please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
I have been going to the Swan since the nineties and it is without doubt the best live music/bar and nightclub around. Very friendly and welcoming and never any trouble. All the bands that play are the best on the circuit. You haven't lived until you you go to the Swan as you will keep going back. Saturday is best for a slightly older crowd 25-45. Friday is full of babies generally 18 - 25 yo's.
The only criticism is the Security and the guy who mops the floor - sort it out Swan- they are losing you custom.
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Used to go here a lot in my younger days and it was always great fun but messy. Returned here the other weekend - a little worse for wear to begin with! - and not much has changed. Loud cheesy music and plenty of booze while you dance and sweat the night away in classic Stockwell, er, chic.
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Cheesey but FUNjust a short cab to the Clapham High street makes it good if it is a bit quite
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Great fun! And there is a 80% chance you will wake up next to an Irish gal the next morning.
Last time it happened, the girls housemate burst in at 9am screaming "What are you doing bringing random guys home?! OH MY GOD HE'S ENGLISH!!"
spiffing
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im unfortunatly a regular here, i try and not go but its too much of a laugh. never left here anyway near sober a great place to sink 15 pints of guiness on a sat night. was robbed of the cash prize there on sat for the haloween costume competition. for this reason im attempting to boycott till christmas......will i last, probably not.....
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To be honest it's grotty, your feet stick to the floor and it smells a bit.
But at 3am when you desperately don't want to go to Mosquito it serves its purpose!
The dancefloor is always full and the music is your standard cheesy/pop type stuff, it's always good for a laugh basically.
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Where all your dreams/nightmares come true
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It's an expats pub but is very friendly all the same. The joint usually has a tribute act and is a good place to spend a couple of intoxicated hours.
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Reasonably priced only �6 to get and it included a bite to eat, beer is only �3 a pint.
Excellent music, great atmosphere, friendly door staff, will definitely visit again
And most important it is open until 5am
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This is basically your bog standard Walkabout without the signage. Its populated with lots of Antipodeans and Eastern Europeans, plus the odd group of suits lost on a Friday night after work drinks.
They usually have a covers band and DJ downstairs, and another dj upstairs. Nothing fancy, cheap drinks, but you're right about the pick up joint. I wouldn't recommend coming to the Swan if its out of your way, but if you're looking for a cheap local night out with some cheesy music, then you'll be ok here.
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This pub is infested with ugly antipodean tarts - mainly burly kiwi ladies. Not sure what is Irish about it except for the drunkeness. A lot of the people are there for one purpose only - meet someone to exchange bodily fluids with at the end of the night. The toilets had more shagging going on than a brothel!
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I was hugely disappointed with The Swan. I had remembered it as a great genuine Irish night out, and I have had some great nights there some years ago. It is now a complete dive. Website said �3 entry on St. Patrick's Night with free food. Got charged �10 on the door and the food was basically a chicken drumstick and four burnt chips. It was full of loud Aussies with about as much Irish in them as Sheikh Muhammud. Not to mention the screming little teenagers with bad attitudes. Only sorry I didn't read the other negative reviews on here properly before deciding to go to The Swan.
anonymous - 18 Mar 2007 17:02 |
Used to go there a lot on way home from work, but don't visit anymore, since their Australian bouncer refused me entry as 'I was a single male' (His words)
anonymous - 31 Dec 2006 10:40 |
This is the place to be in London. I have had a range of drunken escapades here, so much so that the bouncers know me by sight.
Cheap drink, not the best quality and rammed with ladies, as there is a nursing college around the corner. Bank Holidays and Saturday nights both floors will be open and the place will be rocking.
On quieter nights they issue free food, its not Masterchef style but soaks up the alcohol. Although on one occassion I did pay for said free food.
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I've been 3 times. Pulled a Kiwi and had sex once, Snogged an East German once and Drew a blank the other. Ehat more can I say - Who the hell goes to a pub to listen to music or soak up the 'Atmosphere' anyway.
Best place to pull in London.
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Could it be hell on earth? No it's a Friday night at the Swan. Ok so the drinks are cheap, if you like cheesy music they play everything from A Ha to Abba and there was a good band playing live for a bit. BUT all this is cancelled out by the awful, awful people, the smell, the evil bouncers, the sweaty chavvy men and even chavvier girls.. you have been warned!
anonymous - 27 Jul 2006 14:06 |
None of the pitifully few printable collection of antics I could put on here spanning the past decade would ever do this place justice, it simply has to be experienced.
I mean where else would you ever be fecked down the stairs by one bouncer and back into the bar by another at the bottom?
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Ah the might Swan! Great for food, drink, ladies, everything
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If you went to Reading Uni and loved the Student's Union-go to the Swan and every land manager and agric seems to be there
anonymous - 12 Mar 2006 15:40 |
Great pub if you like to be surrounded by chavs and dodgy geezers on the pull. A bit like a student night gone wrong. But some people like that sort of thing.
anonymous - 25 Feb 2006 20:34 |
Love this place! Guaranteed to have a great night, full of randomers who are up for the craic! Saturdays and Sundays are especiallly good when theres been a bit of rugby or gaelic on! Fair enough that a good looking fella in there is rare, but thats the best part, pulling a random and laughing bout it the next day. Dj pictures on the website are classic..yet to be circled for my free shots (Shane-u listening?). If you are up for the craic, and love all kinds of music. The place to be!
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It's like Smithfields market, but with less blood. All good fun, just be aware of what you are letting yourself in for!
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Agree with anon - the BEST place for late night drinking, chicken and chips and live music in Stockwell!
anonymous - 22 Jan 2006 00:07 |
Great historic coaching inn on the main road into London...
The BEST place in Stockwell although only open Friday, Saturday and Sunday it is well worth a visit.
anonymous - 15 Nov 2005 13:10 |
Great pub, guaranteed a great night, meet great friendly people from ireland, australia...everywhere!
Great bands, and DJs are brilliant! Always full of gaelic footballers...you always have the craic with them! Love it!!
anonymous - 14 Nov 2005 19:14 |
Lets get something straight from the kick off: The Swan is a meat market.
And were not talking about one those Highland establishments that delivers a few arses worth of prime Angus beef to the tables of the Royal Family at Christmas � no, this is the clubbing equivalent of the sort of carpark donkey slaughtering operation that sends hairy gristle to food chains like FarmFoods and Chavnosh. You know from the moment you enter that 80% of the people gyrating through the building are likely to be sharing bodily fluids by 4am and a good proportion of that lucky set are also going to have to make use of the Governments marvellous range of �crotch rot� clinics.
However, while this is all ridiculously obvious, it would be difficult for even the most miserable of gits to deny that the Swan is one of the best night outs in London. The atmosphere, while definitely on the hedonistic side, is pitch perfect, with an outstanding range of bands/DJs that alternate through a great acoustic system each night and a wonderful large interior that holds two separate and giant floors playing sounds that should suit everyone. To compliment the storming tunes and size is a long array of bars serving reasonably priced and variable tipples (for a club that is) with a staff that are first rate. Most importantly for a prematurely old git like me, the deeply wooden interior and absence of glitzy bars means the Swan doesn�t really feel like your typical club and hence have an inhibiting pouncy feeling. This certainly lends it a slightly weird, but very welcome bit of distinctiveness.
And yes, its true, thanks to the fun atmosphere, pulling in the Swan is about as difficult as putting on a hat.
There arent therefore many drawbacks, although don�t touch the food unless your bowels are particularly strong and you don�t mind consuming enough fat to deep fry Irelands entire potato crop.
This is though a minor whinge, and I really cant help but give the Swan a very rare, but deserved 10/10.
anonymous - 13 Nov 2005 14:37 |
What can I say, great place when your twisted, bit sureal when your not thou. lively music and always a guarenteed laugh. Love it
anonymous - 24 Oct 2005 12:32 |
From the outside this place looks dodgy, but inside it's great. Brilliant atmosphere, open late with lots of locals, students and Aussies making the place come alive. Decent music, live bands and cheap(ish) beer.
anonymous - 10 Oct 2005 15:56 |
FANTASTICS - everyone hsould do it once
anonymous - 23 Sep 2005 14:28 |
This place is unbeleivable!!!! Cheap booze, cheap women (if you can't pull here you must be some kind of nut)I always go and this place is packed with fruity, pink nurses who love to party with the Rat Man. Forget all the swish clubs in the West End, The Swan swats them away with one great flap of it's booze-stained wing. I've got two weeks holiday later this year......am I going to Ibiza - nah, Spain - nah, The Swan - GET IN THERE!!!!!!
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Targeted by the London based Aussie, and no bad thing. Carefree drunks and romance a sure bet. With live music upstairs at times. A Bacchalian oasis in moody Stockwell
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Greatttttttttttttttttttttt! Top venue in the whole of South london
anonymous - 13 Jul 2005 22:57 |
what a pub, fantastic music, great atmosphere, and plenty of hotties! Booze is fairly cheap. Brilliant place to go especially if ur on a manic session and the other pubs are closed
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The experience of a lifetime! Live music, cheap drinks, classy girls, classy boys and general atmosphere of fun!!!!
anonymous - 24 May 2005 13:35 |
So entertaining, so irresponsible, great night out and cheap too- generally regular pub prices. Fellow patrons of this establishment always seem to be a nice bunch. I would thoroughly recommend this historic coaching inn!
anonymous - 20 Apr 2005 12:39 |
And my mate met his wife there -a nice middle class girl from Surrey- so not all bad
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A theatre of dreams ! One of the greatest pubs in the whole of London! Everyone should experience it once.
Where else can you chat to nice friendly bouncers, listen to great tribute bands, buy reasonable priced beer, eat tasty chicken and chips and get to go home with a beautiful Polish/ Slovakian/ Czech/ Finnish nurse, nanny or waitress at the end of the night - and all for �6 or less entry. If you are really clever you can get in for free although I imagine it is a bit sad arriving at that early on in the evening.
anonymous - 16 Dec 2004 16:05 |
jeez... the worst meat market in london without competition... Great if your locked though and don't really care anymore..
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More in common with a zoo than a pub, this pub deserves praise on an international scale.
Fabulous entertainment for the overrefreshed.
thegrimreecer - 24 Sep 2004 15:07 |
If you can't pull at the swan you will never pull. Ever. (Most of the birds are on the ordinary side of avergae, but with 12 pints they become shagable.)
Great place
anonymous - 17 Sep 2004 08:29 |
my name is harry i work long hours as a and have few oppportunities to go out and even fewer to get laid. i thank god for the glorious night i discovered the swan!! every friday and saturday night now i go to the swan. i never fail to pull, and the bouncers are charming once they get to reckognize your face. but don't ask for free admission though, because they said no and get cross and i got poked in the belly and accidently puked. ruined my shoes and my pulling that night, but next month they let me in again! what can i say but i love the swan. ladeeeez i love you!
Harry - 18 Aug 2004 21:09 |
Love it what more can i say and a 24 food place across the road for afters. cant wait till get me own place then i can take them ladies home for a fry up
big chav - 13 Aug 2004 14:18 |
I have been going to this outlet for over 4 years and usually end up here on sunday nights when u cant be arsed to home and be sensible for a monday morning - its always a good idea at the time !!! Its a bit grubby, but that gives it the worn in look. international or 6 nations Rugby was a treat. How many fit rugby players under one roof in a night.
aby - 10 Jun 2004 19:25 |
what a night... atmosphere fantastic. crockadillipigs everywhere wanting a quick hump.lots of gorgeous women to look at and plenty of heffers needing loving. be careful when you get shitfaced though.. the women seem to have four heads,thats just an illusion they actually only have two. if you want a stunner or just a sharon or tracy its got it all. when will women realise that us men will shag anything..... or is that just me. anyway top marks for this great bar.. music great too. the craic is top. bands are top too. only regret is i forgot to try the free food. i had my hand full with a fat birds blarts at the time of service i think... the regmeister.... ladies, i love you all.
carl - 30 May 2004 09:26 |
Hi,
I was in there yesterday and I would like to know more details about it and I would like to know a website of music group or contact with FeedBack (they were in this pub yesterday). This place reminded me of a Hungarian pub.
I hope you will give me more details about the pub and The Feedback.
Thx,best wishes,
Helga Gaspar
Helga Gaspar - 16 May 2004 21:40 |
been going since I was 17 (am 32 now). getting a big long in the tooth for it now but occasionally cant resist!!!!
pf - 2 Apr 2004 21:18 |
Great Place!! Bouncers are nowhere near as big and bad as they have been made out to be. The place is normally very busy but you will always manage to find some room on the dancefloor to strutt your stuff to the cheesy classics. There are not many other pubs/clubs in London where the drink prices remains reasonable. Beware of a couple of Ginger Mingers found inside always ready to pounce. Don't say you haven't been warned ladies!! Other than that you are guarenteed a good night with everyone always in high spirits and up for a laugh!
Malcom - 22 Mar 2004 22:40 |
Once a great Irish pub this place has become more like a Walkabout. Full to bursting with exceptionally ugly desperados............Go if you fit into this bracket and/or like watching minging people copulate. Stinking boy, pure rotten.
Kat - 19 Mar 2004 15:32 |
Slightly crazy place; starting off with questioning on door, then on Friday nights crazy dancing on two floors with mixture of drunken men, up for it men and women mostly in groups and Australians and the like. Hand snack food -eg chicken and chips- included in price. Drink is not too expensive. Basically everyone in the Swan is up for it big time and on the pull. A theatre of dreams!
Rupert - 10 Mar 2004 12:42 |
Great nights out at the Swan chasing the ladeez.
Doorstaff trained by Jeremy Paxman (last time's quiz included a list of bands I had seen at The Swan and the American guy in front of me didn't get in on account of wearing brogue shoes and being American)
Luckily things pick up when you're inside and get steaming.Disco upstairs is boss and previous attractions have included Achtung Baby (U2 tribute-Bono seemed to have gone to seed)and the superb Boys From County Hell (Pogues tribute)
Not sure about the deal with the food but for a night out on the lash 10 out of 10.
Jebb - 26 Feb 2004 11:31 |
the swan is the best place to see bands and have great time.the place is the bomb!If u have bad things to say about the place dont go!we dont care we love it!
shaun - 7 Feb 2004 02:23 |
one of the best places if been in england.i realy enjoy it there and you will see me every weekend.Tank you for the graet party,keep it up.
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You may be right Cathy, however rarely will you find a woman inside the Swan sober enough to spell misogynist, let alone care whether you are one or not..My only surprise is that a misanthropist like yourself ventures into such places.!
crazyfunster - 23 Dec 2003 00:04 |
Giggling monsters, bloated sows...Tony and Crazyfunster, what sad, loser misogynists you are (I think you two may have to get out the dictionary for that one).
Are you two desperados who have to drink copious amounts before approaching the opposite sex? Cos I am positive no sane, sober woman would take you seriously from the sounds of your charming repartee...
anonymous - 6 Nov 2003 16:04 |
I'll agree that the bouncers ask you the most bizarre questions before letting you in, but in fairness they do tend to keep out the local Stockwell scum-bags. Rarely will you remember actually getting home from this place and rarer still will you be pleased with the bloated sow that you will invariably find inhabiting your bed the following morning. If you can't pull in this place you should give up trying.
crazyfunster - 2 Nov 2003 18:35 |
Good tribute bands, meat market, aggressive bouncers (there's a 1st)too many South Africans, good for groups.
anonymous - 15 Sep 2003 13:14 |
Fat Aussie git at the door asking all kinds of questions and not providing any help. Battle of the Bands on Thursday was pretty good and watching two Hungarian birds snog was fun too. The free food is a joke, except that its free, but you can only get one portion unless you pay. I was completely shitted when I walked out the door at 2 and found a ready mini-cab to take me home. I'll be there again in the not too distant future.
James - 15 Sep 2003 13:13 |
Gloria Gainer night after night to ever appreciative crowds of rough antipodeans. Too many times have I blinked at the fluorescent tube strip lights coming on at 3am, clutching 1/2 a pint of warm Guinness, with my other hand up some giggling monsters jumper. I am 31, those days are over.
Toby - 11 Sep 2003 22:22 |
Due to the fierce craic I somethimes have trouble staying conscious in The Swan. I got slung out of the main door for having a quick kip and then chucked back in again via the fire exit to continue a marathon drinking session. Excellent. 10/10
WS - 11 Sep 2003 16:06 |
Well, I agree with the comments below. Men say it is easy to pull... well it is even easier if u r a lady. How many desperado saddos are there? Great music and the craic but avoid all engineers, military police and complete culties.
Irish scouser - 9 Sep 2003 15:38 |
Ladies, if u want to pull a minger you can very easily. There is normally one fit guy there of a night, but these are few and far between. the others are mostly from County Galway, desperate and looking for anything that moves. Avoid them like the plague. Drink is cheap enough, and always good craic.
London Irish - 9 Sep 2003 14:38 |
a really fat night out, pick a nationality and get stuck in there. loads of girls with lovely personalities:) free food! music is good if your pinted, and the girls are everywhere. your place or mine?
Yeeha Ride em cowboy - 16 May 2003 08:45 |
Crumpet ahoy! Tribute bands and Disco upstairs with enough for everbody if your not too fussy. Even my mate who's been slapped badly with the ugly stick pulled. Don't be put off by the bouncers, there OK. Me and seven mates got in there after a 10 hour stella and tequilla marathon at the cricket last year. Answering "No" to the "Are you drunk?" question seemed to do the trick.
Gary - 28 Apr 2003 12:36 |
Great for a good spit, even got a wooden floor, wipe clean!
Dave Spit - 24 Apr 2003 14:23 |
theres a grat mix of nationalities in there which i love,but they only do 2 types of bacardi breezers in there which isquite frankly not good enough.
andrew - 19 Mar 2003 17:15 |
It's a great place, but I always find the drinking a bit too hard core. I prefer bacardi breezers and "soft" drinks.
Andrew - 18 Mar 2003 14:43 |
Always get a dabble there, even if it is only the 5 to 3's, 90% success rate.
Neil H - 18 Mar 2003 14:35 |
never been the same since they moved the fag machine.
The Big Fella - 18 Mar 2003 14:23 |
Not a bad bar, floor seems OK for a bit of flobbing also!
Dave Spit - 18 Mar 2003 14:18 |
basically pints of snakebite and black by the barrel,very noisy,full of old slappers!!!
ian h - 18 Feb 2003 21:54 |
Great pub, good prices, loads of live music, and free bbq snacks!! Open late. Worth a try =)
susan - 21 Nov 2002 13:48 |
