And the programming is just as impressive
The name of queer clubhouse Roses of Elagabalus gives you some clue as to what to expect from this Dalston bar – Roman emperor Elagabalus, depicted as smothering banquet guests with roses in a painting by Dutch artist Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, was known for his debauchery and gender fluidity – once you can find it that is.
A nondescript door on Kingsland Road opens up into a luxurious multi-room space, which designer Domhnall Nolan has filled with plush fabrics, soft lighting, mirrored fireplaces, leopard-print carpets, chequerboard floors and plaster busts. It pays homage to 20th century cabaret clubs whilst still remaining modern and fresh. In short, it’s sexy.
The Counter Room bar opens the space, which leads into the Erotic Library and the Cabaret Room, a performance space that hosts dinner and a show nights. There has been a rotating selection of kitchen residents, including Pasta Slut, Kenneth Lam, Maison Kim and Flock, who are currently in house serving rotisserie chicken and fries. Downstairs, the Powder Room acts as a both a bathroom and hangout space, Bar Berini, another cocktail bar Subrosa, and the bathhouse-inspired dance floor The Tank.
The likes of Mark T. Cox, The Virgin X, Pi the Mime, and magician Neil Kelso have all hosted evenings at Roses, and for Kelso, it’s a special venue to both perform and watch in. “The gentle intimacy of the space means stories can be shared in really light-touch and detailed ways, that simply aren’t possible in the bigger louder venues around London,” he says. “It’s almost like being at an artistic salon in the 1800s, where you wouldn’t be surprised if the person at the next table was a poet or a painter, and the whole room is alive in an open conversation rather than how it is elsewhere – a one way broadcast from a bright stage into the darkness. It’s not just a place LGBTQ+ people are safe and welcome, it’s a place where we can be brave and share more than is possible elsewhere.”
Founders James Nasmyth and Camille Jetzer opened Roses of Elagabalus on Valentine’s Day this year and, thanks to a strict no-photos policy, it’s remained one of those IYKYK places. As they explain, “The Roses was always intended to be a space of fantasy, a place to enter and lose yourself in. From the outset we wanted to create a complete experience, somewhere you could spend a whole evening in a little world set apart from the outside. With every detail we wanted to create a sense of being invited deeper into the space, more involved, kept safe in a space of intimacy and care.”
Key Information
Address | 578 Kingsland Rd, London E8 4AH
For more information | @rosesofelagabalus
