra, in the shape of a large, stylish, glass fronted bar, with big windows facing out onto all the action of Islington's lively party-street.
 
A spacious, stylish bar, with plenty of snazzy leather seating and tables around the edges, dominated by big retro gold lampshades gives this place a real visual kick. Sadly, it was empty when I took my singing super-troopers (ABBA) with me mid-week, but I've heard the place is packed on the weekend – and I can definitely see why. It looks great – modern, fun and sexy… with some of the BEST tasting cocktails I've ever had. And I've had lots. Even if you hate singing and/or despise the premise for karaoke, it's worth coming here for the cocktails alone. So, what ya' drinkin? Rum or Whiskey? Why don’t ya hava', double with me? (Noisettes).
 
These are some of the best – Tokyo Mule (I left my heart in Tokyo, down by the river don’t you know? (Mini Viva) – Smirnoff Black vodka, ginger slivers, pineapple and lime topped with ginger beer – I could have glugged these all night. And the best of the best, has to be the Pod 99 - Vanilla vodka, banana and strawberry liqueurs mixed with pineapple, guava juice and ginger ale and topped with a popping candy encrusted strawberry! Yes folks, that really is the amazing popping candy we all loved in school – mixed with alcohol and with such general tasty fruity amazingness, that this is my current number one cocktail. You're my number one, I'd do anything for you (S Club 7).
 
But the show must go on, and for a show to go on is the point of many a Lucky Voice visit – walk this way, talk this way (RUN-DMC) and bring your drinks with you…
 
My singing posse and I were given a tambourine and two mics, then taken to our own stylish Karaoke pod – a small room dominated by a big in-built TV screen, touch-screen monitor (to pick the songs), in-built sofa-style seating for about 10 (more at a push), and a prop box with wigs and hats.
 
There's a button to press if you need anymore drinks, or food (the stone-baked pizzas went down well, and helped us with some extra fuel for the power-ballads later on), and you can dim or brighten the lights to suit the occasion, song or company – a high-tech 21st century music box (room) if ever there was one; your own private singing world.
 
We went through The Killers, Kylie, Queen, ABBA, Noisettes, Bonnie Tyler, Kasabian and Girls Aloud faster than a top 40 countdown – you just type in the name of the artist or song title you want to sing/murder/ruin, then get singing. You can make playlists, move things up and down and change the mic volume, bass and synth. You can even change the key with a simple UP or DOWN. This may sound horribly complicated, but even my drunk, dim-witted technophobe friend managed to work it out after a while. And there's always the lovely staff to take you through it at the push of a button.
 
We finished with Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, and how fitting too. Nothing really matters, karaoke is all you need, nothing really matters (but karaoke), to meeeeee…...read more