K1 on stroud green road
  • harpistic
    @kreuzkav, I must be a near neighbour of yours, and the daily street parties outside Sugar Lounge are starting to get annoying (I moved to SGR 2 months ago) - the problem is that the people may not be making a lot of noise (except for tonight with lots of loud singing), but noise seems to travel exceptionally well across the road and upwards.

    Would be very very good if they could move people inside after a certain hour, eg 10pm, and for their doormen to actively police people hanging around outside.

    There were a lot of police hanging around this evening and sometimes talking to them but they didn't seem to do much?
  • kreuzkav
    Yes, the travelling group were apparently making lots of noise all over Stroud Green tonight. Police were called to Stroud Green by neighbours twice (not by me) and the first time it was the community police who just were a bit relaxed. The 'Police' turned up second time. Myself and other neighbours had a chat to them and they told us that something like 20 complaints were made.

    I appreciate that Sugar Lounge have made efforts to improve things (but please if you employ a door person, please let them be more active and not so passive) and it's ironic this comes after a day of positive vibes from me about them. I realise it was rogue party of idiots, but you really need to control your patrons. I ran a club in the 90s with a few other people that had 700 plus people attending in a dodgy club in Hackney and we controlled it. One complaint from neighbours and we dealt with it. And we had two amazing doormen, but we paid them well.

    I've spoken to other neighbours and we're not willing to tolerate tables and people left outside late at night. I wish you well but if you proceed to not respect your neighbours you will go the way of other pubs/bars like Chapter One round here. We won't respect the way you treated us last summer and we're organising police, neighbours and environmental health already.

    Again, I wish your business well, but please don't take us for granted!
  • R&J

    Noticed the pikeys earlier sitting outside the Sugar Lounge. Could hear them from a good distance away. Never ends well tbf, I recognise them from another pub I drank in a few years ago.

    Reason I logged on just now was to check on developments as I knew it wouldn't go unnoticed here

  • Misscara

    This group of people were already drunk in WLM at 5pm. I'm surprised they could stand up by the time they got to SL.

  • R&J

    Well they are the type to drink till they pass out or have a ruck

    Last time I saw the same group a few houses on the same road as the pub had their front garden walls sledge hammered

  • northlondonlass
    It's true, Karmen is finally gone! I won't go into specifics but the locks are changed and I might finally get some peace at the weekend. It's been nearly 3 years but eventually the ones who respect no one do get their comeuppance. I think Sugar Lounge looks awful and I really feel for you guys who live opposite. I don't know why SGR is so lax on keeping the bars in check, it's so unprofessional. Whenever I'm in central London you have doormen patrolling the pavements to make sure nothing crazy is going on. It's the Councils that enforce it and it seems that Islington is just as bad as Haringey about noise pollution. Is there an actual group that meets about these things? People power can work but just talking about it on these forums only does so much. Voices need to be heard and the more there are the more the councils have to listen.
  • miss annie

    Aaah, summer has come and here we are on the 'living on a busy (A) road in London is too noisy' debate again.

    Islington is actually very good about noise pollution as discussed on a previous thread.

    If you call tham to complain they will come to your house/flat and measure the noise levels in your bedroom. Not in your drawing room or outside. If they are above the legal limits they will deal with it. They will not police noise outside on a public road, why would they? If there were fights and antisocial behaviour you could call the police.

    Now, I'm not a barfly and am not a massive drinker but the Sugar Lounge is actually nice - you should try it. The food is lovely, the cocktails are great and the lady that runs it is very sweet.

    They also host SG's literary events in their beautiful back room and I believe that there may be an exciting new event in the wings too. Ask Miscara.

    When you are in there it really isn't all that noisy although I appreciate that if you live directly above a bar or pub you might be somewhat disturbed. I'd say that The Stapleton on a week night is noisier. Give it a try on a weekday with some pals, you are missing out on one of SG's nicer venues.

  • Tallboy

    I concur with miss annie. Can't comment on the noise issue, but early evening during the week it's a comfortable venue, food was good and owner very friendly.

  • Sevlow

    The White Lion has been ruined due to complaints from the 'neighbours'. No more sitting outside, no more sitting in the window seats.

    Tell you what, probably just best to board up and close down the whole of SGR.

  • barnesbq
    I live above The Stapleton, opposite the Old Dairy, on traffic lights.

    Muffles wax earplugs from Boots block out EVERYTHING except vibrations from stereos and I simply cannot recommend them enough on noisy SGR nights (or nights where I want a good, uninterrupted sleep)

    I have never complained myself, but I do have a huge jar of jelly beans which I occasionally dip into and hurl at people in convertible cars stopped at the lights (if their RnB is stupidly bassy), or pissed slappers who scream uninteligible nonsense at each other from a distance of just 20cm outside the Dairy at closing etc etc.

    Most of them are too pissed to see where these beans come from, and as I have such a good vantage point, I get to see them get hit without them seeing me. Twice I've had an absolute corker where the guy in the convertible thought a hail of bullets had hit him (pansy!) and one where the girls went mental, shouting "WHO DID THAT", looking around the empty road for a hidden marksman for about twenty minutes.

    Immature, I know, but sometimes I prefer to take matters into my own hands, and it's also a good way to get rid of unwanted jelly belly flavours such as liquorice and coconut.
  • ArkadyArkady

    Brilliant!

    I wear earplugs too, they're really no bother.

  • sincers

    Ha!

  • Kaz
    Thats amazing barnesbq! Ever thought of waterballoons??

    I feel that SOME of the critisism of Sugar Lounge is a bit unjust. Because they are open late, a lot of people are drunk already when they arrive. Which may not be obvious to the staff straight away as people tend to pull themselves together before going into a new place.

    I mean there is only so much you can do!!! The problem is often the people, not the venue itself. If the doorman refuses them entry, chances are they will hang around on the pavement arguing or debating their next move. And you can't just forcibly move someone off a public pavement!

    If someone has spent the evening there and are leaving in separate directions, chances are they will have a chat/cigarette/extended goodbye outside. And drunk people just tend to be loud.

    Normally I would say if you live on a busy road, you have to put up with a certain amount of noise, but I wont, as I've seen previous threads, and the words "worms" and "can" springs to mind.

    I do sympathise with those who are effected, but from what I have seen, the Sugar Lounge has listened and tried to do something about the situation. And at the end of the day, this street is always going to have some level of noise.
  • harpistic
    @barnesbq and others - the earplugs from Superdrug are MUCH better! - they're like the ones which you get on airplanes.

    I think it's safe to say that noise travels in mysterious ways in SG - sigh.
  • ADGS
    That jellybean plan is excellent. I remember at Cambridge one college's students got pissed off with the open-top tour buses and started throwing fruit, then veg, and finally knocked out a guide with a potato.

    I didn't know the WLM had had complaints from the neighbours. I live about as close to it as you can get without tunneling into the cellar, and I never hear a peep, unless you count the hum of the air con (which I find quite soothing).
  • Sevlow

    @ ADGS

    Yes according to the Duty Manager (French Girl) My money is on kreuzkav

  • miss annie

    But he drinks in there quite often! Would be a bit silly of him to complain...

  • kreuzkav
    @ Miss Annie. Have we met? I haven't been to the White Lion in about 8 years.
  • Kaz
    Actually ever once been into K1 or Karmenz as it was known then, must be about 5 (?) years ago.

    Had massive argument with then-boyfriend.He stormed out and as I went to the bar in a flood of tears to pay, Karmen herself gave me a massive brandy on the house. She seemed really nice, and I was talking to her about opening late for music, and as far as I remember (obviously I had more brandy...) she said she didn't want to have certain music as she didn't want any trouble.

    Does anyone know if she has been involved the whole time, or has it been new owners that have created the bad rep?
  • Ali

    seems to be getting rebuilt inside

  • sincers

    Laser Quest?

  • tosscat

    Earplugwise, I would recommend the silicone. Beats the foam ones, but I've never tried the wax ones.

  • barnesbq
    oh, the wax ones are just incredible. All you can hear is your heartbeat.
  • Misscara

    Anyone know what's happening at K1? They've got architects in (sign outside), wonder what they're doing?

    Also any word on the new place where the toaster cafe used to be?

  • dorothy
    Yes, I noticed that sign with the name of the architect on it. That name was like a blast from the past. Not sure if she's still local.
  • ArkadyArkady

    Can someone remind me what the toaster art thing is all about? A couple of guys were spraying it on the Parkland Walk at the weekend, and it looked like a very professional job.

  • krappyrubsnifkrappyrubsnif
    I remember that architect too. She's relocated to Highbury Fields or Angel and has a sprog now......good to see she is in business under her own name. Hopefully it will be a good job, whatever it is.
  • norn iron
    Wasn't that toaster thing a Mac screen-saver at one time - except it had wings? ('Flying Toasters')
  • Sevlow

    Its a front

  • applehead
    "One of the most ubiquitous symbols of London street art, The Toasters a secretive crew of two artists from the Midlands, made their first appearance in 1999, marking a transition from tagging to iconography branding." - Street Artists - the Complete Guide

    The Toasters have been spotted in Berlin, Stockholm, NY, LA, San Fran, Tokyo, Sao Paulo, Rio, Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Paris and of course Stroud Green Road, London.

    I always liked the toasters on the roll down shutter and to that end applaud Seasons for encouraging the street art on their roll down shutter.
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