Notorious nightclub Boujis is back: B London and cocktail bar opens in South Kensington… and the metaverse

Legendary London nightclub Boujis is making a comeback, with the launch of B London in Old Brompton Road, and you won’t even have to ‘B’ there to visit the club, thanks to the wonders of Virtual Reality.

The team behind Boujis, Mahiki and Raffles Chelsea – Jake Parkinson-Smith, Carlo Carello, Fraser Carruthers, Steve Manktelow and Barth Rougier – know a thing or two about the nightclub scene, and with B London they’re promising a new era of hedonistic innovation.

The original Boujis was London’s hottest haunt, with a noughties clientele that included royalty and celebrities. It’s where Harry and his brother hung out and Metallica and Lady Gaga threw their afterparties. 

The club closed in 2016, after an infamous fracas, but now it’s staging a thinly veiled comeback.

The original Boujis was London’s hottest haunt, with a noughties clientele that included royalty and celebrities…

Jake Parkinson Smith told The Luxe Review that the time was right to launch the B Club and cocktail bar. “We want to bring the buzz back into London’s nightlife scene and evoke nostalgic memories from unforgettable nights!” he says. “B London is inspired by iconic London clubs and we want to create as many memorable nights again as possible. The noughties crowd driven by nostalgia will want to come back!”

B London has been designed by nightclub specialist Neil Morten of GMP. Expect a juxtaposition of posh and raw, with AI driven art in its gallery, and a Ministry of Sound inspired concrete DJ booth.

“Boujis was the home of the stars, and we want to recreate this buzz,” explains Fraser Carruthers. “B London is still luxurious but it has polished concrete and exposed pipe works that provide a backdrop to Warhol and Basquiat’s graffiti.”

Barth Rougier says the team aims to diversify West London’s music scene with a programme of DJs to rival Fabric and Printworks. “B London is going back to when DJs played vinyl, playing songs that haven’t been heard before on streaming services, providing people with that raw and authentic clubbing experience.”

There will definitely be live performances too, says Rougier. “We very much invest in talent and know that people want to really experience music. We have previously had Lady Gaga, Pete Tong and Snoop Dogg performing at our venues and we won’t be stopping with this level of superstar talent at B London!”

B London also boasts the hidden Cubanista speakeasy. Entry is via a red phone booth – dial the number and the other side of the booth magically opens. Suddenly you’re in Cuba (or as close as South Ken gets). 

The speakeasy’s décor is inspired by 1920’s Cuban holiday homes, we’re told, with washed out Caribbean colours, shutters and faux windows creating the illusion of being above ground.

“We have some wonderful old vintage Bacardi posters, and photos. Furniture is Caribbean style where possible, with a lot of vintage pieces being mixed with some more durable contemporary pieces. We wanted to make this space completely different to the rest of the venue, so it really impacts you when you visit it through the club,” says Carruthers.

Drinkers can look forward to modern twists on classic cocktails plus the return of a house favourite.   

“Definitely expect more Crackbabies,” confirms Steve Manktelow. “That was the most famous drink at Boujis. The Cubanista bar will be serving classic cocktails with an innovative twist. Expect playful but classy drinks, including a Pina Colada that will be completely crystal clear by removing sediment out with a clarification process. A Daiquiri created using a combination of several rums, aiming for more of the rich, full flavours that come from barrel aging versus the lighter clean ones and subtly marrying these with chocolate and maraschino.

“We’ll also be doing a Flamingo Mojito where we make a mint and lime syrup from fresh ingredients then clarify this to remove the colour and mixing it with a watermelon juice to create a lovely pink. Espresso Martinis will, of course, also be on the menu and we’ve found a wonderful Cuban coffee with rich chocolatey notes which we’re pairing with other spices – think cinnamon, cacao, tobacco and tonka.”

While B London aims to pick up where Boujis left off,  it adds something unique to the mix – a virtual version of the club you can visit in the metaverse. The team hopes it’ll usher in a new way to experience their nightclub vision, albeit with Oculus goggles a sartorial necessity.

“Times are changing and therefore we must propel B London firmly into the modern era,” insists Carlo Carello. “We need to provide more than we did before, and so we are investing much more in our content creation. We’re achieving a global first, partnering with Vertex Labs to deliver a true metaverse nightclub web 3 experience. This will be a carbon copy of B London – the first one in the metaverse. From every light fitting to every plug socket, to every table, it will all be there in the metaverse, and people will be able to attend, digitally, wherever they are in the world!”

B London is located on Old Brompton Road, South Kensington. Launching March 17, the nightclub will be open from Thursday to Sunday, 10:30pm – 3am. The Cuban Speakeasy cocktail bar will be open from Tuesday – Sunday, 6pm – 3am.