Discover Spiritland at JOY, Ladbroke Grove’s new pop-up music bar and restaurant designed for escapism and pleasure this winter.

We all knew that Christmas was going to be different this year. Fewer parties, smaller get togethers and, lets face it, probably slightly less fun. Enter the founders of JOY at Portobello, Stevie Parle and Tom Dixon injecting some festive cheer from this December and into the new year. In collaboration with Spiritland, London’s audio pioneers, JOY has been transformed into an immersive performance space designed for escapism and enjoyment. From the line-up, to the interiors and food, everything has been created to energise and lift spirits.

Spiritland at JOY will host a carefully planned calendar of DJ sets, talks, live music and cabaret. Performances from the likes of Bill Brewster, Jeremy Delley, Severino, Mafalda and Jonny Woo can be enjoyed with drinks from The House of Suntory’s bespoke cocktail menu inspired by Japanese spirits. If that wasn’t enticing enough, Parle’s past brand, Pastaio, have created a new indulgent, seasonal menu form their first experimental kitchen, including Acton burrata, Autumn black truffle fried sandwich and artichokes a la romana.

Parle commented: ‘I’m super excited to be adding another massive element to the madness that is JOY and bringing in Spiritland, whose amazing audio set ups and cool vibe-laden venues I have long been a massive fan of. Spiritland at JOY will not only bring Joy to our guests but will significantly help in our mission of creating jobs and outlets for musicians, DJs and producers hard hit by the pandemic. Joy all round!’

JOY was opened by Parle and Dixon as a collaborative space next to Regent’s Canal to great success over the summer. It was born out of a reaction to the difficult-to-navigate rules and financial struggle for the creative industries as a result of the pandemic. The pair wanted to create a place that gave talented professionals freedom to express themselves in a COVID-safe venue, while offering well-paid jobs for those struggling in the music and hospitality industries. In a bid to continue to provide music and culture lovers with some much-needed escapism, the cavernous warehouse space below JOY has been transformed into a ‘psychedelic lounge’, full of colour, intrigue and projected animations on the walls.

Spiritland’s Artistic Director, Paul Noble said: ‘We are very excited to see this year out in a blast of joy and enthusiasm. We’ve always wanted to bring the sound of Spiritland to West London and this is the perfect opportunity to do it with Stevie and Tom in a unique space.’

Opening from the 4th December, Spiritland at JOY offers the perfect setting to celebrate the end of lockdown and the start of the festive season. A spontaneous response to 2020’s cultural landscape, the project is the first of its kind from the trio, to create an unapologetically fun, energetic remedy to see out the year and ring in 2021. We’ll see you there!

joyatportobello.co.uk